I got an email recently that said there's an Indian dealer in town. So I decided to stop by on the way home and see what they look like. They are nice. The pictures just don't do them justice. The really striking feature other than the retro styling is the engines. The heads are really cool with the fins all over the domed top. The quality of the leather on the seats and bags is really over the top. Threw a leg over the new Roadmaster first as a comparison to my Ultra Classic. It felt very good and was easier to get off the side stand than my bike. Also felt noticeably roomier. Then the sales lady had me sit on the Chieftain. This one had no trunk so I compared it to a Street Glide. Again I was pleased with the neutral feel. Then she took me out and showed me the shop demo Chieftain. It has the stage 1 pipes and performance air cleaner a la HD mods and fired it up for me. Sounded nice! I think I'll be setting up a demo day with my honey soon. It's not a dirt bike, I know but there's more to riding than off road.
Good to hear there is a dealer closer by than Long Beach since I've wanted to have a look myself. Never really considered a 500lb+ bike but never say never. 100 years later clearly Indian knew how to design a beautiful bike. I would buy a remake of this bike. Hand it to Polaris for a pretty good job across the board. They messed up with some paint issues in the production line recently tanking the stock but that will be fixed. Now they need to get a dirt brand.
They have the full Polaris 2 and 3 wheel line it seems. Nice. Saw this white one for 16 that is pretty distinctive. I am more a cafe/race rider but where HD starts to seem clunky and funky, Indian has style.
Yes, but no sling shots on the floor. They have Beemer and Victory as well. You can shop all the American iron within 100 yards.
A dealer about a hour away has the Indian demo truck coming next weekend. Did it with victorys so i guess I'll give this a try too. Now to see if my jacket even fits anymore lol
Been busy and just found some extra time. Here's the ride report: The first thing that I've gotta mention is that my assumption that we would take turns on the Chieftain. I was wrong, the sales manager asked my wife what helmet size she was (we're the same size and I only brought one helmet and she had asked if she should bring hers) because she was gonna get one to ride right off the showroom floor! First impression, it feels fairly light and getting it off the side stand was easy for my wife. She is no lightweight by any means. She's 5'11" of Norwegian goddess who goes to crossfit 3-5 times a week. The controls are fairly forward, and the beach cruiser bars come back for a comfortable riding position. The power band is very smooth off the bottom but there was quite a bit of throttle input needed to get it moving with the "stage 1"setup. Once you get into the midrange it finally wakes up and the monster torque comes into play. The top end is decent for a big twin. Light on the clutch pull and the trans feels pretty smooth, closer to a Harley than a Honda but not bad at all. Brakes are surprisingly good for a bagger. Handling is OK. The rake out front seems a little farther forward and the wheel base feels longer. I don't have specs to compare but the steering just feels a tad bit more lazy than I'm used to. The one thing I sort of smirked about was how the thing isn't a paint shaker at a stop. I could actually read stuff in the mirrors. The 3 cam engine it's overall really smooth but will respond in kind to a whack at the throttle. Now for the important opinion...hers. She's never ridden something that big for that long, only moved my Harley in and out of the garage a few times. She liked it, and adapted easily from life on sport bikes for the last 20 + years. She got used to working with longer shifter and brake pedals and the forward controls. She said she would honestly like one, but still wants to ride a Street Glide first.
I like the new Indians. Also chatted with a dude in a Slingshot on Saturday, was interesting. Looked fun.
Ride the Indian, Ride the Harley. The Indians have some cool features, but the Harley handles so much better. The Indian is a lead sled.
I rode my Harley this morning and instantly appreciated the difference. My 10 year old Hog handles way better. I actually have decided the Indian is just a little too refined for me. I even told my honey that it was nice, but it just don't have any soul.
Good to finally hear a good comparison. I bought the stock (Polaris) instead of the bikes just yet. Once the '17 750 comes out maybe a look.
