INTERVIEW
P112
PRESIDENT OF MOTORCYCLES AT POLARIS INDUSTRIES INC., STEVE MENNETO
S
teve Menneto, 51, is Presi-
dent of Motorcycles at Polaris
Industries Inc., and as such
he's the man who, together with
Polaris President/CEO Scott Wine,
ultimately sold his colleagues in Po-
laris management the idea of acquir-
ing Indian in April 2011 as a heritage
marque to run alongside its much
younger Victory brand. Having suc-
ceeded in doing so, Menneto was
then entrusted with the task of mak-
ing it work, and returning America's
oldest existing motorcycle company
which built its first such machine
back in 1901, to the marketplace. It's
a task he and his team at Polaris HQ
in Medina, Minnesota, have self-evi-
dently discharged exceptionally well,
in developing a strong-selling array
of individually styled and distinctively
engineered models based on two
engine platforms. These comprise
the air-cooled OHV Thunder Stroke
111 c.i/1811cc 49° V-twin motor which
kicked off Indian sales in August
2014 with the Chief custom and
Chieftain bagger, followed by the
Roadmaster tourer, and the liquid-
cooled 69 c.i/1133cc Scout 60°
V-twin eight-valve engine, which
followed a year later to provide a less
costly middleweight alternative from
the tomahawk tribe.
HERE IS OUR INTENSIVE, DETAILED, ONE-ON-ONE
INTERVIEW WITH STEVE MENNETO, THE MAN SPEARHEADING
INDIAN'S HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL REVIVAL.
Life After
Victory
BY ALAN CATHCART
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN WING
