Neither the City of Sturgis, nor Harley-Davidson will disclose the specific terms, but reports are the two have finalizing an agreement that will give the Bar and Shield a 75 year sponsorship of the iconic summer rally, effectively ending any chance that a newly revived Indian Motorcycle Company might reclaim its place as the “First Brand of Sturgis.” The rally was started by Indian Dealer Clarence “Pappy” Hoel in 1938 when he served free weenies and sloppy joes in the garage behind the shop. Hoel switched his dealership to other brands after Indian shuttered in the 1950’s, with Yamaha eventually becoming the top selling brand. A spokesman for Harley-Davidson confirmed that as a part of the agreement, the company will build a permanent plaza in downtown Sturgis that will be a year-round venue for special events, concerts and even weddings.
To tie the plaza to Milwaukee, a 2015 Harley motorcycle will be used to pull a brick from the front entrance of the historic headquarters building that once housed the company’s factory. That brick, a brick from the museum, and 73 bricks from the headquarters’ famous motorcycle-only parking area will be delivered to Sturgis on motorcycles.
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14 comments
I’m a Harley rider and i have nothing against Indian’s or victory’s. But let’s face it Harley’s been around for over 100 yrs a well established motorcycle
Indians are a way better bike than Harleys. Polaris makes indian the way they were originally designed with modern upgrades. Ride a new chief and a new Road king, and you will buy the chief.
I’ve ridden for 43 years and have owned them all. I currently have a Goldwing, Vision, and a Harley. They are all nice bikes. The Goldwing is a two wheel car. The Vision glides and handles like an airplane. The Harley is still a 300 mile bike meaning after 300 miles you need to stop for the day. They have made big strides in the ride and handling but have a ways to go before they no longer have to depend on the nostalgia of their name.
I doubt Harley is overly worried about Indian. However it’s all about the marketing for HD and they are extremely good at it!
Alan Lashway needs to get his head out of his butt….. The 111 Indians are not Polaris and they were not trying to duplicate the old Indians! Harley is still doing that
An Indian dealer started Sturgis and Zindian is back with a vengeance ….. Be happy there are 3 brands from North America! Good luck to all 3 brands. I own 2 of them currently ….after I sold my Harlies.
The only reason is that Harley has some stiff competition, Polaris builds a much better, affordable, and durable bike. I’m not knocking Harleys, but they needed some completion to improve their products. They haven’t made any changes until someone got into their business as real competition. Harley caters yo the dealers, victory and Indian caters to the consumers. Now that they own Indian, I think it’s the best thing in years for the brand and Polaris.