74 hp? Needs a little help. I'll stay with my Low Rider S 117. LRS is better looking, especially the engine, and has everything I wanted in a big cruiser.Just wish it had a long fender like my '79 FXEF. Even got 49 mpg riding 2 up in the mountains. Love this bike.
If you compare Cycleworld dyno sheets, the Harley 117 only makes more power and torque above 4300rpm. The indian 116 makes pretty much the same power and torque up until that point. If you aren't revving your Harley 117 past 4300rpm on a regular basis, then its the same grunt you'd get from the Indian 116
@@FrankBonessa I have a 2022 FXLRST, I couldn’t believe it I got 52 mpg riding through northern Arizona a few weeks back, I had to check it with my buddy and sure enough 52 mpg.
@@NicePantsLanceSo, if I don’t actually ride the bike, and barely twist the throttle, they make the same power. Is that the argument you really wanted to make brotha? Haha enjoy
I ride a 2022 FXLRST and the mids don’t bother me at all. I rode baggers for years with floor boards never again for my riding. I am 5’11” tall, yes it felt cramped at first but now I love them.
Agreed. I have a 32" inseam and prefer the mids as well. An aftermarket seat helped a little too, but I don't get the complaints. Likely it's those who have been doing the barcalounger position for years.
@@nicksavich7970 I really think the mids put you in more of an aggressive riding position, ready to make quick second adjustments faster. Also after a long ride I am less fatigued than when I had forward controls on my old roadglide.
Indian has plenty of performance options as well. Big bore kits, cams, throttle bodies, supercharger kits, intakes, exhausts, etc. You can make 130whp with the 116 thunderstroke without going big bore, and now theres even a 131ci Indian big bore kit!
Test rode the Sport Chief today and was not as impressed as I was expecting. Like they said, it's vibey. Preferred the new Sport Scout. Way better engine. Now wait until Indian puts their water-cooled Power Plus engine in it... No contest on power.
I have a 2023 sports chief with 14,000 miles on it and I love this bike so far but I do have some aftermarket parts on it The front is 2 inch lifted. and upgrade the cams and two to one exhaust
Harley tester talked about the engine! Indian tester , in response, didn’t say anything - rubber mounted? Solid mounted ? Counter balancers ? No counter balancers ? I guess it doesn’t matter much - looks like Indian lost everywhere anyway 🤔
I have the old version of the FXLRS with the 114. It’s a killer bike! I do wish I had the 117, but I have never needed the extra inch of lean angle. I’m sure the Sport Chief is a great bike, but I prefer the Harley styling. I like the engine design and just the overall aesthetic of the LRS. You probably can’t go wrong either way.
I guess this is the first test between Indian Motorcycle and Harley-Davidson, where Indian actually loses... On objective criteria. Hats off to Harley-Davidson. Anyway, when it comes to aesthetics... I prefer Indian Motorcycle. Well done guys!
Very interesting conclusions. I own the 2023 Sport Chief & my friend has the 2023 Lowrider S & we agree after riding both that the Indian is slightly better in almost every single way, even in torque & power so I'm not sure the numbers are accurate at the wheel. The reality is they are extremely similar bikes & both well made motorcycles & I guess the rider experience is too subjective to bank on. DEFINITELY go test ride both before buying either to see for yourself, and remember that things like stock seats & pipes are RARELY what you end up with, unless you live in Commiefornia.
Been riding for 30 plus years. Test rode both of these and also the Indian 101 sport chief. I’ve had many different motorcycles and have a few I keep. The low rider S is hands down the most fun and better motorcycle. Like you said - they’ve have more time to test and develop the low rider S. The low rider model itself, how long has it been around? Harley Davidson is the king here and although Indian is great at imitation it can’t beat the HD.
The M8 Softail platform is honestly a full generation ahead of Indians Chief platform. From the performance, refinement, quality and riding pleasure. I cross shopped both these exact bikes earlier this year. Took them both on an extensive test ride on the same day. Had no bias going into it, never owned either brands bikes before. I bought the Harley Low Rider S that day. Indian makes some great bikes, but the Chief lineup needs a shakeup. The Scout lineup and FTR are amazing though.
That's weird because the Chief won the Big Twins Cup race on thay same chassis, beating out an entire field of Harleys. Harley also loses to Indian in flat track, king of the baggers and endlessly in Super Hooligans. Across the board, Indian is dominating in racing with nearly all their chassis. Harley on does well in King of the Bagger, due to a very skilled rider they have.
@user-eq4ne1xv5d lol nah spent about 7k in total that's with suspension and everything it absolutely rips tho been riding it for 7 years but the last year or so I haven't rode as much as I'd like to I'm honestly debating on selling it and getting back on the dirt and getting another 450 motocross bike a new Honda or Yamaha 450 but I hate to sell the dyna best street bike I've ever had. But im definitely dying to get back to moto and at the moment Definitely don't have the funds to have both so I'm not sure what I wanna do
You buy a Harley. You disassemble half of it. You buy a whole Japanese bike price worth of performance upgrades. You install them. You get the power it should have had from factory.
I'm so conflicted between these two bikes. Looking to purchase a bike in the upcoming months and it's a really rough decision. Leaning more towards the LRS because of dealer network and potential resell value
If you can find a LRS for msrp then get it. Most can’t. I don’t think the sport chief is that far behind and at least it’s available with fair pricing. Throw a set of 585 cams and a 2-1 exhaust on the Indian and I guarantee you it’ll mop the floor with that Harley.
I have a 2023 Sport Chief, and I do not have the issues that they speak of with the throttle or vibration. I do appreciate the fact that these Indians feel more balanced and lighter compared to other motorcycles of the same weight that I have ridden. I did put forward controls on due to my bad knees not being comfortable with the mid-controls.
I never understood the new Chief line up, it feels low effort as if the bean counters had more input than the engineers. I do like their instrumentation but that does not make up for the rest of it. I remember when they first came out and many were a bit annoyed at the shock setup and it seemed a real step down from the Chieftain line. When it comes to the next size down, the Scout line up is just amazing as compared to Nightster and Sportster models
What you are saying makes no sence the dealers can't keep those bikes on the show room and barely to none in the use market. Those bike are well made and super simple to maintiain, they run super strong the Video is total BS from Harley guys putting down their main competitor!
Hahah that is like saying Indian should make cars and nothing on two wheels , maybe Harley Davidson should stop worrying about making pride glides and woke cycles I’ve had both Indian by far
@@deangelisstudio1 no not what I am saying. Look at Victory. They had their own style. It wasn’t carbon copies. I can look at an Indian and pick out the exact bike style they try copying. Go back into your own history and evolve something original. I think that would be way cooler.
@@AlexUllerifollowing the popular style of the time is what they are doing Victory made "chopper" styled bikes something Harley attempted and failed breakout etc. That was the trend 10-20yrs ago. Now it's club and baggers, just because Harley just kept making the same bikes with no updates other than ci doesn't mean everyone is copying them. If you put a victory next to a Indian the styling cues flow over. Do the fairings look similar of course there are only so many ways to keep them aerodynamic etc. Both companies have some learning, refining and the competition only makes it better for us as customers.
@AlexUlleri The only similarities of the two brands is they have two wheels, You can not change the dynamic of a motorcycle, Just like cars planes and trucks they always will have the same shit!
That Indian is on some sloth style, especially the heinous fairing. I've also not seen any on the road at all but then again all I ever see is baggers, HD or Indian. Harley cats where I'm at don't even buy the LRS much less than that a splurtchurf. Fuck a 1/4 mile time, 29° of lean? All that suspension and no height to use it, not that most would even push hard in the turns. Either way, atleast both companies are trying. With a handful of changes both scoots can be shredders.
I have owned a sport chieffor a uear now, and i have done 6 hour journeys with only one stop, and i have to say, the brakes are excellent, the suspension is spot on, i do not experience any vibration of any note, so all in i am not sure what this review was about, considering the comments.
Would rather have the low rider st version personally. Either way my 2011 dyna street bob has the 110 tire shredder on it making 106hp/122tq so there's ZERO reason for me to part with it for one of these two bikes.
Those Indian dyno numbers really surprised me. And helped make me feel more justified on my Harley purchase even though when I test drove the Indian in sport mode I thought it was faster because the throttle response in sport is crazy.😅 I like both bikes though. The Indians super nice And the triumph. It was hard for me to choose a bike, Harley was just so aggressive and desperate to sell one when I bought I went with them. It’s also the old school feel of the Harley that made me choose it. I actually didn’t like how easy the clutch pull is on the Indian or the triumph. Or the other controls for that matter.
@Rockybalboa541 Yes they have to flash it after you put it on that's part of the 350$ I'm talking about unless you have a tuner some of them allow you to activate it yourself and save more money. Best money I have ever invested in a motorcycle
Look at where they make power. If you compare the hd 117 with the indian 116, they both make the same power and torque until they get to 4300rpm. Virtually the same
Interesting...I rode both and the SC felt more powerful despite the numbers and the handling wasn't close for me. I bought a '23 SC and with exhaust, intake, and tune it rips. Both cool bikes, but my impressions when riding both were much different.
When I heard the comments on the HP and the performance of the Brembo brakes, I thought, "I must have been spoofed, the account must be Cycle Werld". But I checked and it is Cycle World. What a pathetic star of affairs.
HD has More power, more torque, lighter, better breaking, better drag times, better lean angle, better dealer network, better accessory list: No brainer.
Good to see you're sporting the Air-Bag Vests. 👍 as far as the Bikes, The Polaris wins on Tech, but it's a Slug power wise. The H-D 117 is classic, but H-D at the moment is Limp-wristed and WOKE...So I'll pass on Both
@@Boom-ou1vb I don’t have TikTok on my phone that’s China crap , an Indian died years ago. Indian is a Bought , name by Polaris and as long as they employ American worker’s I’m good with with them no matter what they’re called.
Four minutes in and I just can't... These guys might have moto-journalism skills (maybe, I don't know,) but their delivery is robotic and riddled with cliche. Every other word comes out like a fax machine- maybe they need to practice or do something to get more comfortable? But it's not there yet.
I see HD is paying the so called journalists again. You guys are full of it with these numbers. No way Indian is that much lower than Lowrider. Vibrations on Indian are bad and Harleys are adding character. Lol what a joke.
@@mr.b3168 epa restrictions. Harley gets around that with their “aftermarket” screaming eagle accessories. So you’re not comparing apples to apples here. The 116 has more potential than that
test rode both of them and ended up with the lowrider s. At 6'2 225lbs and the ergonomics on the sport chief had me leaning forward a lot in an unnatural way.
The 116ci is pretty dated, where as Harley just made a new engine. Im sure Indian will come out with an improved version soon. They always have to compete with HD
So you mean to tell me that my sister's 95 Magna makes only 6 less hp but weighs 150 lbs less than the big bad Low Rider S!?! Honda FTW lol I'll keep saving for a Buell Super Cruiser
I love when people say west coast club style look. It was never ment to be a look. It's the result of making the bike handle better. Better lean angle and rider position little bit of wind protection. That's the point of taller suspension, moto style bar and fairing.
h-d lighter faster at straights ,have more lean clearance it dosent necessery mean it be faster in corner cos resultsnt cog tore size and profile hiton this aswelll and from your talking it looks like indian can be slightly fadter actuallly in corner when ypu say its only 9 pound heavier but feel like ypu mist put much more effort to force him to change direction it mean it proabbaly have higher cog in results acumulate more corner speed 👌🏻its not me class bike but if im must choice than 🤔 whatever-for me draw 👍🏻☕️
It's biased because the Harley is just a way better motorcycle in almost every objective metric. More power, less weight, better brakes and suspension, more lean angle, better aftermarket support and dealer network. Looks way better too.
@@Schlebergertypical biased response 😂 the Low Rider S is 680lbs wet, and the Sport Chief is 685lbs wet. 5lbs is literally indistinguishable. So the Low Rider can lean only 1.8 degrees more than the Chief, but the Chief has more ground clearance than the Low Rider. Once again, indistinguishable unless you scrape peg with every turn. The Low Rider has 300mm brakes in the front and 292mm in the rear, and the Chief has 320mm in the front and 300mm in the rear 😂 so yeah, Indian has the better brakes. The Low Rider has single cartridge forks in the front, and a monoshock in the rear. The Chief has KYB adjustables up front, and DUAL Fox adjustables in the rear. Indian has far better suspension. Also, if you compare Cycleworld dyno tests, the Harley 117 only makes more power and torque above 4300rpm. The Indian 116 makes pretty much the same power and torque up until that point 😂 Only difference really is that when you buy the new Harley, you run a high chance of needing your engine replaced before you hit 10k miles 😂
Harley needs more models. They need to Bring back the Vr1000! Revamped and modernized to compete with the Hammerhead. Give us a 143 low Rider S and 143 Road King to compete with the Super Cruiser and Rocket 3. Finally release the Bronx to compete with the Xsr900. But no. Instead of the Harley community demanding and boycotting for that. You're all boycotting over this "woke" bullshit 🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️
I am not against the gears but should we really gear up like a spaceman or a hockey player to ride a motorcycle? Doesn't it bothering and make us not to pickup our bike when going anywhere?! I am minimalist in that matter
