My bike was stolen this last weekend……………………. by the wife.
As a followup to the sister thread about this bike I would like to give a report about the first thousand miles, mostly ridden by the wife. I rode it Friday for the Maiden voyage and did a 250 mile day ride up to Hot Springs NC up the 209 through Luck
over 63 into Leicester and back US 70 through Greenville. It was a great ride i and was very impressed by the new Vintage.
The motor had great low end torque and coming up out of a tight corner in third gear there is no problem on the throttle easy from 1750 rpm. Still breaking it in so the engine revs a little slower than the Harley and does not seem to like or need rpms over 4500.
The thing corners effortlessly and I didn't feel the need to pull in the clutch for the slow second gear corners like the HD it just behaves very well. The gear box is smoother already than HD and has much less clunk clunk sound. The lean angle is forever, neither of us dragged a board in four days. The suspension and ride do not compare to HD. Or more accurately the other way around. This thing is like butter on silk. That is the end of my ride experience.
So that evening Sandy tells me she wants to take the new Indian on the three day trip and leave her six week old 2015 SGS at the house to "save the miles on the new HD". What a sacrifice! LOL Thirty miles down the road i see her dropping her hands and shaking them, you know what that means, and she later said she thought she had made a bad mistake but that was short-lived. Later, on an especially curvy section of NC 28 above Franklin I saw the leader doubling on his Heritage dragging boards on every corner and the wife right on his tail with ONE HAND on the right grip. She said she was not tired just did not need both hands on to the make the corners.
After three days she says this is the easiest motorcycle to ride that she has ever been on. She said a beginner could ride it.
I watched her clutch hand for days marveling at how few times she pulled in the clutch and it was half of what I was doing on the CVO Lim. She remarked that the clutch was easier and smoother than the new hydraulic one on the SG. Later on the trip I lead on the way home and "took off" on some tight second and third gear twisties that went on, one after the other for miles. She was the only one in sight at the end and the two RGs and Soft tail had to catch up when we stopped.
When we got home she said she was afraid that her brand new SGS would feel like a" log wagon" but she was not giving up her HD. She wants her own Indian. The Chieftain is more to her liking.$$$$$$$$$$$
She could not believe it when she found out that the Indian is heavier than the SG because it does not feel that way. Mostly a positive review and good enough to make her want one.
Let's be fair and honest. NOTHING is perfect so there is some negative criticism and hear is what we think.
1. There is more rider felt heat on this big motor with the rear head up near your thigh and there does not appear to be any way to get a heat shield on it like the HD. Some of this is design of the chassis, motor and seat and the other is displacement. 111cu puts off heat and I do not know what a bio with lowers would feel like but i a not sure the seat on the fairing bikes is the same.?
2. the handle bars are a bit wide for her but i love them since they almost have the feel of an old beach bar style. Way cool for me but not for her so much.
3. Accessories for the bike are at least as expensive as HD and maybe more and certainly more limited.
4. Time will tell if the honeymoon remains. We have yet to see the service department, rack up miles and establish the longevity of this company.
No need to sell all the Harley boys just pick up another bike.
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Topic: Stolen: New Indian (Read 1949 times)