All-new Indian range unveiled

America’s first great motorcycling name has been reborn with the unveiling of three, brand new models from the phoenix-like Indian Motorcycle company. But unlike the original birth, when Oscar Hedstrom and George Hendee wheeled the very first bike out into public view in what was, no doubt, a very low-key affair, the new Indian launch was a modern mix of high-tech media, with a live unveiling from Sturgis, south Dakota, to coincide with the wraps coming off the first batch of 15 bikes at the Sydney Victory store – now the Victory and Indian store.

Why there? Simple, Polaris, the maker of all things for land and water, has added the iconic brand to its own Victory Motorcycle portfolio to create two very different motorcycle brands. Whereas Victory caters for a wide range of styles and riders, Indian is looking at a more affluent, narrower section of the motorcycling market. In short, it’s gunning for good ole boys from Milwaukee…

It’ll be months yet before anyone from outside a select few of Indian employees gets to throw a leg over either the Chief Classic, Chief Vintage or Chieftain. And with the strong demand shown from the 111 promotion (the cubic inch of the V-twin engine and also the number of new owners getting a whole host of goodies by signing up and depositing down early), don’t expect to rock up tomorrow and get your ass plonked down on a hand-stitched leather saddle this side of 2014. Even though the company is looking to eventually produce bikes in the “Tens of thousands”, for the foreseeable future the chance of popping-down to pick up this Indian takeaway is next to naan…

Each of the three bikes has the Thunder Stroke 111 cubic inch engine as its heart. It’s a massive beast, measuring a healthy 1811cc and pumping out 161Nm of torque from its air-cooled bores. To help riders stay cool, the maximum fin area has been employed to dissipate heat, aided by the addition of double-skinned cam covers, ceramic exhaust headers and an oil cooler. Fuel-injected and coupled to a six-speed gearbox that feeds the rear 180-section tyre via a belt drive, there should be no lack of oomph, despite the aluminium-framed machines weighing-in between 320 and 370kg.

With the Chieftain model offering such modernities as a ride-by-wire throttle, electrically height-adjustable screen, tyre pressure monitoring, bluetooth connectivity, keyless ignition and central locking (one button to lock the bike and panniers), it’s refreshing to see a machine so steeped in the past also has a nod to the future. Without riding the bikes, we can only assume the ride with be at least Harley-esque. The pipes (which look best with the optional fishtail end caps), and therefore the ground clearance, appear to be higher, hinting that footboard scraping might not define the ride. The 20.8-litre tank is claimed to offer a 300km range, while the 8000km service intervals and two-year warranty look to make ownership and pleasurable experience.

What’s striking about these static bikes, revolving on motorised turntables and bathed in neon lights, is how they’ve managed to stay true to the original’s silhouette. From the cover-all fenders to the underseat body panels, it pays homage to the forbearer, especially the pared-down Classic, which takes cues from the three-light front ‘face’ of the bike and the Indian war bonnet front fender light emblem. Most importantly, it gives the bikes a look that defines it. At $28,995 ride away, this base-model Indian is more expensive than Harley’s. But that seems to be the point in the positioning of Indian as a premium brand. With the Vintage weighing in at $31,495 and the Chieftain just five bucks shy of 36-large, this isn’t the volume deal that Harley’s become. It costs dollars to be different it seems…

Of course, as any Harley rider knows, you don’t buy just the bike, you buy the dream. And the Indian dream factory is in full-flight already. From 100-watt speaker lids for the Chieftain’s hard luggage to an array of chrome and tassel accessories that satisfy your inner Indian (or cowboy). And then there’s the de rigueur selection of jackets and T-Shirts that let the public know you bike’s not a Harley.

Within a couple of weeks, Melbournians will get an invitational-only look at the new bikes as they get trucked south. Further ahead, Brisbane will get its own Indian dealer before Perth gets in on the action. It’s clear from the launch in Sydney that Polaris isn’t just dipping its toe in the water with the Indian brand. With Victory already having the best warranty record, their mechanics are currently being retrained and upgraded to make sure the new Indian machines are the best they can be. Judging from the attention to detail of the new bikes, it looks like America’s newest, oldest marque has the engineering, heritage and feel of a concern that’ll be around for many a year to come.

Meanwhile, to kickstart the new era of Indian Motorcycle, it celebrated by holding a party at the redesigned Indian/Victory Motorcycles Sydney store on Saturday, August 3. The “111 Club” – the first 111 people to place a deposit on the unseen model -- drew an Indian key ring from the cruiser-themed barrel to see which particular number will be stamped on their bike.

Of course, numbers ‘1’ and ‘111’ were the ones everyone was after, and it was Ken Hager and Brian Bernard who scored the coveted numbers. Surely worth more money now, but that’s the luck of the draw.

Shane Jacobson (of Kenny movie fame) was the MC for the night and kept everyone in stitches with his hilarious antics, but it was the presence and chat with John Munro – Burt Munro’s son -- that had everyone stopped in their tracks.

John spoke of Burt’s land speed records – still not beaten to this day and he spoke of how meticulous Burt was with his engineering. John brought with him Burt’s “wind tunnel” tester – a small wooden replica of Burt’s Salt Lake racer that he used to strap to the bonnet of his Vauxhall and drive as fast as he could, checking the aerodynamics of variations he’d made.

Visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.au to locate an Indian Motorcycle dealer near you, and to see the full line of apparel, parts and accessories.