Sidecar Flip
Living Legend
Looks just like a 35 thousand dollar Kawasaki Drifter.......gimme a break.
They are Baaaack
- Thread starter busajack
- Start date
Sidecar Flip
Living Legend
I took a hard look at the website, read the blurbs and looked at all the pictures (artists renderings) that is..........
Lots of parallels to Kenny Dreer and the Norton fiasco.
If someone, anyone or any company introduced a new motorcycle, especially in the current marketplace, it would most certainly have to be one that was competitively priced and immediately available, as in, in multi brand dealerships. That's what brought Triumph back. They resurrected a famous marque....The Bonnie, updated it with modern technology, but never lost the nostalgic flavor and, most importantly priced it very competitively in the marketplace. Truly, a stroke of genius on the part of John Bloor.
Indian is doing only one thing right, that is, resurrecting a famous marque, but the bike isn't competitively priced. On the contrary, it's priced out of reach of at least 75% of their intended market and the price makes it an extreme niche bike. Niche bikes need to really stand out in at least one area. Take the Boss Hog, it has a V8. The MV 4+4 has the highest top speed of any semi-production motorcycle and absolutely the best components available. Even HD shines in one respect, it's acceptance by the general public.
In as much as I can tell, the Indian only has one shining light, it's origin. The current group of redirectors weren't even around in Indian's heyday. To them, it's a business venture, a venture I predict they will all regret.
There is no way that any established dealer would assume an Indian franchise without a lot of incentives and no one, unless they are suffering from dementia would become a single brand (Indian) dealer. Success isn't there.
I can see the underlying philosophy however. The fellow that owned the dealership that I bought my R3 from is at Indian. He's already been down that road, I guess he hasn't learned from his past mistakes. You don't build a million dollar plus facility to sell niche bikes, the overhead will destroy you and it don't take long.
I was one of the enthusiasts that put a deposit on Kenny Dreer's Norton Roadster. Will I ever get my money back? It's doubtful. Will Kenny ever build his and my dream bike? Probably not. Do I want one? Always will.
Do I want a cookie cutter air cooled V-Twin with a belt final drive, Kawasaki Drifter fender valances, Showa USD forks, funky whitewall tires and only a 2 year warranty? Not on your life. Especially not for 30K. For half that, I might consider one and that's the only way.
Lots of parallels to Kenny Dreer and the Norton fiasco.
If someone, anyone or any company introduced a new motorcycle, especially in the current marketplace, it would most certainly have to be one that was competitively priced and immediately available, as in, in multi brand dealerships. That's what brought Triumph back. They resurrected a famous marque....The Bonnie, updated it with modern technology, but never lost the nostalgic flavor and, most importantly priced it very competitively in the marketplace. Truly, a stroke of genius on the part of John Bloor.
Indian is doing only one thing right, that is, resurrecting a famous marque, but the bike isn't competitively priced. On the contrary, it's priced out of reach of at least 75% of their intended market and the price makes it an extreme niche bike. Niche bikes need to really stand out in at least one area. Take the Boss Hog, it has a V8. The MV 4+4 has the highest top speed of any semi-production motorcycle and absolutely the best components available. Even HD shines in one respect, it's acceptance by the general public.
In as much as I can tell, the Indian only has one shining light, it's origin. The current group of redirectors weren't even around in Indian's heyday. To them, it's a business venture, a venture I predict they will all regret.
There is no way that any established dealer would assume an Indian franchise without a lot of incentives and no one, unless they are suffering from dementia would become a single brand (Indian) dealer. Success isn't there.
I can see the underlying philosophy however. The fellow that owned the dealership that I bought my R3 from is at Indian. He's already been down that road, I guess he hasn't learned from his past mistakes. You don't build a million dollar plus facility to sell niche bikes, the overhead will destroy you and it don't take long.
I was one of the enthusiasts that put a deposit on Kenny Dreer's Norton Roadster. Will I ever get my money back? It's doubtful. Will Kenny ever build his and my dream bike? Probably not. Do I want one? Always will.
Do I want a cookie cutter air cooled V-Twin with a belt final drive, Kawasaki Drifter fender valances, Showa USD forks, funky whitewall tires and only a 2 year warranty? Not on your life. Especially not for 30K. For half that, I might consider one and that's the only way.
