About 35,000 people tested Polaris Industries' new "Ride Command" at the Sturgis motorcycle rally.
The verdict at the South Dakota tradition earlier in August — and a dealers' show in July — was a resounding thumbs up, the Medina-based all-terrain vehicle and motorcycle company said.
The infotainment and communication system is currently on two Indian Motorcycles models and one limited-edition off-road four-wheeler. The high-tech system connects riders, displays navigational and diagnostic information and offers the "most rider-friendly system available on two wheels," company officials said.
Polaris' goal was to give its motorcycle and off-road customers the same conveniences and connectedness found in modern cars.
The technology is not the first to market. Harley-Davidson won those bragging rights. But Polaris' Ride Command boasts "the biggest screen, fastest processor and is the most customizable" system in the industry, officials said.
"With functionality tailor-made for the off-road experience, we have made it even easier for [Polaris] consumers to experience the excitement of off-road vehicles" and motorcycles, said CEO Scott Wine.
Ride Command's 7-inch touch-screen monitor is built into the dashboard and comes with Bluetooth technology and controls for a 100-watt audio system, voice-activated phone, smartphone connections and eight "information screens" that can be customized.
The enhanced system, which was engineered at Polaris' Wyoming, Minn., research-and-development center, lets drivers integrate their mobile phones, Go-Pro cameras and audio into their recreational vehicles. Integrated Bluetooth headsets let passengers and drivers talk to each other. The informational screen tracks vehicle diagnostics, displays navigational tools and connects communication devices with one touch of a glove-covered finger.