Spin it however you like, but this can’t really be a good thing. Indian Motorcycle is dropping its old-school Springfield bagger/tourer from its European model line-ups.
The 123-year-old brand made this announcement in an awkward sort of way earlier this month, by mentioning it as a USP for its new Springfield Special Edition model.
“With timeless beauty, flawless paint, premium chrome plating and legendary Thunderstroke power, the Indian Springfield Special Edition is… the last chance to purchase the iconic Indian Springfield in European markets,” explains a media release.
Perhaps further demonstrating Indian’s lack of faith in the Springfield, the aforementioned media release, was, in fact, the same one that announced the return of the Indian Scout Sixty platform. News of the Springfield Special Edition was simply tacked onto the bottom.
“Crafted to be the ultimate in heritage style, exclusivity and comfort, just 50 units will be available,” says Indian Motorcycle.
Meanwhile, the Springfield will continue to be sold in North America and APAC countries (which, in the context of expensive cruisers, is probably a fancy way of saying “Australia and New Zealand”).
Since other Indian models running the same 1890cc Thunderstroke 116 V-twin engine will continue to be sold in Europe, it’s clear this isn’t a case of the Springfield running afoul of environmental regulations. Instead, it’s simply that Europeans don’t like the Springfield.
Which makes me sad. Indian let me borrow a Springfield for a few weeks back in 2018 and I used it to get around in Minnesota, where I have a lot of family and friends. I loved that bike and swore to myself that I would buy one just as soon as I could figure out how to overcome its colossal price tag. A not-special edition model will presently set you back £25,195.
And, I suppose, therein lies some of the answer as to why the Springfield’s being dropped. I’m a big fan of the Indian brand, but it’s only fair to admit that the Springfield is basically a rip-off of the Harley-Davidson Road King.
Notably, the Road King is also not available in Europe (as best I can tell, at least; feel free to correct me in the comments). But its more stylish offshoot, the Road King Special, is sold here. And it costs £600 less than a Springfield.
So, you get a very similar bike, from a better-established and arguably much more iconic brand (which has a better dealer network) for less money. In that context, it’s no surprise that Indian’s on the backfoot.
Indian offers its own copy of the Road King Special, by the way. The Indian Springfield Dark Horse has a starting price of £25,695 ─ some £1,100 more than the bike it’s imitating. Presumably it, too, is on its way out of the European market.
All of this spirals quickly into my growing concern that Indian is adopting old-school Victory Motorcycles tactics of playing not to lose, rather than playing to win (Victory was started by Indian’s parent company, Polaris, and ultimately abandoned after Polaris realized that bikes with an Indian badge sold better). Indian seems to be just sitting on its FTR platform, for example, rather than expanding it out to create an adventure bike or a sport tourer or a genuine naked sportbike ─ all of which would suit that engine brilliantly.
Instead, it seems to be looking at Harley, asking, “What definitely works for them?” and then doing that until it doesn’t work anymore.
I’m going down a rabbit hole here. The point is, I’m sorry to see the Springfield go. It’s a great bike. Meanwhile, if I understand correctly, the United Kingdom has been allocated only one of the 50 Special Edition bikes. Its starting price is £25,895.
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