I bought mine a couple months ago. So far I feel that it is one of if not the best overall bike I have ever owned. I currently have 5 bikes including a gold wing. I have owned more than 30 bikes and have been riding about 50 years. This bike rides as good as the gold wing and seems to have as much power. Handles like a much smaller bike. Windshield works great electronics are really good. Folks that are complaining just have not ridden or have a different agenda.
An MPG/RANGE test would be nice to see. One of the biggest things I look for on a bike used primarily for highway is how far can it go between fuel ups.
Hey, love the content. So would be interesting to see riding in traffic, stop-go, filtering between lanes and rain weather protection. The usual stuff you would do if you commute daily on motorway - city. Also essential is gearing, clutch or quick shift semi auto and of course cruise control. How they all work. Would definitely be cool to see a few laps on the track !! even compare to a Gold wing and BMW 1600, Moto Guzzi 1400 etc.
I traded a new BMW 1600B for this bike. The BMW sat for 7 months due to a transmission recall right after I bought it, as the replacement gears weren't yet available. I was instructed not to ride it until it was repaired. During this time, the fuel pump crapped out. The bike had 100 miles on it, and BMW wouldn't warranty it "due to the low mileage". $750.00 repair. Just pissed me off enough to try this instead. I hope Polaris is a better company to deal with.
came from years/decades of high performance sport touring machines till I bought a 2019 Chieftain Ltd which I rode for a year then traded for my Challenger. I simply wanted better brakes, better handling and more power and the Challenger delivers. Went to a bagger as getting older I needed more comfort. Went Indian as my wife has a Scout and I was impressed with the bike. Got an excellent local endian dealer here in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This is the fourth bike in 10 years we've bought from them. Service department is excellent. All these things combined make the Challenger a real satisfying purchase.
I am excited to see that you guys are reviewing a big bike. I know it isn't your flavor as the younger generation prefer the smaller sportier bikes. But I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised and find out that yes this bike doesn't have sport bike performance but it isn't a slouch either.
Ever since I’ve been 20 I’ve been into motorcycles. I have always been the type that loves to ride for hours and hours at a time. You can do it on a sport bike but it won’t be comfortable. Because of that I’ve always been into cruisers. I’m 34 now and I can’t wait to take this for a spin.
I bought a 2020 one in the darkhorse flavor about 2 months ago. Added stage 1, taller windshield, extended reach seat and some other bling. Walking it in and out of parking spaces, feels heavy. Up to speed, she is so easy to throw around. Absolutely awesome bike.
@@thedgepath1 I'm 6'4". I installed a freedom shields 13" windshield. Wind management is great when its up and the vents are closed. Indian is doing demo rides again, check with local dealer and go ride one.
I recently test rode a challenger limited and a roadmaster limited. Fun bikes for sure. After all the rave reviews I guess I was expecting more from the challenger. It was not that fast and it ran rough, like it needed a good tune. I did ride well fit me better than I thought. The stock stereo on both were not good. The infotainment screen was shaking around on the roadmaster. I did like the clutch and suspension on both. My 2017 ultra has a stage 2 kit so it is dialed in good. Both bikes would be fine with exhaust, air and tuned
Nice little review. I think this bike is what Victory would have made if it was not discontinued. BTW my Cross Roads came with inverted forks and it does help handling tremendously.
This really has my attention for my next bike. I'm between it the road glide and a vaquero. But starting to lean closer to the challenger and road glide.
i have a 2020 Indian challenger, i love the bike it has surpassed all of the Harleys i have owned, and FYI my wife actually prefers the back of my challenger then my 16 ultra glide. she has said that she has more room on my challenger then my Harley.
Some of the other bikes in this category have some sort of girder fork. At this point, I go for an extra wheel. You get performance and reverse. I like the style though.
Don’t really think an MPG test is really all that important to people buying these bikes. The majority of people who seem to buy these bikes are concerned about all day comfort and customization.
I would disagree. All day comfort is important but so is range. When you are riding all day and comfortable you don’t want to have to stop every 150 miles for fuel.
@@lp6wo I have 11,000 miles on my Challenger and MPG is between 190 @85 MpH and 230 if you keep it under 70mph. But this a power Bagger and most are buying to have the best of both worlds. Rip around town and go long distances.
MPG correct, range however very important, especially this class. Every time your softail or sport bike buddy wants to join the cruiser ride, they’re the limiting factor & have to flag you down for gas
I tried one out and it felt smaller and more compact than I expected. But to be fair I had just ridden the 100 miles down there on a Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 which is a huge bike. It makes everything feel small lol. But challenger was a cool bike for sure! I would have to find a way to lower the floor boards or something. All the Indians feel like floor boards are to high for me
Nicely done. Great information. Sadly the big bikes, including Harley and Indian are tied to a customer base that is disappearing. These will become increasingly rare in the future.
Forget the mpg's and just ride the damn thing. How does it handle in different situations/speeds/etc. How does it hold up? Reliable when you just passed that sign that says next gas 200miles? Looking forward to the vids.
I like how easy the oil changes are on that bike. Unlike a Harley Davidson the Challenger is a complete oil change maintenance bike with gear drive everything.
If you're going to have a passenger with ya for more then a few miles. Get them a decently tall sissy bar at minimum. I've always felt that having the passenger hold on to the rider is the safest way. They're more likely to move more fluidly with ya. Loading and unload a passenger. Do it on the kickstand. Rider mounts first, passenger mounts second. If you can't safely lift it off or set it back down on the kickstand with the passenger on. You shouldn't be riding with a passenger. That's a way to know if your setup is safe for you. Loading, unloading, mounting, dismounting passengers. Do it all on the kickstand, it's far safer and more stable then trying to do it all balancing upright. The kickstand, or Jiffy Stand for HOGS, can more then take the abuse.
I definitely want one,currently have a 2015 Scout,would love to hear how it is for a passenger,my wife won’t go far on the Scout,also I live in Ohio and want something I can ride to Sturgis this summer 1300 miles,was going with Chieftain until these came out
Great Video, Thanks. BTW, is that the air cleaner box on the right side of the bike? Or is the air cleaner under the gas tank like the Victory Motorcycles?
Kace, chain, shaft or belt? Water or air? It's interesting that for a V twin it doesn't sound any where as lumpy as a HD. I would be really worried about all that plastic after the first dump. It looks very expensive to replace all those geegaws. What's the warranty on this thing? BTW, does anyone have experience with Polaris quality lately?
I’ve had an Indian Scout for the last year and love it. If I could afford two bikes, I would keep it. I’m trading it for a Challenger this coming weekend. Indian has me coming back, I think this will be my last bike for a long time.
I’ve had a vintage a roadmaster and now a challenger, I thought it was pig ugly when I first saw it but it is without doubt the best bike I’ve ever had
It doesn’t stock but you can get them. I’ve been doing break in miles on my new challenger all week in high 30’s low 40’s with basic non-perforated leather gloves on and I’ve rode for a few hrs at a time with no issues. The fairing does a real good job of directing wind.
So you get a performance bagger but your dude says he won't put it in the track? That's pathetic. I'd like to see this in the hills of Tennessee, VA and NC. On the Dragon and the likes. Not just the highway. Hell, we ride these bikes long distance to these destination bucket list rides. Use it for what it's built for. Otherwise it's another boring highway, neighborhood test ride like any other channel.
I've been waiting forever to get my Road Glide Limited, but still nothing in site. Considering the Challenger. Are they having same problems as Harley Davidson with deliveries?
I just bought a 2021 Challenger. I am 5'7" and 31" inseam and it fits me perfectly. I can have both feet flat on the ground when stopped with my knees slightly bent. I traded in a 2017 Roadglide for this and I can tell you it "feels" shorter. I don't think it is, I think its just the narrower seat.
We need to see it perform on the yak farm lol Seriously though get a helmet gopro vlog set-up and do real time test-drives. And get full safety gear because the motorcycle guys are brutal.
Indian won King of the Bagger? But if the only competition was Harley, what have you actually accomplished :-D Those race bikes are HEAVILY modified and have very little in common with production bikes, I don't find that impressive, I mean anything can be modified to go fast. What's more impressive is an actual big touring production bike that goes fast... BMW K1600.
Not this bike, but check this out! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dn-kyW3I4PU.html Start at 9:00, this guy goes NUTS on a touring bike!
Much different machine than a road glide. That engine is a completely different animal than anything HD puts in a big cruiser. Would love to see them do a comparison to a HD Milwaukee to show the differences. Similar styling maybe but completely different machine.
@@jamesonpace726 lol as I said, which you didn’t refute at all, total rip off, there other bagger is just as bad, obscene rip off of the street glide, even has the same vent in the fairing...
Wow, see guys.... not all motorcycles have to have exhaust you can hear in the next county. If you think thats cool, you really need to watch that episode of southpark lol.
@@lunathewolf3346 sure, but I see like a hundred Chargers and Challengers a day and one or none have loud exhaust. On a nice sunny day I might see 40 bikes and maybe five of them aren't annoyingly loud. I know, I know, it's for safety......... Lol yeah. By the way, when you run into a charger or Mustang or a challenger or a Camaro that's freakishly loud, the South Park episode still applies.
I was interested which one of you guys going to test this, when seen Roman's video. It's definitely not something that either one of you young guys would ride. 😆 That back seat is pleanty for any ladies, they will snug up to you anyways.
@Air Force Juan Not me. I don't have a problem with it. Seems more like you do. I think this is the ugliest bike ever made. Just my opinion. If you like it then that's fine.
How is this a "muscle car" of a bike? Honda Goldwing... more hp, tq, and weighs less. BMW 1250RT.. more hp, tq, and weighs less. BMW K1600... way more hp, more tq, and weighs less.
G,....I agree 100%. I test rode the Challenger while owning a 2019 Gold Wing Tour. It is comparable in acceleration to the Gold Wing. The Challenger weighs more and is not as stable on the highway as the Wing. Slow speed maneuvering such as a parking lot is much better on the Wing. As far as the BMW's, I own a 1250 RT and a K1600 GA, the Challenger doesn't stand a chance in the handling or power department against either. I have to say the main riders impressed with the Indian are HD riders .
The valve cover and most of the chrome looks cheap and plasticky. The performance of the bike is great but for the money, I want a better fit and finish. Horsepower and torque is not everything in a touring bike JMO
What would be your suggestion then? Make every single piece out of steel and end up with a 1500lb motorcycle? I would also say that you could put two bikes side by side one with chrome plated steel trim and the other with chrome plated cast aluminum or even plastic trim components and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. It would literally look identical, bunch of shiny chrome pieces. All modern bikes have a bunch of “Tupperware” on them, it’s just where we’re at these days. Some doll it up with chrome, some with paint, some don’t use a finish at all, but it’s there and it ain’t going away.
@@motoGPness I guess you are easier to please because most of us can tell a difference in your "side by side" comparison. Harley doesn't use plastic chrome and uses steel fenders and doesn't weigh 1500 lbs. I am not comparing the two brands. I have seen better quality chrome plastic, and cast aluminum from other manufactures such as Yamaha, Honda, and Kawasaki to name a few but when we spend 20k plus for a bike, i would expect better quality IMHO
@@HDR20 $20k lol! These big baggers are closer to 30 these days. So what’s the answer? You say you’d expect better quality. What does that mean? Who makes a bike that would meet your standards right now?
@@HDR20 I guess we agree to disagree at this point. I’m not seeing any difference in chrome trim on the challenger vs any of the brands you mentioned. Nor fit and finish. The only thing I can see out of those 3 is that Harley does way better paint than Indian hands down. Thicker, harder clear coat. Valve covers!? Really!? I mean they’re metal and the chrome is shiny and silver, you know...like chrome. I honestly just shopped all three bikes (Challenger, Goldwing, Road Glide) The RG special was the same price, but needed an extra stage kit and probably $1k in stereo upgrades and $2k in suspension work just to get on the same planet. The wing looks like a giant moped, cluttered info system, tiny bags. The BMW looks hideous, needs an upgrade for GPS, sound system is trash, tiny bags, a ton of stability complaints from turbulent wind at highway speeds as well as transmission issues. The challenger now sits in my garage. It was the best bagger for the money right now. Everyone has their flavor, but the “chrome looks cheap and plasticky” ? Looks smooth and shiny and silver, like every other chromed item on every other bike out there. You can tell the difference huh? It’s more shiny, more silvery on the beemer eh? Ok bud!
to much computer garbage!!!!! i usey computer at the desk, when i ride i ride!!!! how much is a challenger without all that crap? I dont want Bay City Roller socks with mine either!!!!!!!
