Well done. Our HD and Indian shops are literally across the street from one another. I seldom go through the HD shops as I am seldom engaged when I do so. The guys at the Indian shop are always looking to help, make for a very comfortable visit, take time answering my questions, are more than willing to talk about non-Indian used bikes, and they do follow-up if I have questions.
I’m sure there are warm, welcoming, trustworthy HD dealerships in many places. But I’ve never been in one. Off-putting, dismissive, shady-that’s been my experience of them. My local Indian dealer was a breath of fresh air. I bought an Indian. I’m reading about long-standing mom and pop HD dealerships going under everywhere, or withdrawing as a protest against the new HD corporate ethic. And even at Sturgis this year there’s a groundswell of discontent about HD and its departure from its fundamental value system. So every time I turn around, I find more reasons to be glad I bought my Iowa Iron.
I agree, Indian out of the gate seems to be a better option. If you’re into aftermarket tweaks post purchase your options will be more limited on an Indian vs Harley. I rode a low rider ST when searching for a bike, felt cramped on it. Sat on the Sport Chief, felt very comfortable out of the gate and ended up purchasing it. As I explored the after market, I was challenged with the limited options we have as Indian owners. The bags I preferred were Harley only, etc. All solid bikes, to each their own, but the way you’ve put it I think is spot on. Indian is better put together out of the box, Harley is more established in the aftermarket scene.
I've had several different brands and all have good qualities. I traded my Ultra Classic for a Road Master 7 years ago for the superior ride. I test rode them at Sturgis and was very impressed. I had my Road Master for 52K with no problems. I just traded it for a Pursuit and am very happy with it. No issues with any brand. My wife has a Super Chief Limited and really like that as well.
We need more Indian stores in Sydney, I think it now being under Mcas has lessened the brand, bring back the dealerships and service options and I bet Indians will do allot better in Australia especially for us shorter riders 👍🏼 the new models look great, and I am a HD rider for 18yrs and not really happy with the direction HD are going…
Love the video , I will be buying one in few years I started riding last year and my dream bike is Indian Scout bobber. We in Croatia have unfortunately only one dealer so it's bit hard to find it bit cheaper ...
I just can’t bring myself to terms with Made in America prices for a Made in Thailand HD (which is where the Australasian and European bound models come from). Not to mention how much of the bike is Chinese. Buy a spare part and tell me you didn’t see MIC stamped on the box somewhere. Rim production was sent from Adelaide (yup!) to China as well. We have a Yamaha MT03 (Thai) and MT09 (Japanese) for commuting. They were priced accordingly and the numbers make sense for what we got. It would have been the FatBoy until I did my research. I was very impressed with the Dark Horse and it came in around the same price. My other contender is the BMW R18 at half the price given they can’t get rid of them.
V well reasoned video Paul. I upgraded to Indian in October 21, to a brand new Indian Challenger, after (mostly) HD's for the previous 44 years! I greatly enjoyed my HD's in the main, BUT one thing that used to s...t me was the absolutely crap suspension, & yeah I know they have improved. I do part time chauffeur rides, and EVERY passenger I have had on the back, has commented about how comfortable the bike is. The Challenger is not your traditional V Twin, but it IS turbine smooth with heaps of grunt and comfort. For a big touring bike it's brilliant. I also rode the 101 Scout recently at Indian Ballarat, and greatly impressed with it, and the whole new Scout range. My favourite for the future when the Challenger gets too heavy though is undoubtedly the 116 Sport Chief. They go like a cut cat, have the same front end and wheel sizes as the Challenger, and a fantastic note, plus about 70 kgs lighter! So at the end of the day ride what you like, but for me the Indian is a no-brainer, AND it's different.
I have owned many Harleys and have owned 2 Victory brand bikes and 2 Indians... all had their pluses and minuses but it really bothered me the way Polaris shut down Victory overnight and began pushing Indian, I hope when profits fall at some point they just don't shut down Indian. I had just bought the Victory Gunner and even the dealership claimed they did not know the brand was going away after it happened, I was angry and not wanting a bike that went out of business I traded it in on a Springfield Dark Horse which was a great bike...... but it still left me suspicious of Polaris.
I had a victory x roads classic great bike. I think the main reason for victory's demise was that people didn't wanna pay 30k for a vic but they will pay 40k for an indian.
Well, I’m a sports bike guy, but I’ve had some bad experiences at Harley Davidson dealers, but I can’t say the same for the Indian dealer about a mile from my house. I go there sometimes because there’s also a BMW Yamaha and Kawasaki in the same building. I spent 30 minutes talking to Indian sales rep. I was impressed maybe one day I’ll be ready to ride that Style. I think it might be an Indian. They actually look pretty cool.
Dealer service is also a factor, especially if you travel, much easier to find a Harley dealer here in the US, than Indian dealers which are far and few
That applies to my part of the world also. And unfortunately with the few Indian dealers we have, they don't have a good reputation for service & expertise.
The Street Bob was (and is now again) cheaper than the Dark Horse and has a little more oomph than the scout that was available at the time. That was it for me.
Thanks fella - after making my way through most other bike manufacturers over the past thirty odd years I’m finally getting to the “I need a cruiser” stage… I’m torn between HD and Indian, but your considered thoughts here are useful to consider 👍🏻
As a young(ish) guy of 32 with no brand loyalty one way or the other I would probably lean towards a Harley for a big displacement V-twin. Mostly because of resale value for such an expensive purchase and the wealth of aftermarket options and support. However if I got a smaller bike I would choose a scout or ft1200 in a heartbeat over a Harley option.
@@gwynnromano5881 One of my old coworkers had a speedmaster made into a cafe racer and it was one of the coolest bikes you'd ever see. My dream bike is a Triumph Speed Triple.
Grew up in Australia surrounded by Indians and Harleys. Old man was a dealer and collector of both. I like what Polaris has done with the Indian name and incorporated styling cues. Cant imagine what would have happened if one of the Japanese manufactures had obtained the Indian trademark and naming rights instead. Example: MG ! I would happily park either or both in my garage. Its the only other American brand which can be sold as a competitor to HD at HD pricing because of the perceived aligned history and rivalry of the brands. Reality is the last real Indian Blackhawk Chief rolled out in 1953. Reality is HD is the only one with continuous history albeit chequered by AMF and bankruptcy woes in the past. Polaris should be commended for producing a quality repesentation of a modern Indian and their brilliant marketing using the Indian name and history to present as a real alternative to HD. They could never have achieved this with the Victory nameplate. HD should be flattered that Polaris has attempted to emulate and improve upon HD in all aspects. There is no other brand name that could have achieved this. The Consumer wins. Both are pushed to do better and build better bikes,employing thousands of people in multiple countries in the process.
Harley dealers aren't Harley Davidson bike enthusiast, Indian and bmw are the same, it's all about money, if you're just window shopping or looking for a chat about bikes stay away from all dealers, I've had Harley, Indian, triumph and Japanese bikes and now own my fourth Harley, as you say whatever bike rocks you're boat at that time and my fat boy suits me at the moment, great blogs mate.❤
Sound advice from Bernie! It's the way they both operate, I've ridden many bikes (not as many as I'd like ) and find the Indian line up almost as the Victory line up was. Bang for buck with very little to get you setup. Great video Paul, did you mention previously that you went from a kwaka to the Indian? That's quite a change
Each to their own but I could not go from my Kawasaki to an American v twin. It would be like cutting 2 spark plug leads and attaching a case of bricks to my bike.
Yeah, but they are comparable in that some people prefer torque and some people prefer horsepower. And if someone is drawn to the Scout but prefers effortless low end torque, then they really should look at the Chief line instead.
I first had a Triumph t120 traded it for a Harley-Davidson streetbob witch was crap traded that for a indian chief traded that for a suzuki vstrom 1050 absolutely no regrets the vstrom is an awesome bike and I like riding it 1000 times better then the indian.
Any brand is a fookin heap a shite if you gotta push it. it's what feels correct for you as a person for me my sup chief was top notch in all areas and dollar wise was a better buy for me
