Worn Saddle
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 6,060 Likes: 6 |
Quote:
Quote:
SECOND most inquired about, my Indian gets more than my America did, although the America got PLENTY!
I'm surprised at that, to me Indian has lost it's attraction, it has gone through so many rebirths that to me it is no longer Indian but just some knock off with the name. I like the new engine and the retro style but just not a real Indian to me. I hope they are more dependable than the last original engine was. Triumph and HD have a long history of continuous production and are still the same company they always were under new management but still the same company, Indian is really just a Polaris to me. I hate to say it but the way Triumph is going is pushing me the direction of HD. Probably never happen, probably just ride antiques as I always have. I feel the same way about the new Nortons, they have the name but it really isn't a Norton.
I get that, Ian. But even our beloved Triumphs have only a loose connection to the old days. They're not produced in the same factory, not designed and built by the same people (crap, some are assembled in THIELAND now). John Bloor basically did the same thing Polaris did, he picked up the rights to the name, told a team of designers he wanted a new, modern Triumph designed from scratch and built a new factory. I suppose the closest thing one could get to a "real, NEW Indian is a Kiwi version, where a small family operation in California reproduces the old 1940s Indian using new material and newer electronics to essentially build a brand new "old" bike. And I'd like one of THOSE too, but I'm thinking they are probably upward of 30 K. And, there's no way they're gonna be as reliable and powerful as a modern bike. Here's how I look at it. Polaris has ressurected a cool old motorcycle and brought it into the present. It shares enough styling from the old days to make me happy, with modern reliability built in. And it looks like it is gonna be around for awhile, thanks to lots of money and the marketing tools available from Polaris, which wasn't available with the previous incarnations. (Of which there were really only two, the "Gilroys" built in California and the "Kings Mountain" version built in NC)When I get a minute, I'll ride out to see ya and try to change your mind. And we'll have to work on your politics while I'm there, too! (P.S., sorry about the thread hijack!)
Fidelis et Fortis
|