Prepare for One Killer Indian Cycle
In a recent patent filing by Indian Motorcycle, it looks as though a bike called the Indian Raven could join the lineup. Motorcycle.com reported the patent filing with the European Union Intellectual Property Office. That should mean that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will receive a similar filing soon.
With the patent filing comes little to no information about what the Indian Raven could be. The placement of the two words together suggests it will be a separate bike not a variant of the current lineup. While a Raven variant of a Chieftain or Scout sounds like it could be a cool thing, Indian probably has something else up its sleeve.
Nevermore Doesn’t Apply to This Raven
While it’s unclear what the Indian Raven will be, what is clear is that Indian will do something with the name. It simply wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of trademarking it if it wasn’t.
Motorcycle.com suggests it would be a lighter-weight bike like the FTR1200. The reasoning the publication says this is because Raven doesn’t seem like a good name for a big cruiser. It also points out the fact that Indian had several different versions of the FTR1200 patented, including a modular design that could be used for a variety of motorcycles. Indian could make everything from a cruiser to a sportbike with that setup.
Aside from the pure speculation, if you look at what’s most likely judging from Indian’s line up, it’s a cruiser. Because of the Raven name it will likely be blacked out and similar to the other models.
That said, the boys over at Motorcycle.com have my head spinning with visions of an Indian sportbike. An Indian sportbike could transform the brand, and help drive it forward. The name Raven could be used on just about anything, but I have my hopes set on a new world’s fastest Indian.
