The New Indian Thunder Stroke 111
Cycle News Staff | March 10, 2013
Indian Motorcycle introduced its Thunder Stroke 111 engine yesterday in Daytona Beach, Florida – the 111 cubic inch, 49-degree V-twin that will power the brand’s motorcycles in 2014.
The powerplant delivers more than 115 ft-lbs of torque, according to Indian. With parallel pushrod tubes, finned heads, down firing exhausts, left side air intake, and the proportions and layout familiar to Indian fans, Polaris is hopeful that the Thunder Stroke 111 will re-forge the iconic brand.
Since the acquisition of Indian in April of 2011, Polaris has made a big commitment of time and resources and the Thunder Stroke 111 is the by-product of that effort. The powerplant was designed to combine the heritage of the 112-year-old Indian brand with state-of-the-art technology and progressive design elements.
“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,” said Polaris’ vice president of motorcycles, Steve Menneto. “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. 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, according to Polaris. 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’ production facility in Spirit Lake, Iowa.
