'American Picker' Mike Wolfe rolls through Murfreesboro

MURFREESBORO –Hundreds of motorcycle riders from across the country converged Friday morning on Sloan's Motorcycles in Murfreesboro for the inaugural Indian Motorcycle ride.

Led by Mike Wolfe of American Pickers, the ride of more than 270 on 200 motorcycles was held to commemorate the resurrection of America's first motorcycle company.

"As a fan and enthusiast, first and foremost to me this is a dream come true," Wolfe said.

The inaugural ride started at Antique Archaeology in Nashville and concluded at the Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg with a brief stop in Murfreesboro in between.

Wolfe said the ride is about more than just the motorcycle, it's about the history of manufacturing in the U.S.

"It's exciting to see the name come back but it's also exciting to see the company come back," Wolfe said.

The original Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Company went bankrupt in 1953. The name continued through a number of successors over the years until Polaris Industries bought the rights and began manufacturing the motorcycles in Minnesota and Iowa in 2013.

Wolfe said parts of the new bikes are even made in his hometown of LaClaire, Iowa.

"It hits close to home," he said.

On top of the historic relaunch of Indian Motorcycles, Wolfe said he was excited about the stop in Murfreesboro because of the history of Sloan's Motorcycles and ATVs.

Dealership founder Bill Sloan said he opened up shop in 1960 and has sold various incarnations of Indian Motorcycles since. When he heard Polaris was bringing the brand back, he was one of the first in line to sell the brand.

"It's wonderful. It's a great product. The rollout has been flawless," he said aboutselling the motorcycles at the family owned dealership.

Micheal Taylor agreed with Sloan's assessment.

Taylor, of Saratoga, New York, rode his 2014 Indian Chief 16 hours from his home to Nashville for the inaugural ride.

"It's like getting to step in at the ground floor of history," Taylor said.

Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle grew to be the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world and provided support to the U.S. military during World War I and World War II.

Taylor said his grandfather was one of the U.S. GIs who rode an Indian in WWII.

"He rode one through Africa and Italy … It runs in my family. They hook you genetically," Taylor said about the iconic brand.

Taylor's love of motorcycles was born on the back of an Indian, said Taylor, a member of the Wild Horse Indian Motorcycle Group in New York.

From the first one he rode in the 1980s to the newest bikes produced, Taylor said Indians are his favorite motorcycles to ride.

Fans like Taylor, Wolfe and the others who rode into Murfreesboro are the fuel that helped restart Indian Motorcycles, said Steve Menneto, vice president of Motorcycles at Polaris Industries.

"The real enthusiasts are the heartbeat of Indian Motorcycles," Menneto said, adding events like the inaugural ride show that "there is a bright future for us."