11-17-2014, 04:53 AM
Mike nobody is dismissing what Polaris is doing. It's a great thing. I wish them well too. I hope they are a huge success. Yes, we all benefit.
But as a motorcycle history buff, it is my contention, you can't buy history, you have to earn it. Like I said if they claimed Indian since 2013, hey I'd agree with that. That's when they bought the name.
Harley has been in continuous business since 1903. Same folks, same family (sort of) have been either running it or working there the whole time. That's history.
There isn't a shred of linkage between the old Indian, and the new Indian. Not the building, not the tooling, not the engineers, not the management, not a single worker that was there when the plant closed 60 years prior.
My father rode Indians until 1952, started on an Indian. If he were still with us, he would say these new bikes are not really Indians. They are Polaris's. he may LIKE these new bikes, but he would say there's no Indian blood running in their veins.
I couldn't marry George Washington's great great great great..... granddaughter and then claim it was my family that crossed the Delaware. I had nothing to do with it. Not the same blood running through my veins. Same with Polaris Indian.
Again, you cannot purchase history.
Has nothing to do whether Polaris is a good company, whether they are making great motorcycles, or whether they even call them Indians (they bought the right to do just that). They just can't claim 112 years of heritage that isn't theirs to claim IMO. Polaris/Indian since 2013 is their right.
to answer your question
"Just to draw a parallel, Cadillac was bought out by General Motors in 1909, and Lincoln was purchased by Ford Motor Co. in 1922. Could purists claim that these cars aren't real Cadillacs & Lincolns?"
a better parallel line would be if Cadillac and Lincoln both went out of business in 1909 and 1922. In 2013 Hundai bought the naming rights and started making cars and calling them Cadillac and Lincolns. Would people still consider them so?
" I think it would add to the cool factor if Indian had been in continuous business from 1903 until now. But we can't go back and change history."
I think you mean 1901, but I agree .... or buy it IMO
But as a motorcycle history buff, it is my contention, you can't buy history, you have to earn it. Like I said if they claimed Indian since 2013, hey I'd agree with that. That's when they bought the name.
Harley has been in continuous business since 1903. Same folks, same family (sort of) have been either running it or working there the whole time. That's history.
There isn't a shred of linkage between the old Indian, and the new Indian. Not the building, not the tooling, not the engineers, not the management, not a single worker that was there when the plant closed 60 years prior.
My father rode Indians until 1952, started on an Indian. If he were still with us, he would say these new bikes are not really Indians. They are Polaris's. he may LIKE these new bikes, but he would say there's no Indian blood running in their veins.
I couldn't marry George Washington's great great great great..... granddaughter and then claim it was my family that crossed the Delaware. I had nothing to do with it. Not the same blood running through my veins. Same with Polaris Indian.
Again, you cannot purchase history.
Has nothing to do whether Polaris is a good company, whether they are making great motorcycles, or whether they even call them Indians (they bought the right to do just that). They just can't claim 112 years of heritage that isn't theirs to claim IMO. Polaris/Indian since 2013 is their right.
to answer your question
"Just to draw a parallel, Cadillac was bought out by General Motors in 1909, and Lincoln was purchased by Ford Motor Co. in 1922. Could purists claim that these cars aren't real Cadillacs & Lincolns?"
a better parallel line would be if Cadillac and Lincoln both went out of business in 1909 and 1922. In 2013 Hundai bought the naming rights and started making cars and calling them Cadillac and Lincolns. Would people still consider them so?
" I think it would add to the cool factor if Indian had been in continuous business from 1903 until now. But we can't go back and change history."
I think you mean 1901, but I agree .... or buy it IMO