Press — future classics

February 2, 2026 – Indian Motorcycle, America’s First Motorcycle Company, announced today that Carolwood LP has officially closed its agreement with Polaris to acquire the historic American motorcycle business.

Motorcycling has always been full of big talkers. Brands that shout about “heritage” while quietly binning it the second a focus group wants a touchscreen. Royal Enfield is the rare exception: a company whose backstory isn’t a marketing department’s bedtime story, but a long, often messy, genuinely fascinating chain of reinvention.

When a custom build is teased, imagined, and talked about for months, there’s always a danger the finished article won’t live up to the mythology. This one didn’t just live up to it – it parked itself under the show lights at MCL25 and dared anyone to look away.

If you’ve felt a sudden spike in “special editions”, heritage logos, anniversary liveries and emotional brand videos… you’re not imagining it. 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most celebration-heavy years the motorcycle world has seen in a long time—and it’s happening right as the industry is being forced to reinvent itself.

The baby-boomer years after the Second World War didn’t just reshape society — they rewired the motorcycle industry from the inside out. What emerged between the late 1940s and early 1970s still defines how bikes are designed,