Indian Motorcycle Honors the Past and Powers the Future with the Thunder Stroke 111 Engine

MEDINA, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Indian Motorcycle, the first American motorcycle company, announced the details of the all new Thunder Stroke 111™ engine that will power the model year 2014 Indian Motorcycle. The new engine was publicly unveiled to a gathering of press and motorcycling fans on Saturday, March 9 at Daytona Bike Week. This marks yet another critical milestone in the company’s persistent drive towards a full launch later this year under the stewardship of Polaris Industries.

“The new Thunder Stroke 111 engine delivers what riders are looking for, and we expect that Indian Motorcycle fans will be inspired by this legendary new power plant as we accelerate toward our full launch in the months ahead.”

Since the April 2011 acquisition of Indian Motorcycle by Polaris Industries, the company has made an unprecedented commitment of time, resources and passion into the design of the all-new power plant. From the outset, the goal was to capture the iconic design and styling aspects of the 112-year old brand’s most historic models and fuse that heritage with state-of-the-art technology and progressive design elements. The new design reflects an unparalleled investment into researching the complete history of Indian Motorcycle power train development, including the review of volumes of historical documentation, miles of riding vintage motorcycles, and studying and dissecting a broad array of legendary Indian Motorcycle models.

The Thunder Stroke 111 engine features 111 cubic inch displacement and delivers the raw power and iconic styling that have long been hallmarks of the legendary Indian Motorcycle brand. Delivering more than 115 ft-lbs of torque, the 49-degree V-Twin engine is the new heartbeat of Indian Motorcycle and marks the first clean-sheet Indian Motorcycle engine design in seven decades. With parallel pushrod tubes, finned heads, down firing exhausts, left side air intake, and the proportions and layout familiar to Indian Motorcycle fans around the world, the Thunder Stroke 111 is sure to inspire both experienced and new riders. The engineering prowess and financial resources of Polaris Industries will re-forge this iconic brand into the industry leader it deserves to be.

Indian Motorcycle Thunder Stroke 111 Engine Specifications:

Engine Displacement: 111 cubic inches

Torque: More than 115 ft-lbs

Architecture: 49-degree V-twin, air-cooled with integrated oil cooler, left-side air intake, down firing exhaust system, parallel pushrod tubes

Crankcase: Unit design featuring a high capacity semi-dry sump oil system, oversized oil radiator

Timing System: 3 camshafts, pushrods, 2 valves per cylinder acting through maintenance-free hydraulic valve lifters, forged crankshaft

Fuel System: Electronic sequential port fuel injection and electronic throttle control

Compression Ratio: 9.5

Transmission: 6-speed overdrive, constant mesh, helical gearbox

Clutch: Low-effort, multi-plate wet clutch, aluminum basket, integral torsional damper

“Everyone involved in the design of this motorcycle line understands that we are the stewards and caretakers of one of America’s most storied and legendary brands. We’ve worked tirelessly to retain the truly iconic characteristics of the brand and combine those elements with advanced technologies to deliver a new Indian Motorcycle offering exceptional performance and truly unsurpassed reliability,” said Polaris Industries Vice President of Motorcycles, Steve Menneto. “The new Thunder Stroke 111 engine delivers what riders are looking for, and we expect that Indian Motorcycle fans will be inspired by this legendary new power plant as we accelerate toward our full launch in the months ahead.”

The new Thunder Stroke 111 engine has been extensively tested, refined and proven by one of the industry’s most rigorous development and testing programs, accumulating over one million miles of testing, including state-of-the-art dyno testing, and hundreds of thousands of miles of on-road testing. The all-new Thunder Stroke 111 is built in Osceola, Wisconsin at the Polaris Industries Engine Assembly Plant, with future full unit motorcycle assembly taking place in Polaris’ state-of-the-art production facility in Spirit Lake, Iowa.

Fans of Indian Motorcycle are encouraged to visit www.indianmotorcycle.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/indianmotocycle, and Like Us at www.facebook.com/indianmotorcycle.

ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE

Indian Motorcycle, a wholly-owned division of Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII), is America’s first motorcycle company. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.

ABOUT POLARIS INDUSTRIES

Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2012 sales of $3.2 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER® and RZR® side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles.

Polaris is among the global sales leaders for both snowmobiles and off-road vehicles and has established a presence in the heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycle market with the Victory and Indian motorcycle brands. Additionally, Polaris continues to invest in the global on-road small electric/hybrid powered vehicle industry with Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), Goupil Industrie SA, and internally developed vehicles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Polaris and KLIM branded apparel and Polaris accessories and parts.

Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII”, and the Company is included in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 stock price index.

Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories are available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime at www.polaris.com.