Motorcycles: End of the Road—Again?
December 1, 2003
So far, this fear is unfounded: Dealers continue to stock parts and offer service, urging owners to hold on to their motorcycles. "If you own one of these machines, this is the worst time to sell it," says Mederski, who predicts an increase in the motorcycle’s value, after an initial decline, by 2 percent to 3 per-cent annually. "Nobody knows what’s going on, so you would do best to keep your machine. It is one of just 5,000 bikes made, so it’s assured a place in history again." Mederski recommends that owners acquire manuals and brochures to complement their motorcycle and add to its total value. He also recommends that owners purchase a surplus of rapid-wear parts such as brake pads, cables, grips, and foot pegs.
The 2002 models suffered from starter, swingarm, and windshield problems but received high customer-satisfaction ratings overall. However, honoring the four-year warranties on the S&S-powered pre-2002 bikes cut into Indian’s profits, and the $18,995 price for the base-model Scout hurt sales. Ironically, Indian was on the verge of reducing prices and offering a brand-new engine when it halted production. The company was scheduled to debut the new Scout, Spirit, and Chief models to its dealers when the announcement was made. The $15,995 Scout and the $17,795 Spirit Springfield would have been equipped with the Powerplus 92, which boasts a 25 percent increase in power and a 26 percent increase in torque over the previous-generation engine. Now it remains to be seen when those 2004 models will be released—assuming they ever are.
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