Although I just got mine 3 days ago and only 150 miles on it so far, I just love it. Got a sweet deal on it. A 2016 model but with the 2017 Steel Grey over Burgundy Metallic color scheme. Absolutely gorgeous looking. Traded up my 2014 Vstar 1300. Plan on having this for many years to come. BTW...great video.
Thanks loved the review. I sorry we have just bought a brand new Springfield in the USA. These bikes are works of art. My other ride is a 2012 BMW R1200R Classic which is a different work of art. And yes we ride ... seriously Australia Indonesia Vietnam and so on... love it, love bikes And the people.
I test rode some Indians at their demo day yesterday from this same dealer in Olathe and had a ball! I started with the Scout 60, Scout, Chief Vintage, then Chief Springfield and I loved that Springfield! I'm 5'6" 145 lbs and had no trouble flat-footing both sides at the same time, or maneuvering it around at all. We took a different route out of the dealership and were running about 25mph for the first 1/2 mile or so, so I just dropped it in 6th and literally let it idle around in 6th gear! It had plenty of power and felt very solid and planted everywhere. I would absolutely love to have a Springfield for cross-country touring stuff for sure!
Hey KC... "responding to your comments in the video". Yes, cruisers are super cool. i demo' ed a Chieftain, a Roadmaster and a Springfield. I've been riding Harleys since 82'. I'm glad to see some competition for HD. Indian & Victory.... go man go !!! Competition, that's part of what made this country GREAT! Freedom to compete for the market with sometimes different, and often better ideas! Harley is already answering the call to compete. Look at the new 2017 Touring bikes, Milwaukee 8 engine, lots of new ideas. And last of all... "Yes they are all too expensive". Thanks for the video. Hope you enjoyed the ride. Keep the shiny side up!
Great video, thanks for that. I've just purchased the new Indian Chief Vintage, and it drives like a dream, so I can see where you are coming from. I also use engine breaking most of the time. Cheers, from New Zealand.
Awesome! I love the idea of a sidecar. Hannigan's Heritage sidecar would look pretty good. If you decide to go that route, let me know, I'd love to see it.
I owned a harly Road King for years, Very nice bike, Thought I would try an Indian, so in the spring of 2019 I purchased a new Indian Springfield, been very happy with it, one thing i did notice, the ride was much smoother then the harly, I think both bikes are great but i think i am happier with the Indiana Springfield
I was testing out a 2024 Indian Springfield and I liked it alot but wanted to try the 2024 Harley Road King Special and was blown away by how comfortable, smooth and light the Road King felt. I really wanted chrome finishes but the Road King was just perfect for me.
They delivered my 2017 Indian Vintage blue/Cream. Took it for a test ride, the biker is heavy so don't just stop it's easier to down shift then use your front brake down to the stop light. I know there are higher priced bikes but got the one I can afford. The bike is so quiet the sound is mellow, not that annoying blast like Harley has. I'm happy, thanks for the demo, Gary
Thanks for the informative review. I'm a big twin cruiser guy so I like the low end power, ride quality and yes, the engine breaking. I think the Indian styling is one you either love or hate. I'm not into it but to each his own.
it goes up to 200, because it can show in mph, and in km/h. In km/h mode the needle sweeps bigger area. So 200 km/h its like 125 mph. Just would be weird having the speedometer at the 3 o clock position when you're in km/h mode, and driving 110 km/h :)
Currently own a 17 roadking. I rode a 18 Springfield last week. Experienced the helmet buffeting on the interstate that you mentioned in your video. The Springfield was a excellent cruiser on two lane highways, but fell kind of short compared to the 17 roadking on the interstate. The throttle kind of lagged above 75 mph & the torque curve was limited above 3000 rpm. Overall it was comparable in certain aspects to my roadking. I'm 6ft tall & the seat put me to close to the fuel tank, which resulted in feeling a little cramped for the riding position.
Many times when I start out on my bike (Springfield) when it's cool, the rear pressure will read 36-37 psi. Once the tires warm-up the pressure will be around 40 psi. The recommended rear tire pressure is 41 psi on all the 2014-18 Chief series bikes. I usually keep my cold inflation at 40 psi, and when the tire gets warmed up it's usually around 45 psi.
Definitely gotta see if there's an Indian/Victory/Triumph dealer around where I live, see if they do Demo-Days. God I would love to take one of these Springfields for a ride. See if its worth saving my pennies for.
I encourage you to find a demo day, I think it will solidify your plan. Even if you can't find a demo day stop by and tell them you're interested in test riding the springfield. When you're finished simply tell them you're going to look at a couple other bikes (i.e. Road King, Bonneville, etc.) to get a feel for what you want. They'll respect an informed and respectful customer.
Thanks for the info! I absolutely -love- the Indian bike's classic look, and I feel the Springfield best suits the old styling mixed with new. I've sat on a scout and felt way to big for it, I'm 6'3" tall, so I think the Springfield might be a bit better fit. Once again, thanks! I'll take a peek around to see what's out there.
LOL... You're right, but I have had my Stage 2 Springfield at 120+ and still pulling. I was just trying it out, and I do not make it a habit. I agree with your 90 mph comment.
Good review, many thanks. Fantastic bike. And I was glad to hear that a person of your height and weight felt comfortable, because we are the same size.
Springfield has a chance to wobble at high speed. Indian and Dunlop have agreed that the Dunlop Elite 3 front tire should be set to 46 PSI cold. This stiffens the side wall.
I’m thinking about a Springfield or a chieftain love the two tone paint and chrome. I ACTUALLY was considering a new gold wing but it’s going to be a hard decision! Not crazy for Harley Davidson but definitely may go Indian !
I have a 2016 dark horse. They smell like burning melting plastic. Don't know when that will stop. Bike pulls hard and has great handling and acceleration. I bought the fuel gauge that didn't come standard. $200. Installed it myself, easy to do, no way to mess it up. At night, the speedometer gauge lights up with a red background. The $200 gauge, lights up, goes off, lights up, goes off. Great waste of $200. Not sure about warranty on it. Also Fredericksburg Indian claimed that if I bought the part online from Indian that it would be shipped to them in Fredericksburg and I'd have to pick it up there anyways. Total lie. Fredericksburg is 2 hours away from where I live and they thought they would be cute about this purchase.
On my 2nd Indian now. I have a Springfield now. I'm glad I've made this selection. Before delivery I had the dealer upgrade to Stage 2 cams, unrestricted head pipes, Rush 4" slip-on pipes, and the Stage 1 air cleaner. This bike handles great especially for a bike that weighs greater than 800 lbs. The torque and power is overkill to say the least, and it sounds way better than any Harley I've had. Polaris did it right, and ran their own company (Victory) out of business.
Just sat on one of these and a Chieftain at the dealer the other day. I'm in lust! They wanted me to ride them but I turned down the offer, don't want to buy a bike until later this year. The only problem with Indian I have is I hear they run nuclear hot and there is only one dealer anywhere near me. I know Harley really worked hard on the heat issue with the new Milwaukee 8 and I have a good independent shop that works on my Night Train just a couple of miles away. Still, I'll not buy a Road or Street Glide or a Road King until I ride the Indians.
The catalytic converters are known for being a bit warm. You don't notice the heat at speed, only in stop and go traffic. You can put true dual headers on to reduce the heat.
Good video, my girl and I are looking at the Springfields... She is concerned about the weight being able to hold it up... We will be participating in Indian's demo ride June 10-13th here shortly... In my opinion Indian's are more pleasing to the eye. No offense but Harley's are a dim a dozen. They all look about the same and they're so many out there. Indian's however are not flooding the road thus more unique. That's the appeal for me... Thanks again for the video...
Thanks Robert! When it comes to weight of the bike, the key is knowing lean angles at a stand still. Keep it upright and your fine. It's a well balanced bike and rides accordingly. I wanted one, but my wife decided to get her license and a Scout. So I went with the solo seat Chietain Dark Horse. I should have a review/reveal video up in the next week or so. You might want to wait six months to see when Indian is going to release new color options for the Springfield. Cheers Robert, and good riding.
Glad to hear you're taking advantage of the demo ride. Get there early and enjoy the riding. Like any bike they all have a tipping point at a stand still. I've ridden sport bikes my entire life until recently, so I've doubled my bikes weight and don't find it difficult to keep up right. When your first learning to come to stops, use both feet on the ground. I find I'm using just as much tire on my cruiser as I did on my sport bikes, but it's taken me 5k miles to get to that point. Again, enjoy the ride, I'm sure you'll like the Springfield and thanks for watching.
I'm an Indian owner (love it), but Harley isn't dead. By having competition only make Harley's engineers work harder to compete. If you notice... Harley has new bike models in the show room already.
Nice, wish you would have given more of a walk around at the beginning Did this bike have either the heated seat or grips? Also you said you we're what. 5'-6"? What kind of a stance did you have when stopped? I'm 6'-"3 and wondering if it's going to feel higher than my Yamaha. I'm so ready to evolve above and beyond my V-star 950.
I'm 5'8". The Indians actually stand higher than a harley, but its the seat height that is remarkable. I flat foot with a little room to spare. At your 6'3" height this bike would be just fine. I haven't ridden the Yamaha V-Star line, but I have ridden the Kawasaki, Harley, and Indian cruisers. I feel the Indian line had the best seating of them all, Kawasaki coming in a close 2nd for my height.
kcmoto awesome! Thanks for the reply. I took a test ride on a HD Street Glide police special 107 and it felt taller and skinnier compared to my 950 but the power rolling off that Milwaukee 8 and 6 speed transmission was absolutely phenomenal. my nearest Indian dealership is almost 40 miles away in Auburn, California whereas I have 3 Yamaha dealerships in the Sacramento area. sucks.
I've heard the new balancing and added power to the Milwaukee Eight is remarkable. I have a couple of close friends that ride Harley and I'm hoping one of them trades in for the new engine. As of right now my wife's Scout(stock) beats all of us (chieftain moded, sportster moded, street bob moded).
Nothing worse then a sports bike rider reviewing or riding a cruiser shifting it hard as hell like he's on a GSXR! I despise it but great review exclamation
Same thing for me, man. I ride an '85 Nighthawk 650 and that motor screams past 10,000 rpm! It's got plenty of power for the highway, but at the same time, it's wound up at 5,000 on the highway at 75. I test rode some Indians yesterday (including the Springfield) and it's suuuper relaxed compared to that I4 in my NH. Definitely MUCH better suited for long rides than my NH!
I honestly enjoy the ride quality of the Springfield more. The suspension on the Indian absorbs bumps better and I didn't feel I needed to rev the Indian as hard to get it going. To get a color other than black on the Harley you'll spend another $450 vs $550 on the Indian (Indian offers red as a second option the Harley offers red, silver and blue as secondary options. The Indian comes standard with ABS, that's a $795 option on the harley. So lets compare at what Indian offers as a base. Indian: 111ci engine, black paint, ABS and hard locking bags, 4.5" rear travel-air shocks, $20,999; Harley: 103ci engine, black paint, ABS, hard locking bags, 3" rear travel-air shocks, $19,544. So it really comes down to the bike you like most, I happen to enjoy the aesthetics and torque of the Indian more.
Engine braking is commonly used in all combustion engines to help slow the vehicle. When your in the mountains and you want slow deceleration, you drop down a gear and use engine braking so you don't overheat your brakes and lose control. Thanks for watching.
