Indian Motorcycle Summit Provides More Details On All-New Model

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Filmed at the 2013 Progressive International Motorcycle Show in New York City, the “Indian Motorcycle Summit” press conference featured celebrity panelist Mike Wolfe and top executives from Indian Motorcycle including Steve Menneto, Gary Gray and designer Michael Song. Moderated by Robert Pandya, panelists discussed everything from Mike’s favorite picks to the company’s exciting plans for the upcoming launch of the all-new Indian Motorcycle – one of the most anticipated and historic events in motorcycling history.

Among the highlights from the interview, straight away, Pandya asked the question that is on everybody’s mind: when are we going to see the new Indian Motorcycle? “Later this year,” answered Steve Menneto VP of Motorcycles for Polaris Industries, adding the target date is sometime in “late summer or late fall.”

Polaris officially purchased Indian in April of 2011. Consider the fact it usually takes manufacturers three to five years to design, build and test a new model before it comes to market, Gary Gray, Director of Motorcycle Product Planning for Polaris, says the new Indian “absolutely, positively” has to, and will be, completed in shorter time. Gray also revealed the new bike “started as a clean sheet of paper,” though the team actually bought and rode vintage Indians from the 1920s and 1930s to draw inspiration.

Audio clips of the new engine have been released already, of which it sounds distinctly V-Twin, though the public will know definitively come Daytona Bike Week in March as this is where the new engine will be revealed. Interestingly, for those wondering how Victory, Polaris’ other motorcycle brand, and Indian will coexist under the Polaris umbrella, they will actually service different markets.

Victory will cater more towards cruiser riders looking for performance, while Indian will play to those riders looking to embrace tradition, culture and the heritage of the Indian brand. In many ways similar to its competitors from Milwaukee.

In time, Indian will release a whole range of models to suit the broad spectrum of potential customers and their budgets. But for now the focus will be on its upcoming flagship model. If you’ve got a half-hour to spare, check out the complete press conference above for more information on Indian’s future.

By Troy Siahaan