The Indian Motorcycle Company is recalling a bunch of 2017-2018 Indian Scout motorcycles right now, which includes the Scout Sixty and and Scout Bobber variants.
All told, 4,185 motorcycles are affected by a recall that concerns the anti-locking brakes system (ABS), which may have air left in the system after the assembly process.
Since air in the brake lines can impact a motorcycle’s braking ability, Indian has decided to recall the affected machines, in order to ensure rider safety.
President Trump’s trade war is about to see another player in the motorcycle industry jump ship from American soil, and this time it is heavyweight Polaris Industries.
According to a report by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Polaris is considering moving some of its production capacity to Europe, eyeing a production facility in Poland that would build units for the European market.
The move is a direct response to the retaliatory tariffs imposed by the European Union on motorcycle imports, which itself was a response to the Trump Administration’s taxing of steel and aluminum imports.
Today is the day. Today is the day that the European Union begins taxing the importation of motorcycles from the United States into Europe.
A retaliation to the Trump administration’s tariffs on aluminum and steel, the EU will now impose a 25% tariff increase on all motorcycles, 500cc and up, coming from the United States.
This means that the new tariff provisions will affect both Harley-Davidson and Indian, but will not affect Zero Motorcycles, as electric motorcycles are not included in the trade war provisions.
When the potent Indian Scout FTR750 debuted for flat track racing duty, fans of the American brand clamored for a street model.
Indian listened, giving us the Indian Scout FTR1200 concept late last year, with much rumor that the concept bike was the prelude for a full-fledged production model.
That rumor is now no more, as Indian confirmed this weekend at the Wheels & Waves event in France that we will see a production street-tracker model, named the Indian FTR 1200.
The Fortune 500 is a list of America’s largest companies, and is a constant barometer on the state of the American business landscape. In its 64 years of existence, the Fortune 500 has been an exclusive club, and its newest inductee is one from the powersports industry: Polaris Industries.
Ranked at #496 on the list, the addition of Polaris means that the influence (and decline) of the US motorcycle and powersports landscape will be seen on a much larger national stage.
Mostly it is just a cool milestone for Polaris, and proud bragging point for the company’s executives at the next country club gathering.
One of the weirder recalls we have ever seen at Asphalt & Rubber, Indian is recalling 3,341 motorcycles because they could potentially start on their own.
The issue stems from the bikes’ right-hand control cluster, which can become corroded over time. If a bike’s wireless key is nearby, this can lead to a situation where the motorcycle can initiate the startup procedure without action from the owner.
Obviously such a situation can lead to several potentially dangerous scenarios, with carbon monoxide poisoning at the top of the list.
The Indian Motorcycle Company is recalling 7,392 units of its Roadmaster motorcycles, from the 2015 to 2017 model yeas. The recall stems from an issue with the wiring harness in the trunk, which is prone to water.
Because of the sealing plugs on the harness not sealing properly, it is possible for the brake light to short-circuit and to remain on, even when the brakes are not engaged.
To remedy the situation, Indian will notify affected Roadmaster owners, and Indian dealers will replace the trunk wiring harness with an updated harness that contains sealing plugs in the connectors, free of charge.
This recall is expected to begin January 30, 2018. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697, and reference Indian’s number for this recall, which is I-18-01.
Episode 66 of the Two Enthusiasts Podcast is out, and in it we cover all the new motorcycles that caught our eye at the EICMA trade show in Milan, Italy.
There are a bevy of new models that we discuss in the show, with bikes from BMW, Ducati, Aprilia, Indian, Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki, Triumph, KTM, and Husqvarna all tickling our fancy.
Some of the highlights include talking about the supercharged Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX; the three-wheeled Yamaha Niken; the 226hp Ducati Panigale V4 Speciale; the very attractive Honda CB4 Interceptor concept; KTM’s two 790 bikes, and BMW’s substantial updates to its GS models.
A bit light on sleep, and certainly over-caffeinated, we think you will find the conversation to be a bit…peppy. Nevertheless, we think you will enjoy this latest edition of the podcast.
One last note for our Californian listeners, we will be doing a live show at the Dainese D-Store in San Francisco on December 13th, at 6:30pm (the show mentions an incorrect time, as schedules have changed since we recorded the show). We hope to see you there!
You can listen to the show via the embedded SoundCloud player, after the jump, or you can find the show on iTunes (please leave a review) or this RSS feed. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well.
Indian Motorcycles is recalling 2,096 motorcycles because they may have been fitted with a European-spec headlight, rather than an American-spec one.
The issue affects the following 2017 and 2018 models: Chief, Chief Classic, Chief Dark Horse, Chief Vintage, Chieftain, Chieftain Classic, Cheiftain Dark Horse, Chieftain Elite, Chieftain Limited, Springfield, and Springfield Dark Horse.
Because the European headlights fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, “Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment,” a recall has been issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Indian Motorcycle dominated this year’s American Flat Track series, and what a better way to celebrate the success of the Wrecking Crew than with a custom street tracker concept.
The Indian Scout FTR1200 shares the name with the donor bike it comes from, but in reality it aims to look and feel like the American brand’s 750cc flat track racer. Though without the über-trick 750cc v-twin engine found on the Indian Scout FTR750 race bike, this 1200cc variant looks pretty good too.
Word is, we might see it go into production…just not for the 2018 model year. As such, don’t hold your breath – but also, never say never.
Indian created the Scout FTR1200 in house, wedging the 1,133cc v-twin engine from its production Scout into a custom frame that resembles its racing Scout.
Built like a race bike, the Indian Scout FTR1200 shaves massive amounts of weight, compared to its production counterpart – to the tune of 117 lbs. This means that the Scout FTR1200 hits the scales at only 427 lbs.