Below is the final installment of our Harley-Davidson vs Indian Motorcycle series, which explores the historic rivalry between the two giants of American motorcycling. This installment covers the years between 2000 and 2024 and was originally published in American Rider’s February 2024 issue.
Related: Harley-Davidson vs Indian Motorcycle Part 1
Related: Harley-Davidson vs Indian Motorcycle Part 2
Related: Harley-Davidson vs Indian Motorcycle Part 3
Related: Harley-Davidson vs Indian Motorcycle Part 4
The saga of Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle has endured for more than a century, encompassing the dawn of motorcycling in America, two world wars, economic depressions, tough competition from abroad, and much more. In the years before the turn of the millennium, we saw the American motorcycle industry evolve with true believers in charge and improved products created.
The opening years of the 21st century saw a continuation of Harley-Davidson’s success story. The TC88 engine debuted in late 1998 as a 1999 model. Although the Twin Cam had some early issues with internal chain tensioners, it would eventually outsell every other H-D Big Twin engine ever made – combined!
It’s worth noting that from 1980 up until 2000, the MoCo only used rubber mounts and lateral links for vibration control on the FXR/FLT models, while Softails and Sportsters remained “Milwaukee Vibrators” with solidly mounted motors. That changed with the introduction of counterbalancers on the TC88B Softail in 2000 and the addition in 2004 of rubber mounts and links to tame the vibes on XL models.
A Polaris Victory
Polaris Industries (later to become the owner of the Indian brand) had been building Victory motorcycles since 1997. Its V92C was engineered well but awkwardly styled. A rapid stream of engine updates and new models culminated in 2003 with the brilliant Vegas, which became Victory’s biggest seller.
Indian Struggles
Things weren’t so great for the Gilroy Indian concern. Work commenced on a proprietary new motor in 2000, and by 2002, the “Bottle Cap” 100ci Powerplus was put on the market – prematurely as it turned out, since problems with crankshafts and oiling had to be resolved. It was too little too late, and the company filed for bankruptcy in September 2003.
Indian was resurrected in 2004 when trademark rights and intellectual properties were acquired under the auspices of Stellican Limited, a private equity firm. It moved production to Kings Mountain, North Carolina, and in 2006 revealed improved Powerplus engines. By 2009, the Powerplus had grown to 105ci and was fuel-injected, and its quality was notably improved.
MoCo Centenary
Harley-Davidson celebrated the company’s 100th anniversary in 2003 with rides, events, and commemorative-badged versions of every machine in its lineup. It was a roaring success and a point in time for reflection and perspective.
In 2003, H-D was also in its second year of producing the V-Rod, a muscle bike based on the MoCo’s VR1000 Superbike roadracer from the late 1990s. The V-Rod’s Porsche-designed “Revolution” engine was the most powerful, advanced, and trouble-free in MoCo history, but it was placed in an incongruous cruiser chassis.
The V-Rod had its devotees, but a futuristic, all-metric V-Twin wasn’t going to be a mainstream model for most MoCo fans. It was destined to be one model with slight variations rather than a versatile platform or family of machines. It sold in moderate numbers, so its days were numbered almost from the onset.
Buell had come a long way from humble beginnings in Erik’s garage when he began fitting XR1000 engines in trick tubular frames, followed by the S1 hooligan bike and the upgraded X1 in 1999, when Harley acquired controlling interest in the company.
The Buell XB platform debuted in 2003, featuring an advanced aluminum chassis and a hot-rodded version of Harley’s X-series engine. In 2007, Buell made a technological leap with the 1125R, an aluminum-framed sportbike with an all-new engine developed with the help of Rotax. The 72-degree V-Twin Helicon motor featured four valves per cylinder, dual overhead cams, and liquid cooling, resulting in a claimed 146 hp.
Innovations bristled from Buell all along the way, but H-D traditionalists stayed away in droves. Worse, just as Buell was gaining momentum, America’s only sportbike maker was killed off by its controlling and panicky H-D parent in 2010 after the 2008-2009 financial meltdown.
The Buells and the V-Rod showed how the MoCo might have boldly moved into its second century, but neither sold well enough to break the bonds of tradition and become the future of American motorcycles.
Polaris + Indian
Polaris had noticed what Stellican was doing with Indian and knew it could take the revered marque to the next level. It bought Indian in 2011, which gave the company both the newest and oldest American motorcycle brands. Production was moved to Victory’s plant in Spirit Lake, Iowa, where production continued on the Kings Mountain Chief while engineers were penning a new-from-the-ground-up version of the fabled Indian flagship.
In September 2014, the first all-new Indian powerplant in 70 years, the Thunderstroke 111, hit the market in several chassis versions, including a full dresser. Then a new liquid-cooled Scout was introduced as a 2015 model. Both were excellent designs, clearly signaling Polaris’ commitment to the brand. Indian was back!
H-D Innovation
Harley-Davidson realized it needed to appeal to a demographic that was younger and less affluent. In 2014, it unveiled its entry-level Street platform with liquid-cooled 500cc and 750cc V-Twin powerplants. The style, specification, and pricing seemed on target, but the quality and attention to detail were lacking. The Street platform was discontinued after a run of just seven years. Like the V-Rod and the Buells, the Street is yet another example of a near miss for the MoCo.
In 2016, H-D came out with another all-new powerplant, the Milwaukee-Eight, only the third completely original Big Twin engine design in 80 years. It employed a single counterbalancer in Touring models and dual balancers in Softails, altering the impression of vibration from being a big issue to a scientifically limited feature.
The company was at a crossroads, building niche machines but feeling the pressure from competitors both foreign and domestic, as well as reverberations from a diminishing customer base and the ongoing economic shock waves of the Great Recession. The new M-8 and the old Sportster had to see them through until the seeds of a rethink by new management could bear fruit.
To be CEO at the MoCo from the turn of the 21st century was to be in the hot seat. Jeff Bleustein and Rich Teerlink had been the leaders who got H-D off its knees and back to the top. By 2005, the man in the big chair was James Ziemer, who started with the company as a freight elevator operator in 1969. Talk about working your way up!
Ziemer’s successor, Keith Wandell, came to the job from Johnson Controls while the nation was in the midst of a financial meltdown. Cutting jobs, improving efficiency, and expanding overseas sales did the trick until his retirement in 2015.
Next up was Matt Levatich, who had been at Harley for 26 years. An energetic leader, he faced reduced demand for Harleys that saw U.S. sales losses for 12 consecutive quarters. Levatich tried to expand the MoCo’s appeal in different markets with his “More Roads” program. It might have worked if not for the stockholders, who were tired of hemorrhaging cash and pulled his plug in 2020.
Jochen Zeitz was hired to turn the ship around. His approach has been tough but shrewd, seeing the MoCo through Covid and supply-chain issues. Zeitz is refocusing on the U.S. market while studiously planning for a future in global markets.
An Era Reborn
After debuting the new Indian Chiefs and Scouts, Polaris soon realized the Victory brand was getting lost in the marketplace shuffle. Promoting and growing two separate brands was proving too much under the prevailing market conditions, so the decision was made in 2017 to wind down Victory and forge ahead with Indian.
To put the spotlight on Indian, the company built its first racebike since the 648 Scout: the dominating FTR750 dirt-tracker. H-D’s Street 750, modified to compete on racetracks, couldn’t. Flush with that success, Indian doubled down in 2019 with the FTR1200 street-tracker. This machine impressed as the first truly sporting American motorcycle since the demise of Buell in 2010.
Harley-Davidson had no effective answer to the impressive new Scout, let alone the FTR series, until the Sportster S arrived on the scene in 2021. The Revolution Max engine that debuted in the 1,252cc Pan America adventure bike features state-of-the-art technology with development potential for years to come. A 975cc version powers the Nightster.
Competition on the racetrack evolved with the introduction of the King Of The Baggers series in 2020 between Harley Road Glides and Indian Challengers, the latter introduced the same year with Indian’s new PowerPlus liquid-cooled 60-degree V-Twin.
The rousing popularity of what started as a one-off race spawned the KOTB series run in conjunction with MotoAmerica’s national roadrace program. H-D won the 2021 championship with racer Kyle Wyman, while Indian struck back the following year with Tyler O’Hara taking the title. The balance tipped again in 2023 with Vance & Hines rider Hayden Gillim earning the KOTB championship on a Harley.
Happy New Year
The battle between Harley and Indian, for the first time in half a century, boils down to the two legendary American marques being directly competitive in the categories that matter most to the American rider. It’s deja vu all over again.
Yet, for both companies, the search for more customers in more places again tends to move outside the traditional box. For Harley, a radical departure in pursuit of new buyers came in the form of its electric LiveWire, which reached production in 2019. Another change of direction in both management and perspective led to spinning off these electric machines into a stand-alone brand that has recently added the S2 Del Mar model.
Indian’s parent company, Polaris, is a major corporation with several divisions, of which motorcycles is only one. This echoes the situation at H-D during its AMF years. The MoCo, both before that time and subsequently, only makes motorcycles.
Indian is focusing on domestic sales and increased market share, as well as global markets. Harley-Davidson, as it did 100 years ago, is looking into overseas markets for sustainable growth in its 120th year and beyond. For H-D, building smaller machines in China and India suited to foreign customers seems to be a sound strategy, but the company will also continue to protect its home market, especially its core products of baggers and cruisers.
So, the 120-year Harley-Davidson vs Indian Motorcycle war goes on with renewed vigor, pleasing riders who have owned, loved, and understood what makes American motorcycles so special for so long. It’s been a helluva ride!
