GILROY
– As motorcycles go, this one could be valuable: an Indian Scout
2-10, a new model for 2004 and one of four that may ever exist.
GILROY – As motorcycles go, this one could be valuable: an Indian Scout 2-10, a new model for 2004 and one of four that may ever exist.
Indian Motorcycle Company had radically redesigned all its 2004 bikes to counter customer complaints about reliability, and the new, improved machines were expected to sell remarkably well. The Gilroy factory was in the middle of building the ’04s when it shut down – probably for good – on Friday.
Thirty to 40 of the latest models made it to completion, according to laid-off Executive Vice President Fran O’Hagan, but most are prototypes that cannot be sold because they use cheaper parts that don’t meet safety standards.
Only “about a dozen” of the survivors are the real deal, O’Hagan said. According to Indian Board Chairman Frank O’Connell, these and the 200 or so older-model bikes in Indian’s inventory will be sold to the highest bidders among Indian’s 200-plus dealers, who will likely be starving for stock in the wake of the factory closure.
There were also 20 or so bikes that weren’t finished, O’Connell said. Indian will probably either reactivate a few laid-off workers to finish these or else sell them for parts, he said. It’s unknown what will happen to the prototype bikes.
The dozen salable survivors included four Scout 2-10s, according to former company test rider Adam Griffith. While the Scout line dates back to 1920, the 2-10 version was a new direction for Indian. Its sporty styling and a fat rear tire were unique among Indian bikes, which are better known as heavy cruisers. The Scout 2-10 is “a hot ride,” according to Griffith. He should know. As Indian’s head tester for the 2-10, he’s put in about 300 miles on one – more than anyone else in the world.
In general, Griffith said, “the 2004-model bikes were a huge improvement over the ’03s.” This sentiment was shared by other former Indian employees, dealers and fans.
“The ’04 bike is going to be awesome,” said Don Nofrey, who owns Gilroy’s Indian dealership.
“If they release the ’04 bikes, they’re going to turn some heads,” said Tony Oldofredi, who works for Nofrey. “They’re going with what the customers want.”
Indian made America’s first motorcycle in 1901, in Springfield, Mass. It folded in 1953 and was nonexistent until 1998, when it was reborn in Gilroy. While the trademark proved it had maintained its popularity over those 45 years, the Gilroy bikes were plagued with reliability problems.
“It had a bad reputation for quality – bottom line,” said Daniel Tice, another former Indian test driver. “(But) a lot of the stuff was really improving quality-wise.”
“Every new company has to solve bugs,” Griffith said. “It takes 30 years to work them all out … to really be strong enough to not worry about economic issues.”
Improvements for 2004 included a new engine in the Spirit and Scout models and new braking systems, hand/foot controls, lighting and wheels, according to O’Hagan.
