Indian / Jay Leno review

[rmrc51]

Just for some more updated information, here's an article that just came out on Yahoo News.

For what it's worth,,,.

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How This Company Is Challenging Harley-Davidson's Reign By Ben Popkin | More Articles | Save For Later

January 29, 2014 | Comments (0)

In 2013, Polaris (NYSE: PII ) launched the Indian heavyweight motorcycle brand and since then sales have been climbing up according to CEO Scott Wine.

The CEO stated in a recent conference call that being competitive in the motorcycle business requires, "[A] great brand, highly refined bikes, premium distribution, a whole lot of cash and a world-class team." Wine believes Polaris has these requirements, but will that be enough to compete with Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG ) .

Brands and bikes

The Indian motorcycle brand has been around since the turn of the last century; the first Indian was sold in 1902, one year before Harley was offered to the public.

The company improved and sold motorcycles for 50 years until declining sales forced the company to stop production in 1953. The brand, revived in 1998 and acquired by Polaris in 2011, is recognizable and has given Polaris a historic name to market with quality bikes.

The 2014 line of Indian motorcycles have been praised by enthusiasts and critics. MotorcycleUSA.com editor Justin Dawes said about the Chief Vintage, "They really paid attention to every little detail on this bike. Every little thing – the logos, all the castings and the millwork, and the body work and the awesome leather seats and bags that're old and distressed looking, all of it is spot-on for an American cruiser. You can tell that they really cared about this bike when they built it."

According to a test conducted by the website, the Chief Vintage has an impressive engine to accompany its attractive looks. With a Thunder Stroke 111 engine, it has more power than the comparable Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic. On the other hand, the Heritage is a lighter bike with easier maneuverability. Ultimately it will come down to rider preference, but there is no denying that Polaris has made a solid motorcycle to accompany the Indian brand name and challenge Harley-Davidson.

New vs.

old

When you look at Polaris's competition, you can see that Harley-Davidson has more cash and a higher gross margin because a smaller percentage of Polaris's revenue comes from high-margin heavyweight motorcycles.

Polaris's free cash flow is currently at $179.2 million, in between those of Harley-Davidson and Arctic Cat (NASDAQ: ACAT ) .



PII Free Cash Flow (TTM) data by YCharts

Polaris might have a lower free cash flow compared to Harley but the company only has $107.22 million in debt outstanding.

Much less than Harley's $5.18 billion in total debt.

Having debt is not necessarily a bad thing, but Polaris's low debt level leaves the company room to make strategic acquisitions and fund new initiatives.

Arctic Cat produces competing snowmobiles and ATVs and has a lower gross margin of 22% compared to the margins of Polaris and Harley, which are 30% and 39%, respectively. It seems like heavyweight motorcycles will help Polaris improve its margins which will translate to earnings.

The company's motorcycle division, comprised of Indian and Victory brand motorcycles, experienced a 6% revenue drop for the third quarter of 2013. The drop has been attributed to shipment adjustments caused by the company's shift to the "Lean" business model. The drop should be remedied once the transition is complete.

Foolish thoughts

Warren Buffett once said, "Any company that gets its customers to tattoo ads on its chest can't be all bad."

With its Indian launch, Polaris has designed motorcycles to be sold under a brand name that will inspire new tattoos and bring back memories from the old ones. It will help grow the company's presence in the heavyweight motorcycle business. It appears that Indian has made a comeback and will possibly pose a challenge Harley-Davidson down the road. Polaris invested heavily in this launch and the efforts should yield investor value in the following years.

[roadking2]

I'll believe a review when it's done on a bike with some reasonable amount of miles on it. I want to hear about the guy that has put 30, 40, 50K on his bike and what he has had to do to get it that far. In all fairness I don't care for the Indian. The deco, retro fenders, the fringe, and brown leather do nothing for me. Go to a Indian forum and you will find that one of the issues they have with the newest incarnation are with the brakes. Seems the ABS doesn't work and has a propensity to lock up. There seems to be a big swing in the quality of the finish also. Some say it's second to none. Others have runs, peeling and other issues. Everyone raves about the engine but has anyone ridden one far enough to even have the first oil change?

Get back to me in a year or two and then tell me how good they are.

A Yugo ran fine right off the showroom floor.

[slick rick]

I'll believe a review when it's done on a bike with some reasonable amount of miles on it. I want to hear about the guy that has put 30, 40, 50K on his bike and what he has had to do to get it that far. In all fairness I don't care for the Indian. The deco, retro fenders, the fringe, and brown leather do nothing for me. Go to a Indian forum and you will find that one of the issues they have with the newest incarnation are with the brakes. Seems the ABS doesn't work and has a propensity to lock up. There seems to be a big swing in the quality of the finish also. Some say it's second to none. Others have runs, peeling and other issues. Everyone raves about the engine but has anyone ridden one far enough to even have the first oil change?

Get back to me in a year or two and then tell me how good they are.

A Yugo ran fine right off the showroom floor.

My question is if you've set out to get the best , most reliable motorcycle on the road why haven't you got a Goldwing ? I've personally have never owned one but have friends with well over 60,000 miles and still going strong . I think it comes down to what we like and I personally like the Indian being we all spend our money we're going to get what we want .

As far as putting the pressure on Harley sales time will tell but one thing I believe they will sale their scooters and make the majority of their owners proud , ( hell I would be ) so you Indian owners stick your nose up it seems there are ripples in the water .

[RTwing]

Polaris has really got there act together. Victory has proven to be solid and modern. Reviews on looks may vary by model but the drive train is built every bit as well as the Asian machines. Seems weird that quality is compared against Asian with them being the benchmark.

Indian takes advantage of all the things learned while building the victory line and it's as perfect as it could be. I have talked to owners who say it's a total torque monster.
I guess my only complaint would be the 6 speed transmission. 6 speeds is fine for a engine with a narrow torque band like the HD's but on a Goldwing or Indian it seems like one would be skipping gears as the torque band is 4k wide.

Some comments have been made regarding the front fender. Of course it's different so many don't like it but it is part of the heritage look and it is one of those things that set the Indian apart from the ho hum clone look.

I am glad to see Indian in the market place and hope Polaris keep resurrecting these old names - Like is Excelsior-Henderson next?
Hope so...

[kubotajim]

I traded the Harley in for A Hannigan Chieftain OMG Love it

[Blueline]

Outstanding! Review required. Have many safe miles.

[kubotajim]

Outstanding! Review required. Have many safe miles.

So far it is awesome cant wait to put the thing to a test

[kubotajim]

Over 500 miles which isnt many but around 40mpg and love the power, The lack of noise and the lack heat, I am really happy with it so far

So far it is awesome cant wait to put the thing to a test