The Gilroy pp100 motors were crap. Mine blew at 6K - Pretty much ALL of the pp100 motors were that way and had to be rebuilt. Two shops could do it and have it turn out ok, one was Malfa in Reno NV. and the other was Blackhawk.. I think they are in N or S Carolina.

Shortly after I bought my Chief they went out of business, but fortunately I had a third party warranty, and had the motor rebuild done on their dime.

The tranny they used actually shifts smoother and just had a nicer feel than my HD (I had a 03 Heritage at the same time). The primary was another matter. It ran well, but was noisy.. the "fix" seemed to be to use synth tranny fluid in there.. it seemed to run a bit quieter when you did.

Once fixed, the pp100 motor ran very strong and smooth. It's a fine looking motor and has a nice sound to it. I really enjoyed riding that bike. First, I could find it in the parking lot.. (ever been to a bike rally and try and figure which black HD was yours?) and Second, every time I stopped at a biker watering hole all the true old timers would gather around my bike and swap stories. I met a lot of good guys while riding that bike. Also.. women just seem to respond more to the Indian than they ever have any of my Harleys. They all say they like the big fenders and the lines of the bike. They're really elegant and classic.

Eventually parts were getting harder to come by. To own an Indian you have to be an expert at surfing eBay for parts.. but even the basic stuff like primary gaskets were getting difficult to fine. The aftermarket was pretty much nil BEFORE they went out of business, afterward it was non existent. In the end, that's what drove me to sell her.

As for riding the Indian as much as I do my Harleys, they're both bikes and so I ride the heck out of any scoot I own. I had the Indian about 8 or 9 months, and even with the engine rebuild down time, I put 14K on the bike in that time (while also riding my Heritage). So they'll go.

I often look on eBay at the Indians there and notice the low miles they are advertising. Considering the motors all need a rebuild, and that mine blew at 6k, buying an Indian with only 2500 miles on it is not a good idea. Best to get one with the rebuilt motor and save yourself all the trouble.

Unlike some here, I do believe Indian should compete with HD. Sure they are not going to out do them in numbers, but by compete I mean go after the same types of customers that buy Harleys. I think that a lot of Harley owners are not that loyal to the HD brand, it's just too much RUB association.. I mean.. you own a Harley.. so what? pretty much everyone has one. But if you own an Indian.. well that's something different.

 

RUB bait

 

I was at that show in Novi, MI on sunday with my school, Washtenaw CC out of Ann Arbor. I saw the Indian display. Nice looking bikes, but those prices are nuts.

Also saw the XR1200 in person for the first time. That is a sexy bike.

 

Good show in Novi. I was talking with one of the reps at the Indian display and he told me each bike is assembled by hand. No more than two people work on each bike as it goes together. They look very well put together, and the quality is probably dead-on, but way out of my price range. And yes, jdc, the XR1200 is bad-***.