Indian Officially Has New HQ – Here's Where The Motorcycle Maker Is Headed

Indian is America's first motorcycle company, and it still builds its motorcycles in the United States. While electrical components and certain parts like tires and brakes may be manufactured overseas, Indian motorcycles are designed and assembled in the United States. Specifically, Indian Motorcycle's factory is located in Spirit Lake, Iowa, while its headquarters was, until recently, located in Medina, Minnesota.

At the end of February 2026, Indian announced that it was moving its global headquarters about 40 miles to the east, to Golden Valley, Minnesota. The change of scenery is due to new ownership. Polaris, which had owned Indian since 2011, entered an agreement to sell Indian Motorcycle to Carolwood LP, a private equity firm based in Los Angeles, in October 2025, and the acquisition was completed in February 2026.

One of Carolwood's first moves has been to sign a seven-year lease for a 37,832-square-foot property that will be the new home for Indian HQ. Indian will conduct operations, product development, and prototyping in its new facility. In a press release, new CEO Mike Kennedy stated that "This new global headquarters represents an exciting next step for Indian Motorcycle," adding that "As we begin this new chapter, we are proud to remain in Minnesota — a state that has played an important role in our journey — and to continue building a future focused on innovation, growth, and delivering exceptional products to riders around the world."

2026 is shaping up to be a momentous year for Indian. Not only is it relocating to a massive new HQ, but it's also the 125th anniversary of the company's first factory. Technically, Indian is even older than that by four years, as George M. Hendee founded the Hendee Manufacturing Company in 1897 to design and build bicycles. In 1901, Hendee opened a facility in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, to build gasoline-powered pace bicycles.

At the time, motor-paced cycling — bicycle races with motorized pace vehicles riding ahead to provide a slipstream — was a popular (and dangerous) pastime. Hendee hired Swedish-born engineer Oscar Hedstrom to co-found the company and design pace bikes to push speed records. The result of the collaboration was America's first motorcycle company, with Hedstrom's 42-degree V-twin engine driving the beginning of a brand-new industry. In 1923, the business was renamed the Indian Motocycle Company (with no "r"). Since then, Indian has changed hands multiple times, and early bikes like the Indian Scout, Indian Chief, and Indian Ace helped push motorcycle riding into the mainstream.

Indian's new owner looks committed to continuing the brand's legacy. To celebrate its 125th anniversary, Indian is offering a range of special merchandise and paint jobs, as well as the limited-edition 2026 Indian Chief Vintage. This modern reimagining of the 1940s Chief starts at $20,499, sports a 116-CI engine making 115 lb-ft of torque, and is available in either black metallic or Indian's trademark red. It's no gimmick, either; we were greatly impressed by our first ride of the 2026 Indian Chief Vintage, which we called a "show-stopper."