Living Amongs
Welcome back Full Throttle readers and
riders! This weather has been nothing short of amazing and we all seem to be enjoying the fall like temperatures that should be 100% unbearably hot, with a good chance of humidity accompanied by spotty unpleasantness. So what a perfect time for me to have to skip town and head to the hottest place in the US for a dealer meeting! Yes, you read that sarcasm correctly. The good ole city that never sleeps, the city that is hotter than hades itself, sunny and sinful Las Vegas! This wild city in the desert always blows my mind, the fact that I’m severely A.D.D doesn’t help with all its crazy bells, whistles, abundance of party goers, a bar on every corner and general nonsense. This wouldn’t be my first go around in this town for a dealer meeting but the badge on the side of the tank would be a completely new experience for me. Now those of you that know me personally and have dealt business with me know that I enjoy all things two wheeled and motorsport but most know my heart and passion are with the Bar and Shield. I was about to step into a world I wasn’t very familiar with and a brand that was just outside my comfort zone. I was about to see how the other half of the legacy of American V-Twins lives, I was checking out the Indian Motorcycle Companies annual dealer meeting. Now Indians aren’t new to me as we have been selling them since 2013 and St. Charles Indian was the first such dealership in the greater metro area and Midwest to offer the line-up. But let’s back up a little bit to grasp the whole scope of things. Some time back in 2013 I was called into the owner’s office and asked a simple question, “What do you think about Indian making a come-back Marshall?” Well being the honest opinionated person I am that completely lacks a filter replied “Not sure I can put much stock in a company that’s failed multiple times over with zero success…”. At that moment the stranger in the room stood up and introduced himself as our newest rep….from Indian. Needless to say I shook his hand and introduced my very embarrassed self. We all had a good laugh and all was forgiven. Indian stormed onto the scene in 2013 with an air of confidence as they reentered the motorcycle industry. The classic lines of the line-up were eye catching and intriguing. They boasted a larger power plant than Harley and an interesting mono shock frame. All these attributes were very forward thinking for the V-Twin market and were met with some apprehension as some of our V-Twin owners can be set in there ways. At that time there was really only a few models to choose from and all the bikes had the same classic stylization. It was a stunning bike but would someone who rode a Street Glide or Road Glide find the same taste in these classic lines? At first sales were slow but momentum was slowly building! Fast forward to 2017 and the line-up is truly explosive and exciting with 16 models to choose from including the addition of the Scout to the lineup in 2014! This model has evolved so much in recent years with tons of exposure through the Hooligan Flat Track series as well as the wildly successful Factory Indian Flat
PPage age 34 34
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