Indian rider explains to a Harley Davidson rider why he chose Indian Motorcycles over Harley Davidson Motorcycles. P.O. Box Address- Traveling Tall P.O. Box 53092 Knoxville, TN 37950
I don't think either are better. It's just a matter of taste. I happen to love the Indian Scout, but that's just me, it doesn't mean I think it's better.
HDs are typically top heavy which yes makes you feel like your just pulled something solid off the side stand but for me the top heavy part is a disadvantage. The Indians I have ridden simply felt more fun to ride and fun is why I ride.
Well I own an Indian Chief Classic, it's been spectacular since July 2014. But I still do and always will love Harley. Always loved motorcycles, broke my first bones on one at 17. Ride Safe.
Not that I’m saying Indian is a bad bike. But I quit listening to discount Heath Ledger when he said the Indian Chieftain Limited was the same as the Harley CVO Road Glide. Nope. Frame mounted fairing vs fork mounted fairing. The guy doesn’t know his product and is just trying to hawk and Indian. The Indian is an excellent bike. I’ve rode both. The ride of the Indian is better than the Harley in my opinion. But the refinement of the Harley M8 is much better suited for the highway than the Thunderstroke, in that the M8 pulls hard from 6th gear at 1700rpm through the redline. Whereas the Thunderstroke likes to be revved more from 2600rpm and up to driver the same pull. Not a bad thing, just something to get used to. The Street Glide is comparable to the Chieftain, but until Indian comes up with a competitor to the Road Glide, I’ll stick with my Harley.
Hey, tall i was up in the air between the two. Following you, and seeing what you do. I went with the 2019 street glide special. First time riding a HD, and i love it. All the guys out there post videos. I have nothing but respect for. But i Salute you and what you do and put out. My next upgrade is tbe 10 inch bars and the drop down mirrors. Best advice 👌
I own an Indian. I love Harleys. I bought the Indian because of the classic styling, the awesome (Stage 2) sound, the really friendly dealership, plus many of the things on the Indian was standard for le$$, whereas on a similar Harley was optional for. One question about the so-called HD batwing fairing, and that is "how far can you raise the power windshield on the HD fairing"????
When people called it a "Clone" I thought they meant the engine, not because its a cruiser style motorcycle. The Indians that came out like 20 years ago had S&S Engines. Polaris really invested into R&D to make the Thunderstroke 111 engine. Unless anyone can prove me wrong?
guys what i hear from folks who have owned both; actually a true story was fella i just spoke with was having his ultra limited repaired (3-4 weeks) rode the chieftain and after that would not go back to the limited. Mentioned the ride is so much better with the indian with the 4' rear shock vs 2' also fox racing quality rear shocks. Radio had/has twice the watts/amperage as the CVO harley and costs less. Basically- net/net you get more for your money with the indian and they ride better if you not doing distance this may not be an issue but if you are i would consider indian.
Fairly say both are unique. Indian is not a new face, on and off, less repair shops which is a negative point for those who wants. However, I am going to buy Indian Scout soon.
The Indian Chieftain has the same lean angle, 31 degrees, as the Street Glide, also 31 degrees. However, the Harley has a shorter wheelbase and the handlebars on the Harley turn a bit further, lock to lock. Thus the Street Glide is more maneuverable than the Indian at low speeds. I haven't spent enough time at high speeds to gauge the Indian vs Harley. The Road King and the other touring H.D.'s have a 32 to 34 degree lean angle vs the Street Glide with it's lower rear shocks. That makes them considerable more nimble than the Indian. Granted, only a skilled rider would notice the difference.
The difference that I noticed was the suspension travel, the Harleys have about 2.1inches the Indians have around 4.5inches. I've just finished riding across Australia on my Road King Classic, did over 5,000 km all up and yes it went very well but those few extra inches of suspension travel would have been greatly appreciated. I have recently ridden the new Indian Chief Vintage (apples for apples) and the ride and handling and the tautness of the chassis are just way better, sad to say it but it's true. Is the Indian perfect !? Probably not but I sure was impressed.
I own a Springfield and love it. But I have ridden a family members older Road King and it's shorter wheelbase coupled with Reinharts made it an absolute blast to ride. A real Hot Rod. The Springfield is a really impressive touring machine and really reliable. But you must find a good dealer for support and the reality is there are way more Harley Dealers out there. Nevertheless I love my Springfield it is awesome.
They're growing, as long as they continue to put out quality machines and stand behind there product, their dealerships should expand. Thanks for watching Hugh.
The only real concern about Indian is their service locations, or lack thereof. I really like Indian bikes and would especially like to own the Indian Roadmaster Darkhorse, but if I’m on a long tour (like the Hoka Hey Challenge) there is limited places to get an Indian serviced, whereas Harley dealers are like dollar stores and they’re everywhere.
Common sense dictates that when youve been building bikes as long as HD, theyre bound to better than someone who recently bought the Indian brand name. That being said, Polaris does make a good bike called Indian. Ive ridden the Indian baggers and the HD and found the HD handled better but Ive been riding since I was 15 and now Im 58. Ride what you like and enjoy.
Its really a matter of taste, been a Harley guy since I was 17. I am 62 now both bikes have there pros and cons, as I lifetime Harley rider you can't say the Indian isn't a sweet bike because it is. Glad to finally have a choice between two great American and Iconic machines again. Buying a new bike next year and really leaning towards the Indian.
I love my Road Glide Special, but I'm disappointed with the lack of direction displayed lately by the Motor Company. They are trying to remain relevant by continuously changing the focus of the model lineup, while thinking they'll pay the bills by appealing to Millennials with all slim fit MotorClothes. News flash: I'm not slim and Millennials aren't buying H-D apparel.... or bikes. Back to the drawing board, y'all... before you push more of us to Indians.
The Harley “windshield fairing kit,” as it was first listed in 1969 became a standard feature for 1971. It's more commonly known today as the “Batwing” fairing.
I have a 2017 Harley-Davidson street glide special M8 107 and I love it with the new technology, new maintenance free motor, less vibration, easy adjustable suspension etc. The Indian is on the same level as Harley-Davidson with a few major advantages which is a nearly maintenance free gear primary on left side of motor and oil changes I think are slightly easier like the Victory motorcycles. My new Harley-Davidson has power and some but I would have also bought a Victory bagger or Indian without a second thought due to ease of maintenance. Harley-Davidson has a large gear and product line with the shoes,boots,hats,t shirts,jackets,cups,license plates and patches folks like etc etc. It’s just a market thing but there a lot more smoother and cooler bikes out there than Harley-Davidson. Harley-Davidson just caught up to everyone with style, engine technology and LED lighting, prior to 2017 Harley was still making a 2 valve per cylinder , twin cam, high maintenance hot butt motor.
I’ve been riding my 08 Victory Vision for 10 years now. Been a great bike but engine gets way too hot in stop and go traffic. At just over 100k miles I’m thinking either Indian or Road Glide. I do a lot of two up riding and I need comfort for both rider and passenger. My Vision is by far the most comfortable bike I’ve owned. I’ll have to ride both bikes before I make my decision but comfort will have to play a big part as a 600 to 700 miles a day ride for me is pretty common.
toque mode in the 114 after some Woods 222 cams or a zippers 128 kit is awsome also ````````` so they put a more agressive cam in stock , The best part of owning a Harley if your a biker is wrenching on them
Lol... I dunno.. I don't have a CVO road glide I have a regular road glide 107 milwuakee 8 . I have stage 2 done to it only. I can tell you this, it most definitely does not feel like I'm tied to a stump...lol
Listen I just bought a 2019 chieftain darkhorse yesterday. The amount of extras on this bike are amazing. Power windshield, heated grips, heated seat, led everything, locking saddlebags. U would have to pay 40 grand to get these features on a harley. And the chieftain was 25 grand. Great bike and I just traded in a streetglide
I own a 2018 springfield, great bike, my buddy owns a 2019 fatboy, great bike. My brother owns a ninja, great bike. I race husqvarna 2 stroke mx bikes....greatest bike. Either/or is a horrible way to build walls that may prevent you from finding your joy. I do however like this channel a lot.
I think the Indian is a very nice and well made motorcycle but It looks like they fashioned it to look Similar to the Harley street glide To try and pull some of that market to their brand of motorcycle Doesn't matter to me what You ride It's all about the experience of riding Not what you Ride . And I love my road glide
I ride a Suzuki Boulevard C50T. It's really a choice. I was never a suzuki guy. My choice was Kawasaki or Yamaha. But they were beyond my budget when I tried to buy one. Costing more than my car. Means I could have bought a full option car which was a matter of self conscience. So opted for the Suzuki. Took a while to digest the brand. Now I love it. But now since I saw the Indian I started glancing at them on the streets. Now it is about signature. I don't think they are cheap. But one day.
Well, I used to own a couple of Victory bikes and recently in October I bought a 2019 RGS. I can sit here and tell you all day why I will never buy an Indian no matter what but to keep it short and simple, after what they did with Victory I was done with anything Polaris had to offer. As a motorcyclist I loved Victory because they were american made here in Spirit lake and had style and performance, whenever you saw a Victory you knew what it was, not a HD look alike which is exactly what Indian is now.
I’m pretty lucky, while I ride a naked/street fighter bike both my brother and Dad have Harley’s. It’s awesome because I get the best of both worlds. With my brother I have to ask to borrow it but my Dad just says “ You know where the keys are” I help him out by changing his oil so I figure that’s a pretty fair trade. One thing about the Harley is the low end torque. Coming from a pretty fast 4 cylinder with good roll on acceleration a big V-Twin really is like nothing else. I just found out it doesn’t like to be redlined. It’s happiest being short shifted. People do look at me strange though. I ride with a full faced helmet, a jacket, and gloves. Most people around me ride Harley’s without a helmet. I tried that one time and it felt really weird. I bought my first bike at age 13 and have worn a helmet since day one so I just can’t do the no helmet thing
Yes, because there are not many aftermarket parts out there for Indian right now, but they are gradually coming on. But, I ain't gotta spend an extra 5k to get my Indian to perform like I want it to. Some of my friends have spent 3 to 5 k on their HDs but they won't street race me on my Indian that is bone stock. Not to mention they recently had a bagger race with like 20 bikes in the field, Indian had two bikes in the race, took 1st and third places. The HD Roadglide with a turbo was left in the dust.
They are nice sounding slipons, but I may be changing mine out to something else soon. I'm about to start making some performance up grades. Stay tuned I will be doing those videos within a week or two.
As an owner of a 2021 Chieftain. That I turned into a Roadmaster. It’s an amazing bike. Not better then a Harley Davidson. Both have their qualities. And drawbacks. With that being said. I’ll never own another brand but Indian.
This video cracks me up, Indian quit making motorcycles years ago, Polaris bought the name they took a sled n put the name they bought on it!!!!! If u do your homework you will find a non American company discraseing a true American legendary name!!!!! Food for thought!
My 2007 HONDA 1300VTXR ,DUAL PLUGS PER CYLINDER, 4 VALVE PER CYLINDER, BIG-JETTED CARBURETOR , VANCE HINES PIPES, WHITE WALLS ,1949 FORD CHROME HEADLIGHT, CHROME LIGHT BAR OFF 1945 HD,,,has floor boards that are spring loaded.,,can you tell that ,,THIS ONE TAKES ME TO A HAPPY PLACE !!♡ ,LOL..♡ roll what chu got Teee!
I might love an Indian if I rode it but I just love the looks of the HD..I do think,for the money spent that Harley could come up with an electrically adjustable windshield
I'd buy one of those creamsicle colored ones with some leather trim, two tone vintage look with the 116. All of the other bikes Indian makes just seem like lesser versions of Harleys. Fit and finish is not there to be directly priced against Harley, they should be noticeably cheaper.
I rode both the Street Glide CVO 117 and the Indian Chieftain 116 before I bought. Like the guy said, the SG felt like a more solid bike, but if felt less maneuverable compared to the Indian. It also felt less powerful. I've never been one to trust what someone says (claimed) HP and TQ are. To really know, you have to put it on a dyno and get numbers at the wheel, not the crank. According to Motorcycle Cruiser Magazine, they dynoed the 2018 HD Road Glide 117 CVO at 93.75 HP and 112.51 TQ. My 2018 Indian Chieftain Dark Horse 116 was dynoed last week down in Daytona by Indian of Charlotte (their mobile dyno) and it put down 123+ HP and 144+ TQ...all Indian, no 3rd party performance parts...nothing. Dyno numbers don't lie.
You say it felt less manuverable only thing I can say is my sixteen roadking never seemed to take curves easy always had to use a bit of opposing steering,and then one day I needed new tires had the dealer put on same style and make as original tires . Right after that my bike started handling like my old Norton did not seem to be the same bike it was . It handles great I can now take curves like your supposed to . Talked to long time Harley Rider and he told me he had experienced the same thing and that the new tires were an elite version and had a different compound in them . You would think Harley would put the best handling tires on it from the factory.
Joseph Marton Agreed! I had the privilege to ride a demo model at my local dealership. Man! What a wonderful machine, quality craftsmanship, smooth in the curves, has the perfect Horsepower/Torque ratio, and beautifully designed! I'm actually stuck in between buying a '18 Chieftain Limited or a '16 Victory High Ball. Been stuck on this decision for a month and a half now!!
I like and have had both. I currently have a Scout and love it. I also love Sportster and think nothing sounds better with pipes. Love the softail line, especially the slim and Fatboy. For the bagger I am torn between Challenger and Chieftain. The only line I am not interested in is the road king or it’s offspring. Do not like.
I'm currently stuck between choosing between a new HD or Indian. The only thing that concerns me with the Indians is the scarcity of Indian dealerships and aftermarket products.
Yup. Scarcity of dealer ships and shops that work on them. I have 4 Harley dealerships and a bunch of independent s, (the one I use is only about 2 miles away) who will work on my Harley. Only one Indian dealer around here and it's an hour away in stop and go traffic. Not aware of any independents in these parts who will work on and are authorized to do warranty work on an Indian.
i disagree with him on 1 point, the chieftain's counterpart in harley is the street glide, those 2 are always compared 2 eachother, u can't compare the road glide 2 the chieftain because 1 of the major things is the fact the fairing on the road glide is frame mounted, while the chieftain is for mounted like the street glide. i will say this, i just watched a video where the guy took out the 116 19 chieftain and 1 complaint he had was the heat he felt on his thighs from the motor, i can tell u this, that new Milwaukee 8 on the street glide u don't have that problem. i know u are looking 4 a new bike, or considering 1, i would recommend checking out matt laidlaw's channel he is very knowledgeable and informative about the harley's. 1 thing i have heard him say, along with a few others, is that if ure a taller guy like urself the road glide is the way 2 go.
that bike is a copycat of the street glides because the glides are selling much better than any other touring bike, due to the radios, nav, and storage and of cause styling.as for power my 2017 107ci has more than enough power to get you in or out of trouble
I am not sure what the guy was talking about with respects to the floor boards. My harley floor boards are also set up like a hinge and will lift up. You really do have to say it looks an awful lot like a street glide as compared to the previous model. Is it identical, no however it does look similar.
My feelings on bikes is, I like what I feel like is the classic motorcycle styling. Harley has it, indian, not so much. Nothing wrong with an indian at all. I just find the Harley styling fits my preferences a little better. Indian just seems a little too "modern" for my tastes. Not sure if that makes any sense but it is what it is. I plan on testing an indian chieftain this year because I have never rode an indian. Who knows, might change my mind.
Rode the new HD street and road glide. There very nice. Rode the Indian roadmaster and other models. Hard to not like then,very nice also. I would go with Indian, not one around every corner. I also have history with my Victory CC 125 K on the clock no problems. Hopefully that technology of dependability is passed down.
Polaris should have kept Victory. I liked what they were doing. They were doing their own thing and not copying Harley. Performance baggers and performance cruisers is where it’s at. Victory was in that direction. I’ll keep my Harley.
The problem was that they were selling a half dozen Indian bikes to one Victory bike. The Victory was a great modern bullet-proof bike, but Harley riders (most) did not care for a modern looking bike. They preferred (and I do to) classic styling.
Both those bikes are great, both of them have positives and negatives. There is only one but!!! Harley is from the beginning the same through whole history but current Indian it's a Polaris brand....of course nothing wrong with it but what if something happens and Polaris will pull the plug as they did with Victory?
ZetBe B polaris never made a profit from Victory motorcycles. Their profits are greatly increasing due to them buying the Indian brand. The only way i see it failing now is if people stop shopping for motorcycles, which is actually starting to happen. Right now it’s actually hitting Harley the hardest for the american brands
The great thing out of this is we have the choice between 2 American cruiser bikes manufacturers. Japanese are credible to do sports bikes or roadster but they will never have the pedigree to do cruisers. In my mind of I really want to taste what is a really Cruiser it needs to be Indian or HD. Cruisers = American.
The Harley dealer network is a definite advantage over Indian. But as a Moto Guzzi Eldorado owner I can only wish that our dealer network was as good as Indian's.
I notice he didn't mention the heat that comes off that exposed rear cylinder and the thigh cooking it does. the Indians don't look like a Harley clone they look like a metric copy that has been copied and tried to look more Americanized
I went to a Harley dealer to look at a street glide. The 19 chieftain is a total street glide ripoff as far as looks. I am 18 chieftain. Nothing against Harley’s but I love the dark horse and the way Indian does it. Not the 19 though. Harley’s cousin.
