You want big? Well, we'll give you big. Both these bikes are big, brash and very expensive. But are they any good or is it merely a case of size for the sake of it? Harry and Donovan pick one each and come to some surprising conclusions.
They left off the part of the conversation where the Indian rider bragged about the thunderstroke 111's 73 horsepower........ And the victory 106 laughed aloud with it's 92 horsepower.....calling the Indian cute.
I roll on a Victory Vision and it is very comfortable, with the same kind of electronic adjustable windscreen as the Indian. I also get many compliments on my Vision everywhere it goes. Too bad they discontinued Victory.
They are both Polaris bikes. I personally own the vic because I like the lines, the arlen ness designs. However I appreciate the indian style for sure.
Very nice to see international reviewers appreciating the quality of American bikes. I'd take either of these over the equivalent Harley. I really like the Indian, but probably the Chieftain over the Roadmaster.
I am not one to put any other motorcycle down, because I truly appreciate every motorcycle on the road. I love bikes, all kinds. I am more than satisfied with my purchased new $19,000 2015 Harley-Davidson FLHP Road King Police. The Police saddle is sprung meaning I have a second suspension under the seat that goes beyond the forks and adjustable air shocks in back. Also the seat height is much taller providing me with the safest view of the road, better than any other motorcycle in the world. I am eye-to eye with SUV's drivers and extended height pick up truck drivers and Jeeps and drivers. In fact I can see over almost every vehicle on the road. This allows me to read traffic much better. That is a real safety feature. No other bike has that. My friend has a Honda Gold Wing but on back roads he can't even keep up doing the speed limit because it gets to bumpy and spine jarring. Not my FLHP, the bike takes the hits but the sprung solo saddle seat isolates me. I'm 66 with neck and spine health issues so I appreciate a smooth ride. The full windshield comes off in 30 seconds and goes back on in less than 30 second, so I can cruise sans windshield whenever I wish too! The removable saddle bags are locking and hold everything I need. If I need to carry more there is a built in luggage rack. The floor boards are huge and the belt drive is a proven technology. The heel toe shifter works flawlessly and is also very relaxing to have. The motor has the power to move me in my seat at 60 mph in top gear, now that's power, especially since my bike is 825 lbs. The breaks are the best breaks that I have ever experienced, true one and two finger control with the most stopping power that I have ever felt. The machine holds every line on every road I ride on and I ride an awful lot on bumpy back roads that are full of twists and turns. Being one of Tour model's means the ground clearance is more than any other Harley-Davidson models. The floor boards are allowed to move up if ever I did scrape the pavement, which I doubt would ever happen judging from my experiences with the handling of my FLHP. Power wise I am sure my Hi Output 103 cu in. engine is on par with these two. I have a 6 speed transmission that has yet to miss a gear shift. Lastly no maintenance, or rather low maintenance because my engine uses hydraulic valve lifters, I never for the life of the motorcycle need to adjust the valve clearances. My FLHP came stock with ABS, Traction control and a 10 mph relief valve that allows you to use only one break the rear break to trim the motorcycle at parking lot speeds. A also have Fuel Injection, oil cooler, cruise control and a gas gauge. Big easy to read tachometer and speedometer too! Having a 6 gallon gas tank on a machine that gets between 45 and 47 mpg average fuel economy is also wonderful. Looks wise I love my Harley-Davidson FLHP! I have had about 14 new motorcycles in my life so I have a tremendous amount of experience. Last year at age 65 I decided to get my dream bike the one I wanted since my childhood back in 1956- a brand new Harley-Davidson Police Bike. I enjoy riding around on all roads and can go for hours at a time exploring the country. Next summer I plan on touring America on my Harley-Davidson and I know there are Harley-Davidson Dealers everywhere and I plan on stopping in on many of them and eating lunch at the outdoor picnicking tables that they provide for us riders out on Tour.
There are the big 3 which are: Harley/Victory/ & Indian. You can do vs this and vs that all day between the 3 and they all pull you over the road and through the wind. I am Harley guy mainly due to reputation and legacy and with the new M8 Harley its classic and complex but the technology and ease of caring of the bike ans service intervals with less moving parts goes to Victory with the brand being ahead of it time in caring for the bike even when its been puled from production.
The bike may weigh 750-800lbs but it doesn't feel like it. I sat on a few at Daytona Indian and the bikes actually felt pretty light and nimble. Very balanced.
Indian is now a modern day victory. It look like victory now. The only Indian I would get would be the vintage Indian chief. I remember I was going to get one. It cost 15k.the same as a roadkill. Now the Vintage Indian cost 37k. For that price I'll just get me a Harley-Davidson Road King. That's the model that Indian copied. People like the Vintage classic Indian look. But Polaris has her head up their ass and made it unreachable for common people. When Indian was made for the common people. At least the Vintage chief was. That's why Harley-Davidson will always outsell Indian motorcycles.
You should have compared the Vision to the Roadmaster. Both around the same size and weight. But if I have to choose between the Magnum or the Roadmaster it would have to be the magnum. Hard to beat the styling.
I own a Harley, but I was considering a Victory for my next bike (before they stopped making them). The fact that Harley put a cheap compensator on my last bike that needed to be changed every 6,000 miles really had me questioning their quality. They didn't fix it on the newer design, they just tried to route a little more oil on the crappy, weak compensator. The internals on the Victory are much better. Harley still wins on resale value due to their loyal following.
Harley may win on resale value but there are three times as many of them on the market than any other bike, so many are getting rid of them, I've only owned a café racer Harley, at idle it vibrated the hell out of everything and not until 30 may be 40 would that settle down and I have heard this complaint for ever but people love the sound and being vibrated to death. I've known guys who have owned nothing but Harley's and got to try a Goldwing, went to the dealer the next day and traded for a new one and they stated they never ever thought it would happen, they loved their Harley's, but no more. I love the sound, I don't own one now, I'm 66 with horrible back trouble from car accidents and have a Suzuki c90 that's too heavy, 800 Ibs, I need a lighter bike, I had to stop riding years back and haven't ridden in 25 years but want to again. I'm not real sure what to get, I was thinking of a Sportster 1200 Custom, used as I've worked on and ridden/owned so many bikes, mainly Goldwings and BMW's, my finances are so low that I can only afford older bikes, I love carburators and points.
Harley's are "me too" bikes. A lot of people buy them just to be a "Harley rider". Nothing against Harley, but they aren't in the motorcycle business anymore. They're in the "we'll make everyone think you're cooler" lifestyle business, imo
This was from the vog recall on 2014 and 2015 Vic's I received a call today about a safety issueon my Vegas. Appearently there is an issue with a machined surface in the crank case that could cause the motor to seize! I called my dealer and he said he knew about as much as I did. Victory has yet to come up with an inspection technique and a solution if the problem is found. My dealer said that he was told that it was something with the machining of the crank case casting. Either way, even the inspection is going to be a freaking nightmare! Pull the motor, tear down same all the way to the bottom, look for problem. Rebuild motor. We're finally coming into some nicer weather and my bike will spend a good deal of time at the dealer.
Should have been the Magnum vs Chieftain. I would like to see that review or for the two and the street glide have a 3 way fight. Might as well throw in the Vaquero and Road Glide in that face off as well
defilade 106 Looks like you were full of shit and probably still are. Victory went out of business and Polaris won't be making these Indians much longer. They already over produced them and are gonna have a hell of a time selling them all. Watch you will see.
Indian sales are up 20% this year. Harley is down 5.8%. Stick to the facts edit: overall motorcycle sales are down about 8% so Harley isn't exactly doing poorly, but the fact remains that Indian is truly excelling at this point in time
Last Rebel - Why do you feel the need to call people names and insult people just because their tastes differ rom your own? Every time i see a post from you its calling names or trying to insult or simply being a douche, exactly what point are you trying to make? Let's stick to the facts, Victory did not "go out of business", Polaris ceased operations to focus on a better name, its pointless to have 2 competing brands owned by the same company. Your claim that Polaris Indian might not be true Indians, fine, i will give you that as long as you admit that Harley's are not the original Harley's either. Harley has been bought and sold many time and has had many owners and some who had nothing to do with motorcycles and almost bankrupted the company. Harley is no more a Harley than Indian is an Indian, but both are good bikes and Polaris has done an EXCELLENT job with the Indian brand and i would guarantee you that if Hedstrom & Hendee were to come back today, they would be proud of what the Indian brand has become. Save your BS hate for another forum, Harley makes a decent bike and Indian is now on track to give Harley a real run for their money by offering a true alternative in big American cruisers. Will Harley sales drop, yes, will they lose market share, yes, but at what point will sales of Harley stabilize? not sure yet, will depend on when Harley starts to invest in R&D again. But 1 thing is for sure, Harley will lose market share to Indian. I am already seeing Indian's foot print growing in my riding group. There was a time when every bike in my riding group of 42 all had HD, in 2014 i was the 1st to dump my Road King and get a 2014 Indian Chief Vintage, in 2015 riding season, 2 more dumped their HD for Indian, in 2016, 4 more dumped HD for Indian and for the 2017 Indian, there now appears to be 13 Indian in the riding group of 42, does HD still have the largest share, yup, but 13 new bikes purchased at $30,000 each works out to $390,000 or 31% of the group is now Indian and still growing, this is just 1 riding group, there are thousands across North America, but there is certainly a change happening and HD better be ready for it. At the end of the day, us consumers win when Indian forces HD to start innovating again.
Good review, I would have like to see a more detailed comparison between the two. Also a little odd match up if I say. The victory was a street bagger while the Indian was the grand touring model. They both are beautiful bikes in person and the ride is just awesome. But a more better comparison should have been the victory cross country tour. Vs the roadmaster.. Both are grand tourers meant to take the rider complete comfort and style while gobbling up miles and miles with a smile on your face. Thanks again for sharing
MV Agusta neither one of these bikes are designed for that. They're not sport bikes. They're designed to get you down the long haul road in style and comfort.
The bottom ends are similar but the valve trains diverge. Victory uses overhead cams and Indian uses pushrods.. The geometry of the jug placement is a bit different.
+Paul Bahre The bottom ends are totally different. The Victory engine is overhead cam and the bottom end reflects that. The Indian's are very different to accommodate the push-rod style design. The transmissions are notably different merely by looking at the outside cases. I love it when people talk SHIT with no knowledge about what they are talking about.
There is a site that is selling the old Cushsman's sir, I used to have one, loved that thing, no I don't know the site address, I came across it by accident looking for old Norton's.
When my wife saw the new Indian bikes she was happy we got a Victory, Personally I hope the Indian fails and they bring back the Victory. When accelerating on to the highway or ripping through the turns on your favorite back road the view from the Indian and Harley are the same, my tail lights.
+Dazzle Rebel Rides As stated above, The Victory is faster. A high output 103 from Harley also out runs an Indian of similar weight. The Indians are so well balanced though and such a smooth ride. I own a Victory XC, but my next cruiser may be the Indian (If I can deal with the ball scorching heat from the engine in summer).
Thanks Polaris! you've done us over a barrel. If I have a crash and my Vic xc is a total loss, how do I replace it? Sure as hell won't ride that ugly Indian boat you call a motorcycle. the front fender looks like a belt cover off of farm equipment.
indian has some problems i know of a few who had issues with the road master and others the road master starts at higher then ultra limited and road glide limited and dealers are too far and few between... indian is my second choice to harley and there is no third i hope both company's do well it's easy for indian sales to increase they are still far behind harley i just bought the road glide limited... indian has to improve before i will buy one
You're doing comparables of a bagger and a Touring bike? You two do realize that don't you? Are you going next to compare a scout bobber to a cruiser? The bike you purchase is based on how you're going to ride and how far. But you have to compare apples to apples, Even in South Africa!
They are made by the same company and the new Indian's engine is basically the same as the Victory Engine. It looks retro but it's an all new modern unit contruction engine and tranny. I would say it just comes down to the look. If you like a more modern look then go with the Victory if you like the look and have the money then go with the Indian. For now I'll stick with my HD as I don't have money at this time for a new bike. If I was looking for a new bike that was a bargain I would look at the Victory.
+Paul Bahre Polaris is the parent company of both indian and victory yes, but these 2 bikes have no parts in common. the victory octane and indian scout are the only 2 over lapping models
Not the same at all. I have owned 3 Vics and just got a Springfield. Indians run push rods Vics don't. Very few if any of the parts are inter changeable.
Ok this is crap vs. Victory true comparable bike is the 2013 CORY NESS CROSS COUNTRY TOUR® $28,999. The Magnum should be vs the HD Street Glide Special or the Indian Chieftain. No trunks. This is a bagger vs a Touring Bike. Finally the liquid cooled HD Ultra Limited Vs the Indian Roadmaster is the correct line up. Both around $28K usd.
+BigBlue Glide I don't think their intention was to compare them as apples to apples. They did brush on the differences but also touched on each bikes merits and faults.
+diesel mutt88 I disagree its a "VS". Most VS are comparisons to help people decide what bike best fits their needs and generally comparable features and amenities of similar bikes, in similar price range, and similar intended use. They have a bike selling at $22.5K that intended for the cruiser market vs a $29K usd bike for touring. Might as well be a Honda Goldwing vs the Moto Guzzi California. But that's my 2 cents
BigBlue Glide If that's the way you take it that's your opinion. I just seen this video as promoting to individual type bikes with a little "rub" back and forth on the differences. I ride a Victory but appreciate the new Indians for what they are so I have no dog in this video fight. The Indian is supposed to be a 'premium' brand to the Victory's but there are still a lot of thing the Victory's still do better outside of the 'glitter'.
+diesel mutt88 I'm open on all bike manufactures...If you love it then its the bike for you. " Love is the feeling you get when you like something as much as your motorcycle." Most manufactures put out at least one bike I like. I'm disappointed with both Indian and Victory. The new victory octane puts the scout to shame and the Victory dumped the Ness line so the high end is gone. If the Roadmaster was like the newer HD ultra classic and ultra limited with liquid cooled I would have bought the Indian at Sturgis. So I do have a semi dog in the fight. I was looking for that video to compare the Rushmore Ultra Classic vs the Roadmaster. Keep the shinny side up...
+dbest1a Vlogs The Victory is not meant to be an Indian and the Indian is not meant to be a Victory. The difference in the fairings between the two is just fine. If you prefer one over the other then buy the one you prefer. Not everyone shares the same tastes.
+diesel mutt88 Yea I hear what your saying . Not taking anything away from the victory . Its just my thoughts on their Fairing. Now if they put the adjustable windshield in it, I could overlook the fairing.
+brianreynolds188 These bikes don't want to be Harley wannabes. If they did they would shake themselves apart, leak oil, puck their cam chain tensioners before 80k but sit in the garage and go to the bar on weekends where they rarely ever see 80k. Keep drinking the Koolaid.
There is nothing Indian about these bikes ! There Polaris with a few parts mainly the fenders that resemble a real Indian but there not a Indian by any stretch of the imagination.
