When Polaris Industries acquired Indian Motorcycle in 2011 the team at Aeromach USA immediately began thinking about new products that could be manufactured. Aeromach is a Charlotte, NC-based manufacturer of billet aluminum motorcycle accessories. It wasn’t until late 2013 that the first all-new motorcycles arrived in dealer showrooms. By November, Paul Aiken, owner of Aeromach, had acquired a Chief Classic and began designing products.
“The first thing I noticed on the test ride of the new bike was the lack of a heel shift lever”, Aiken commented, “many riders, especially those coming off Harley-Davidsons were accustomed to shifting up through the gears with their heel.” It wasn’t long before the Aeromach Heel Shifter for Indian Motorcycles was designed and produced in their Charlotte, NC shop. Demand was so high for the part the delivery time stretched to 6 weeks. To meet the demand, a second CNC milling machine was added to produce the parts more quickly. Once the parts are machined they are hand polished and chrome plated, adding 4 weeks to the production time. “We had a waiting list of over 150 heel shifters at one point and we were running them all day long just to meet the demand”, Aiken stated. “It took Indian Motorcycles until August of this year to release their version of the shift lever but demand for the Aeromach version remains high. Ours fits the floorboard better and allows riders more room to move their feet around on the floorboards, we even got an order from an Indian Motorcycle employee because he likes our version better”
The 2015 Indian Motorcycle line was recently shown at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the news is good for Aeromach. In addition to adding a fourth model that can use the heel shifter, Indian also released the 2015 Indian Scout, a smaller motorcycle that appeals to new as well as experienced riders. “We have another blank canvas to design parts for and we are looking forward to making parts for the Scout as soon as we can get our hands on one”, Aiken said.
About Aeromach:
Aeromach USA LLC is based in Charlotte, North Carolina and is a manufacturer of billet aluminum motorcycle accessories including mirrors, handlebar risers, grips and other accessories. Aeromach is also the US representative for Highway Hawk motorcycle accessories from Motolux, BV based in Barneveld, The Netherlands. Their phone number is 800-990-9392, and the website is www.aeromach.net
