Ok, have about 1400 miles on my Chieftain and love it. Fit and finish is very good and has lots of chrome that would rival a CVO.
The paint isn't quite up to HD standards, the clear being a little soft. This sounds like a common thing with Victory as well. I'm sure it will harden after more time in the sun and I know they just opened a new paint facility for the Indian and Victory bikes, so it should get better. Just put a few good coats of wax on it and it's been fine.
The engine is a beast with a lot of torque down low where I generally ride. The power is deceiving because it is not a high revving engine and it is pretty smooth. Not Goldwing smooth. You still know you're riding a big V-twin. It doesn't spin up very quickly due to it having such a long stroke, but it pulls in any gear. It is very hard to lug this engine. The biggest thing for me was the need to get used to the power band and had to change all my shift points. You really don't need to downshift much. You can easily be in 6th gear and down around 45mph and just roll on the throttle and you're gone. I haven't, but know a couple guys that have had them running up to about 115mph and they claim to still have some more in them.
It sounds fantastic, reminding me more of an Evo than anything close to a TC, but it has a beat of it's own. Idle is very low, like an old eve, down around 750. It has very little top end noise, but the transmission sounds different than an HD set up because it is a single unit rather than having a primary. Not a bad sound, just different. Mine is still stock and looking forward to doing a stage 1 once pipes are out. So far Bassani, V&H, D&D, Sampson, Dirty Bird and Loydz all have pipes due to be released soon in addition to the Indian stage 1 pipes.
Speaking of transmission, this is probably the worst thing in my mind. Because it is a single unit, the bike needs to warm up before hitting the road, particularly if it is cold outside or you will have trouble shifting into 2nd. It clears up quickly, but it's there unless you let it warm up. What we found out is that it doesn't take long to warm up and it helps to pull in the clutch 4-5 times while it's running to get the oil flowing between the clutch plates. What I did was just change my routine - start the bike, then put on helmet and gloves and the bike was good to go even in temps down in the 20's.
The fairing takes some getting used to, but performs well. I think the Roadglide folks would appreciate how stable it is compared to their fixed fairings. No buffeting regardless of the position of the windshield. I generally ride with it all the way down (it adjusts about 4" total with buttons on the left)
Controls are easy to use, but take some getting used to and most of the controls are on the left. They are a little tough with winter gloves, but work well.
The bike definitely handles very well. The suspension is good and eats up the bumps and the aluminum frame is very stiff so it handles extremely well with much higher ground clearance than an Ultra. That's good so you don't chew up the fringes on the floorboards if you have them.
Overall I couldn't be more pleased and surprised at how few issues there have been for a brand new bike from a brand new company. There are minor bugs here and there but no show stoppers or anything that will leave you stranded along the side of the road and the bugs seem to be bike dependent rather than something across all the bikes.
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Topic: I'm test riding the Indian Chieftain on Friday - will report back (Read 12044 times)