And Oldsmobile...And don't forget Ford ditched Mercury as well...

 

Considering I spent $60,000 on their products since 2014 I have a right to be skeptical. And I would never buy a GM product, so no worries there. I'm loyal to those that deserve it, but that's just me I suppose.

Polaris isn't an motorcycle company with a passion for their products, unlike Harley, Yamaha, Honda, or Triumph.

 

Where exactly would be the right place to ask?

Asking how Harleys compare to similar products on a Harley forum seems pretty legitimate to me.

Sure, the opinions here are likely to be biased in favor of Harley, but most people are generally helpful and their opinions can still be quite insightful.

 

So, I have 2 Harley's and 1 Indian (my wife's). These are my observations on Indian:
1. Dealer network is limited, but, expanding
2. Very few independent Indian mechs/shops
3. Very limited after market parts
4. Well engineered and powerful engines
5. Indian parts availability is abysmal
6. Retro-styling is interesting, but, they must expand product line for broader appeal
7. It is a challenge to find competent people (at the Indian dealers) to work on the bike
8. Concern about the long term viability of the brand
9. Whenever we park the bike, it always attracts lots of interested folks...

 

HOG 14 July, 2015 = $57.61
Dropped to the $40 range
Today = $60.98

 

A person could go to an Indian website to get a different perspective. Most of those ole boys were former Harley owners. Percentage wise they probably have as many complaints as Harley guys.

 

You probably don't own a Victory so I don't fault you for missing the big picture. When Ford and GM discontinued brands, they still had Ford and GM dealerships, and their discounted brands still shared components with their other brands .... They shared engines, brake components, transmissions etc. So you still have trained technicians and dealerships that could service your Mercury or Pontiac. Nothing really changed when they discontinued those brands.

That's not the same case with Victory. Victory shares no or very few components with anything else Polaris makes. Polaris claims they will supply parts for 10 years (because by law they are required to) but let's face it .... When they were producing Victory's they always had part shortages, so don't believe that claim. That's major point number one.

Secondly, there will be less and less trained technicians as time passes. There were never very many trained technicians to begin with because of their lack of dealerships, but it's only going to get worse. Plus no one is going to become a factory trained tech from here on out.

Thirdly, and most importantly, Victory dealerships are closing. Not all of them, but many of them. My local Victory dealership did not re-up their service contract with Polaris, so what that means immediately is that even though you might have a warranty on your bike, my shop cannot perform "free warranty service" on your bike. As of today they will service your bike, but they cannot get technical advice from Polaris, and you better believe you are paying for any work they do.

Other dealerships have just gone out business (the smaller dealerships that only sold Victory bikes).

So your comparison is "apples to oranges" and is not valid, with all due respect. I just wanted to explain the real issue with their discontinuing that line for another line. They bent over their customers and their dealerships twice so far (they discontinued their water craft division in the past) and they will do the same thing with Indian in a heart beat if they thought they could invest their money in another product.

Make no mistake about it, Polaris isn't really a company that loves motorcycles. They are a manufacture of recreational vehicles ... period! Do I think they will discontinue Indian in the next 5 years? Probably not. Do I think they will screw over anyone at any time .... Heck yeah! Buy an Indian at your own risk is all I'm saying. I will never let that company screw me ever again .... I don't care if I love their new bikes or not (and I don't like their current styling). Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, shame on me. That's how I feel about it, but I do value other people's opinions, and we all get to vote on this issue with our dollars. I'm a guy that bought 6 brand new motorcycles in the last 8 years, and they have lost my business forever.

 

I'm just very happy I just didn't dig the Vic Cross Country Tour I came close to buying a couple of years ago.

 

I loved the bikes, but in hindsight you were very smart.

 

One thing I have always liked about HD is you can get them serviced anywhere you travel. Not so much with every other brand, including Indian. I have had to wait a day or two for parts on our Indian that the local HD would have had, but the dealer was still new.

I don't think Polaris will drop the ball with Indian like they did with Victory. Their dealer network here in Florida and at least in South Dakota are owned by people that invest pretty heavy, big beautiful well stocked stores, lots to choose from. Not like the Victory dealers that were tiny or just part of the Honda, Triumph, Kawasaki, Suzuki store. Also, Polaris stuck with the Bozo look until the end, did not help them, and Indian needs to continue adding non retro look bikes. Indian would do well with just the crumbs that fall off Harleys table, HD has pissed off customers, yes. More times than not when I hear stories, I think the customer was unreasonable, or expected too much. I might buy from a different dealer, but never have I heard a story where I don't blame the guy for changing brands (keep in mind I feel Indian is inferior).