Ever since Polaris brought it back, Indian has been making some seriously cool motorcycles that also use technology that isn’t stuck in the 1950s. It’s been fun to watch them build out a lineup that’s about 1,000 times more interesting to modern riders than most of what Harley-Davidson has to offer, even if Indian’s success did require Polaris to take Victory out behind the shed and give it the Old Yeller treatment. This week, though, we learned the party is officially over. Polaris has sold Indian to a private equity firm, and with that, Indian may as well be dead.
That doesn’t mean Indian will disappear overnight. No, the most likely scenario is that the new folks in charge will make a bunch of changes you won’t notice at first, and then, before you know it, the motorcycle company you previously loved will look unrecognizable, and everything you love about it will be gone. Zombie Indian will then hobble along for a few more years until the whole thing ultimately ends the way private equity takeovers always do — with Indian experiencing the same fate as Victory did almost a decade ago.
Or maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about. It’s not like anyone at Jalopnik would know anything about a private equity takeover going badly.
RIP Mazda
It sucks to see Indian headed for disaster, but I also suspect most of the folks reading this aren’t die-hard Indian fans. You may have some affection for the brand or just like the way some of its motorcycles look, but you probably aren’t heartbroken over the private equity news. Most people just don’t ride motorcycles, and most motorcycle riders don’t ride Indians. On the other hand, there’s no reason to think private equity would limit itself to buying motorcycle brands. It’s entirely possible PE could take over another car company at some point, too.
Granted, plenty of people still remember the disaster that was the Cerberus takeover of Chrysler, but you never know. It could happen. And if it did, what brand would break your heart the most to see taken over by private equity? Personally, I’d much rather see Mazda die than stick around long enough to get ruined by private equity, because you know driving dynamics would be the first thing to go. Well, either that, or the MX-5. There’s no way a PE-controlled Mazda keeps selling the Miata, much less develops a new one, right?
That said, there are a lot more automakers out there that private equity could ruin. What’s your pick for the worst one for private equity to take over? Whichever one it is, be sure to let us know down in the comments.
