Indian bikes roll into town

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This article was published 09/09/2014 (3126 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Indian Motorcycle rides again.

One of the oldest brands in the U.S. has arrived in Winnipeg as Headingley Sport Shop Ltd. has agreed to become the fifth Indian Motorcycle dealership in Canada.

Jill Ruth, co-owner and sales manager at Headingley Sport, said she had been negotiating with Polaris Industries, the manufacturer of power sports equipment that purchased Indian Motorcycle in 2011, for 18 months about adding the line to its sales floor.

“It’s an iconic line that will compete very nicely in the marketplace. A lot of people are looking for the ultimate motorcycle, the ultimate cruiser. It’s a product that would compete directly with Harley (-Davidson),” she said.

To accommodate Indian Motorcycle, Ruth said Headingley Sport is going to spend $1 million to add another 10,000 square feet to its 16,000-square-foot showroom and it will also have to hire an undetermined amount of staff.

Two days of promotional rides to herald the return of Indian Motorcycle and give enthusiasts a chance to ride one or more of the different models kicked off this week.

Indian Motorcycle is more than just two-wheeled machines. Even non-motorcycle riders have been fans of the Indian Motorcycle clothing line over the years. Ruth said orders have been placed for several hundred thousand dollars worth of apparel, and while some of it is in the store today, most of it won’t arrive until January. It will also be sold at the Lucky Supermarket near McPhillips Street and Notre Dame Avenue

(Indian Motorcycle clothing used to be made by Western Glove Works but the Winnipeg-based clothing manufacturing isn’t involved in this incarnation of the U.S. brand.)

‘A lot of people are looking for the ultimate motorcycle, the ultimate cruiser. It’s a product that would compete directly with Harley (Davidson)’

— Jill Ruth, co-owner, Headingley Sport Shop

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Headingley Sport Shop has been in business for 45 years. It started selling Kawasaki motorcycles in 1982 and picked up the Victory line four years ago. It also carries Polaris all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles and utility vehicles as well as Triton aluminum trailers.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca