The History Of Indian Motorcycle®
Key Dates In Indian Motorcycle® History
1901 Indian Motorcycle® founded in Springfield, Massachusetts
1907 Indian Motorcycle® produces their first V-twin engine
1910 - 1920 Indian Motorcycle® becomes largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, dominating both the marketplace and racetrack
1953 Indian Motorcycle® declares bankruptcy and ceases operations
1998 A group of investors acquires Indian Motorcycle® Trademarks and starts producing motorcycles in Gilroy, California
2003 Gilroy Indian Motorcycle® declares bankruptcy and ceases operations
2004 Stellican acquires Indian Motorcycle® Trademarks
2008 Production of Indian Motorcycle® is started in King's Mountain, North Carolina
2011 Polaris® acquires Indian Motorcycle® production is shifted to Spirit Lake, Iowa and engineering immediately begins work on next-generation Indian Motorcycle®
2012 Last "King's Mountain era" motorcycle rolls of the line in Spirit Lake
2013 Launch of the All-new Model Year 2014 Indian Motorcycle® in second half of the year!
112 Years of History - Gilroy Era
In 1998, the trademarks were awarded to a group of investors who formed a new company based in Gilroy, California.
Three models were made during this era:
Scout / Spirit: These were the "small" bikes which used a common frame and S&S engine. The Scout was "sporty", while Spirit targeted light touring.
The Chief was the flagship bike. It had its own larger chassis, and was powered by the first new Indian Motorcycle® proprietary engine in 50 years, the Power Plus 100. Unfortunately, the Power Plus 100 was plagued by reliability issues.
In September of 2003, Indian Motorcycle® in Gilroy California declared bankruptcy and ceased operations. ring.
12 Years of History - King's Mountain Era
In 2004, the British private equity group Stellican acquired the Indian Motorcycle® trademarks out of bankruptcy. Stellican specialized in buying historically significant brands that were in financial distress (Riva yachts, Chris-Craft boats), and sought to do the same with Indian Motorcycle®.
Stellican assembled a completely new team to upgrade and manufacture the Indian motorcycle®. Overall quality, fit, and finish of the bike was improved from the Gilroy era, but visually it remained virtually the same bike. The most significant change as the addition of fuel injection.
After four years, production was re-started in 2008. During this era, Indian Motorcycle® focused on producing several variants of the Chief. Scouts and Spirits were not produced. Each bike and engine was hand built from start to finish in the Indian Motorcycle® Assembly plant that was located in Kings Mountain, NC.
112 Years of History - Polaris® Era
In 2011, Polaris® acquired the Indian Motorcycle® business from Stellican.
King's Mountain operations were discontinued and assembly of the bikes was moved to Spirit Lake, IA. Polaris® produced the King's Mountain Indian Motorcycle® design from 2011 through the end of 2012, ending with the current 2013 model year.
