[Jeff Higgins]

"Since 1901"...

The Indian Motorcycle Company. Founded in 1901 by Mr. Hendee and Mr. Hedstrom. Timing covers on their motorcycles still marked "Since 1901".

I stopped for lunch today at a favorite little pub that often has a pretty good crowd of motorcyclists. Pretty mixed bunch, but Harleys definitely in the majority. I was on the Ducati.

I was outside looking at bikes when I stumbled upon a pretty "spirited" conversation between a couple of guys with newer Indian Chiefs and a few Harley riders. There is, of course, a "friendly rivalry", but this was pushing the limits of that. I woulda popped some popcorn, but I already had a beer in hand.

The Indian guys were, of course, touting all of the demonstrably untrue nonsense about their supposedly "oldest motorcycle company in America". The Harley guys didn't have anywhere near all of the facts, nor could they get their story straight, with the only thing they really got right being that "Indian" is really Polaris.

The original company went bankrupt and out of business in 1953. There were eight or nine (maybe more) various interests that tried to capitalize on the name after that, right up until Polaris won the legal right to use the name in 2011. They started delivering bikes in 2013.

The Polaris owned company has, of course, nothing to do with the company that went out of business in 1953. No lineage whatsoever. That's not to say that this new "Indian" does not build some exceptional motorcycles, but that's not the point. It just kinda struck me, after having listened to this exchange, that the Harley guys are kinda right - "stolen valor" is how one put it, although I think that's a bit strong.

While I know this has been a point of contention ever since Polaris did this, it would be hard for me to care any less than I do. Just a non-issue to me. I'm just wondering what the rest of you might think about it. These guys were certainly, umm, "passionate"...