Indian Motorcycle Company Back in Business has New Home

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Is the 3rd time the charm for Indian Motorcycle?

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Indian Motorcycle Company Back in Business has New Home

#1 Unread post by totalmotorcycle »

Indian Motorcycle Company Back in Business has New Home
July 20, 2006 - Indian Motorcycle Company Press Release - http://www.indianmotorcycle.com/

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KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 20, 2006--Indian(R) Motorcycle Company is pleased to announce that it will be revving up its engine in a new home. After carefully reviewing location options throughout the United States, Indian(R) has selected a factory in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, where it will place its world headquarters. The site, located in Cleveland County, 37 miles west of downtown Charlotte, includes 11 acres of property and a 40,000 square foot manufacturing facility which is expandable to 125,000 square feet.

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Indian Chief

"We believe Cleveland County and the greater Charlotte area are a perfect fit for Indian(R) Motorcycle Company and we're proud to call this area home," said Indian Chairman, Stephen Julius. "We are in the heart of our nation's powersports industry, with access to design, engineering and mechanical talent, world-class suppliers, motorsport education centers and year-round motorcycle riding weather. In addition, this area provides us with economic advantages, including a low overall cost of doing business, which was aided by a strong incentive package provided by Cleveland County and by the State of North Carolina."

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Indian Spirit

The announcement of the factory site marks the official re-launch of Indian(R) Motorcycle Company, America's oldest and most iconic motorcycle brand, founded in 1901. In preparation for Indian's re-launch, management has spent considerable time over the last two years researching the American motorcycle market and learning from the successes and failures of other market entrants. In particular, Indian has studied the tremendous growth of Harley-Davidson from near-bankruptcy in the early 1980's to a multi-billion dollar success story today. However, Indian is intent on slowly carving out its own niche in the large and growing heavyweight cruiser motorcycle market. There is a considerable consumer base for a premium line of motorcycles under the Indian Motorcycle brand, which has an almost cult-like status amongst many consumers. The company will focus on supplying genuine, American made, motorcycles which are beautifully designed, made of the highest quality materials, reliable and supported by a qualified dealer network.

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Indian Scout

Over the next 12 months, Indian will focus on design, engineering and testing activities, with the objective of introducing the famed Indian(R) Chief(R) motorcycle in the second half of 2007. To head up its product development team, Indian has hired Geoffrey Burgess, a world-renowned motorcycle engineer and product development expert. Geoff was most recently the Chief Technology Officer at Global Motorsports Group ("GMG"), owner of Custom Chrome, a provider of parts and accessories to the American V-twin motorcycle market. Prior to GMG, Geoff was head of product development at S&S Cycle, Inc., a leading V-twin engine manufacturing company, where he drove product innovation and process improvement to new levels. Prior to joining S&S, Geoff was the first employee and Chief Engineer at the Victory Motorcycle division of Polaris Industries, Inc., in Roseau, Minnesota. Geoff has also served in various senior engineering capacities at General Motors, Bombardier Recreational Products (Valcourt, Quebec), BSA-Triumph Motorcycles and Norton-Villiers Motorcycle Group. "Having Geoff on our team is a big win for Indian(R)," commented Indian President, David Wright. "His breadth and depth of knowledge of the American motorcycle market is impressive and his technical capabilities unsurpassed. He has outstanding powertrain and chassis design and development experience which we will put to good use. He is the perfect person for this role."

Mr. Burgess commented, "I know that the executive management of Indian(R) understand the importance of product development, engineering and testing to current industry OEM standards. I have been very impressed with their thoughtful and long-term approach to this exciting opportunity."

Indian is presently seeking to expand its team of engine and chassis engineers, technicians and CAD designers. "Our team will focus on design, quality, craftsmanship and service," commented Mr. Wright. "Indian remains among the most powerful brands in the U.S. motorcycle market, and our team is committed to re-building the extraordinary legend of Indian(R)." In the first half of 2007, Indian(R) will begin the process of developing a small but highly qualified network of motorcycle dealers who understand and appreciate the heritage of Indian(R) and recognize the growth potential of this opportunity.

The controlling shareholder of Indian(R) Motorcycle Company is London based Stellican Limited which has an impressive track record of resurrecting classic brands, including, most recently, the successful re-launch of Chris-Craft(R) boats, which was founded in 1874 and is among the oldest boat brands in the United States. "We will apply the same practical and long-term approach to Indian as we have employed successfully at Chris-Craft," commented Stephen Julius, Chairman of both Indian Motorcycle and Chris-Craft. "We are confident we will repeat our success with Indian(R) by remaining true to the rich heritage of this incredible brand and doing things slowly and thoroughly. We are certain that there is an important role for Indian(R) in the future of the American motorcycle market," added Mr. Julius.
Last edited by totalmotorcycle on Sat Jul 22, 2006 9:16 am, edited 4 times in total.
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#2 Unread post by rapidblue »

I just hope it doesn't end like norton's rebirth.
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#3 Unread post by totalmotorcycle »

Here we go again!

Indian Chief motorcycle in the second half of 2007? Wow, that's fast. Are they using the parts from the "2nd generation Indian" to build them?

I do see they might be using the Powerplus 100 plant which the "2nd generation Indian company" developed and that's a great start. The old Indian had a lot of potential at the very end and I was sad to see it go because one backer walked away from them. If all goes well, the 3rd time will be the charm. :D

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#4 Unread post by earwig »

Didn't Indian try to make a comeback just a few years ago and go out of business very fast? I think people will be scared to buy one out of fear of having all the dealerships close up again.

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#5 Unread post by CentralOzzy »

EXCELLENT!!!!

I'll be watching TMW for bulletins & Updates.... :wink:
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#6 Unread post by totalmotorcycle »

earwig wrote:Didn't Indian try to make a comeback just a few years ago and go out of business very fast? I think people will be scared to buy one out of fear of having all the dealerships close up again.
From 1999 - 2002/3 was the last run for the Indian company. That 99-03 company at the end was just starting to go big and making good bikes and engines at the time. Their new engine would have rocked the cruiser world at the time.

I'm sure Indian will need to do some good confidence building for those dealerships, but the Indian name still carries a lot of clout in the market...

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#7 Unread post by totalmotorcycle »

CentralOzzy wrote:EXCELLENT!!!!

I'll be watching TMW for bulletins & Updates.... :wink:
I'd be interested in test riding that Indian Scout. :D But with a 100 cubic inch engine it must be a bigger bike that it looks. If they made a 50-70 cubic inch as well it would bring them into the sportster arena and just watch those models fly out the dealership doors.

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#8 Unread post by MASHBY »

They are great looking bikes but I think so many people have been hurt before and left with bikes with no parts that have an up hill battle on the marketing and sales front
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#9 Unread post by Scoutmedic »

I agree that some smaller powerplant options would be a great idea. I definitely like the looks of that Scout.... And it's not just for the name! :laughing:

I hope they do well and I hope that there is a dealer within a reasonable distance so that I truly get a good look at them.

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#10 Unread post by CentralOzzy »

I'll take the Chief! - In Red of course. (Or Black) :laughing:
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