#IndianMotorcycle

Landspeed Racing Icon & Record-holder Immortalized for Lifetime Achievements

Motorcycle journalists have it good. Getting to ride the latest and greatest motorcycles is clearly a dream, and every once in a while, the result of us spending so much time with a particular model is it eventually becoming a permanent part of our collection. Obviously, a handover of cash has to happen, but there really isn’t a better way to get to know a motorcycle before buying it.

Today, Indian Motorcycle took the wraps off of the updated 2019 Chieftain line, which will consist of four models: Chieftain Limited, Chieftain Dark Horse, Chieftain, and Chieftain Classic (for riders who prefer the previous Chieftain’s design).

The latest Inside Indian Motorcycle video takes us behind the scenes and inside the Spirit Lake, Iowa, assembly plant to get a look at the people and processes behind some of North America’s best-selling motorcycles. If you thought these things were assembled by robots and automation, you’d be wrong. There are seriously dedicated human beings at work here – not just when the cameras are rolling – human beings with Indian tattoos, interesting facial hair and proud attitudes. When each new Indian gets to the end of the line, somebody says at the end of the video, “we know we’ve created a stellar product that’s going to last a lifetime.” Wait, is that any way to run a business?

After being Project 156-ed in by Polaris’ erstwhile Victory marque, you can imagine how we didn’t want to get our hope too far up about the Indian FTR1200 Custom unveiled last year at EICMA. Still, we’re happy that our intuition that the custom looked far too polished to be merely a one-off project turned out to be true. Now, we can’t help but wonder how much of the custom’s coolness will make it to the actual production motorcycle. We can’t wait for 2019.

Carey Hart’s Good Ride Rally hosted a special event at Fox Racing Headquarters where both the motocross and V-Twin industries got together to raise money on the behalf of our troops, and we had the privilege to attend. The Good Ride Rally is a series of rides, parties and events where all charitable donations go directly to America’s veterans, service men and women who have laid their lives on the line to protect our great country and freedoms.

Remember back in 2013 when Indian Motorcycle relaunched with just three models? Well, a lot has happened in just a few short years. Today, Indian revealed its 2018 lineup, with the addition of a Roadmaster Elite and a Springfield Dark Horse for 2018. With the Indian Scout Bobber that we recently tested, Indian has 16 models in its latest catalog. The rest of the 2018 Indian model line receives tweaks and updates for the upcoming model year.