Picking mine up tomorrow, Ruby Smoke, so STOKED! The FTR needed a driveway companion ;) Got the stage 2, Freedom 2-1 exhaust, forward controls, premium passenger seat & pegs. Should be able to enjoy some longer rides in comfort compared to my sporty FTR, I'm in Utah & we have all the mountain twisties anyone could ask for. I can ride my standard FTR all day but it does eventually cause the knees & back to squeak out in pain like the Tin Man, not exactly the kind of bike to do any traveling on. Indian is making sweet machines, they've earned my business with their aesthetics & performance & affordability. I guess everything seems more affordable after owning Ducatis lol.
@@Poptart_Az No, I am just used to riding with a backpack if I need to tote anything, my gf also rides with me a lot & she takes her backpack every time. Everything available is either overpriced $700+ for tiny bags or really chintzy so I'm going to wait before putting anything on until there are more options. Probably a necessity though if you're planning on doing cross country riding/camping.
And a slipper clutch! I think all 2023 Chiefs variants come with this, and not just the Sport. About saddlebags: I'm glad they don't come with them. Until Indian makes locking bags that come in classic leather, new style leather, and hard, then I don't want to extra cost on the price tag. Also, Indian bags (big brown leathers) will cost you nearly $1,100 before taxes). Ends Cuoio (premium Italian) with locks will cost less!
The slipper clutch is a nice touch. I bought a leftover '22 in Alumina Jade, but I had two friends order new 23's (I handed my allocation . There's definitely a small but nice improvement between the clutches. Slow maneuvers are better with the new clutch design, and lever "feel" is about 20% lighter. Downshifting is also smoother and feels much more like a newer generation Japanese motorcycle.
The ride modes will change when you let off the throttle. You don’t have to come to a stop. Haven’t ridden this version of the Chief but I’ve rented the chief Bobber multiple times and this is the same bike with changes to the suspension, handlebars, fairing and a slightly shorter rake. Everything else is identical. Great bikes, I love ‘em.
I test rode this bike at a local demo days this weekend. I’m a 5’3” female and I found this bike to be very fun to ride. I could touch the ground with no problem. I did test ride 2 versions of these. The first one had the 6 inch riser and smaller windscreen. I really liked how it handled on the curves. It is very easy to handle and lean. It has a really nice balanced feeling that makes it fun to ride. I did not enjoy the leaning forward that also made my small back start to hurt. I would like if it had a few more inches in the handle bars that could be rotated back so that I was not as hunched over. I also had my right leg touch the heat guard, but I don’t have the longer legs to make my stance wider. And lastly, the standard air filter has a bolt that hit the inside of my left knee every time I shifted. It quickly became painful on the 30 min demo ride. When I got home later that day, I had a nice bruise from it. The next day I went back and rode the same bike but this one had the 10 riser, taller windscreen, and an after-market air filter. I loved the taller riser but I was still hunched over. I didn’t notice much difference in the windscreen. It had the same buffeting and didn’t deflect much air. I didn’t have any issues with the air filter because the aftermarket air filter didn’t touch my knee at all. I did experience the same twitchiness and vibration on the second ride. I think that was because it was in sport mode. All in all, I really enjoyed the ride but I would need to make a few modifications to make it even more enjoyable. I loved the power, smooth ride, and great breaking ability. I really loved the touch screen digital display. It was easy to see in the bright sunlight. I wish it had bags and I didn’t mind the seat. It was very pretty in the red. I also think this might not be the best for long distance touring. Thanks for your review and video. I enjoyed watching!
I hear you on the “unrelaxed sitting position. I seriously considered this bike but Indian doesn’t have bars that make it work. Either too small like the stock drag bars or too tall with too much sweep. Risers don’t address the issue for me. What I think it needs for me are relatively straight bars, minor sweep back, that have a 6” high bend so they can be rotated back about 2”- 4” to make the reach more relaxing for multi-hour riding.
I don’t know what bike you were riding but the sport chief I rode went down the road like a Cadillac with factory fox shocks. The seat was slightly stiff but not that bad. I watch tons of your videos and you always seem to side with the Indian during comparisons but continue to spend your own money on HD. I can’t figure out if you are just padding your review so American Biker will continue to let you ride or what the deal is. Every Indian I’ve ridden seems to be superior to the HD counter part and not by any small margin.
Anyone know what RPM the engine is at cruising speeds on the highway? My scout rogue screams along on 3450rpm and I'm over it in an hour, hoping this bike chugs along around 2800rpm or under?
I have the scout bobber, but it feels small, so I want to upgrade. Looking at the sport chief and it seems to tick all the boxes for me, except the top speed and HP. Apparently it's lower in both regards to the scout. Found this surprising for a bigger bike. So that seems like a deal breaker for me because I want something actually faster than my scout. I test rode the challenger yesterday thinking that I would love it, but after the ride, I wasn't in love with it. The throttle had too much play and changing gears felt too clunky. Looking ahead, I felt like I see more bike than road and it just felt a little too bulky. But the stereo and speakers were amazing. Also the challenger was an absolute beast. Got on the freeway and hit 90 mph within seconds and she had plenty of power to go. Smooth too. I wish the sport chief was faster but I'm going to test ride the chieftan over the weekend and see how that goes.
Iam 5'9 do you think I should upgrade to This bike from my indian scout bobber twenty in terms of esthetic and looks and overall? How does it compare against the scout?
These are not comparable bikes; they are very different experiences. The Scout is faster than the Chief, but the Chief is a much more refined ride overall. I've had both, love both, currently own a Chief DH. Don't consider it "upgrading" moreso... changing your focus on your intended use. Think of it like changing from a Camaro SS to a Subaru WRX; both very capable cars but very different visions of purpose.
The floating front rotors is the first reason not to want to buy it. Those bobbins wear out and then you get to buy a pair of new expensive rotors which you otherwise would not have to, if you can find them, and it will likely be at an expensive price. I had to do it twice on my BMW. I really don't understand the reason for floating rotors except that as they rattle around, and move left and right, they would force the calipers to retract a bit more than usual, and maybe it's for that reason. However quality calipers shouldn't drag anyway, so it looks to me to be a way of trying to fix a problem that shouldn't have been there in the first place. Other than that, I have no idea what their purpose would be. Do you really want to hear your brake rotors rattle on every bump? I never did. Don't expect them to remain quiet. Those bobbins do wear. Mine were made of aluminum, not steel. I guess the idea was to replace only the bobbins, but BMW discontinued them.
Almost 20 grand on this? You kidding, right? $3.5k will get me a 2002 Honda Magna that's gonna run circles around your Chief, and a big smile on my face. Food for thought.
Nice looking bike but I don’t like the reach to the drag bar. With the foot positions the reach didn’t make for a comfortable position for me. I guess if I had monkey arms it wouldn’t be an issue. However the biggest problem with the bike for me was the $2,500 bullshit up charges that the dealer added to MSRP and that’s before sales tax.
You can use the toggle buttons on the bars as well to scroll and change things , you don’t have to use the touch screen , I’ve got 1200miles now on mine love it !!
Disappointed that your road test didn't include some twisties. A road test by another RU-vid channel showed how easily the pegs hit the pavement, and the next component to touch down was the exhaust system. It is certainly not a "Sport" bike for sure. My next new bike will not be this one, but am stil considering the Lowrider ST.
The real question is. Is this, or is it NOT the very BEST Harley Davidson you've ever ridden? I'm the rare Millennial Harley Davidson fanboy, and I definitely think it is. Sons of Anarchy look, with Sons of Accounting reliability. Tell me I'm wrong?
Is it really the ultimate when the Lowrider S 117 makes 12 more horse power at the rear wheel? Indian's TS is in dire need of a 8 valve setup. I don't think a stock roadwarrior fairing, and an LCD nav system that's easily replaced by google maps on my phone is really a big boon over losing 12hp and the very large range of customization options.
I heard in a different RU-vid video that their is an option for a horse power upgrade. Not sure how much more HP or cost. Also that the Indian TH is a much smoother than the 117. But in reality, neither is a good canyon carver.
@@johnpflug1567 Yes there's an HP upgrade for the TS, but Harley+aftermarket has dozens options. The Stage 2 kit from Indian is 850$ The stage 2 kit from Harley is 435$ last time I checked. You have to have a very special tool to swap the cams on a TS116 Engine and have the dealership do a retune, you dont need any special tools to do a cam swap for a harley M8, and you can buy the tuner and flash it yourself. Or buy an aftermarket tuner. Indian's TS really needs an upgrade.
@@HK45Mark23 Yeah? Well I can get a 128 Bigbore kit from FuelMoto USA for $840, and install it without pulling the engine out of the frame. And that big bore kit from Llyods requires you to machine the case to spec, harley bigbore kits dont. HD can go up to 135ci without boring the cases now.
I know you sped up that screen shot on purpose, Sad how slow that interface is..That puppy using an Intel Pentium 2?!! Comon Indian. Time for a software update.
I think I like some of these new bikes UNTIL the review gets to all the tech crap, screens, ride modes, ect. That's where I start to lose interest. Nothing against the reviewer just the bikes themselves. Then they drop the MSRP and I lose all interest altogether.
Dude you have a 116 engine and you say it's not for long rides? Is the harley equivalent for long rides.? I'm not getting it? If your talking about comfort that can be addressed, it shouldn't have to be on a bike like this but surely everything is not harley.. Thanks for the review.
