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Visionary
Posts: 2300
Georgia, west of Atlanta | jimtom - 2013-08-20 12:45 PM
my vision has also been described that way by a young admirer. It surprises me how many young people think it looks cool. This guy was in his 20's
Mine too. Look, if you have a Vision you already have the finest high speed, comfortable touring rig that's made. The Chiefs are different animals, more of a competitior with Harley's Electra Glide. Can they run 90mph with the cruise control on all day long with ultimate wind protection NO, we can.
However the Vision is NOT part of the new Harley/Indian wars...........
I just love that there are all these nice American made bikes to choose from........... |
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Visionary
Posts: 2300
Georgia, west of Atlanta | Can't wait to see a dyno test and the torque and HP curves............ |
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Tourer
Posts: 411
Dallas, Texas | I wonder what will be the first complaint by the new owners/riders, and how long before there are 'Darkside Indians'. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1308
Sand Rock, AL United States | if Indian owners are anything like Victory owners, the biggest complaint will be that they didn't release 12 all new models each model year and that the dealer network (just in it's infancy) isn't growing fast enough, etc,etc  |
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Visionary
Posts: 1632
Jasper, MO | jimtom - 2013-08-22 4:22 AM
if Indian owners are anything like Victory owners, the biggest complaint will be that they didn't release 12 all new models each model year and that the dealer network (just in it's infancy) isn't growing fast enough, etc,etc
So true!
Ronnie |
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Visionary
Posts: 1632
Jasper, MO | Double post
Ronnie
Edited by rdbudd 2013-08-22 10:43 AM
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Visionary
Posts: 2300
Georgia, west of Atlanta | Well they demo trucks are out and about. In Charlotte this weekend. Anyone know any new owners yet ?? |
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Visionary
Posts: 1365
Central Maryland | Here is a link for the schedule/location of the Indian demo trucks:
http://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/demo-tour
Edited by willtill 2013-08-23 12:24 PM
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | XRsteve - 2013-08-23 10:06 AM Well they demo trucks are out and about. In Charlotte this weekend. Anyone know any new owners yet ?? New owners won't happen until September, what I understand. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | Owners should start riding off on the pre-order bikes next week. I have two road trips planned; one to Little Rock to pick up my buddy's Blue Vintage and another to Charlotte to pick up my red one. Not sure if all of the accessories will be available when the bikes get picked up. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 175
Hinton, Iowa | Was in Charolet on Tuesday and Demo truck as there. Demo bikes were on the floor,but we could rife them That is a beautiful store.
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Visionary
Posts: 2300
Georgia, west of Atlanta | SongFan - 2013-08-23 3:29 PM
Owners should start riding off on the pre-order bikes next week.? I have two road trips planned; one to Little Rock to pick up my buddy's Blue Vintage and another to Charlotte to pick up my red one.? Not sure if all of the accessories will be available when the bikes get picked up.
Right on man, let us know about the ride home........... |
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Visionary
Posts: 2300
Georgia, west of Atlanta | Indian made the cover of Motorcyclist this month Oct. 2013. Nice writeup but nothing we didn't already know. Waiting for full test with dyno results and the whole Shibang...... I'll bet soon there will be a comparo between the Chieftain, Cross Country and StreetGlide....... |
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Visionary
Posts: 2300
Georgia, west of Atlanta | I saw on Facebook, some friends of mine were at the demo rides in Charlotte today. These are hardcore Harley people........... |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | Rode a chief vintage today. It ain't a Victory! That's my review. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 77
Bainville, & Mesa, AZ, MT | varyder - 2013-08-24 6:12 PM
Rode a chief vintage today. It ain't a Victory! That's my review.
Couldn't agree more! Excellent review..  |
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Tourer
Posts: 523
seattle, wa | XRsteve - 2013-08-24 12:47 PM
I saw on Facebook, some friends of mine were at the demo rides in Charlotte today. These are hardcore Harley people...........
Lemme guess, their review is .. "nice bike, but...." |
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Visionary
Posts: 2300
Georgia, west of Atlanta | rwilly - 2013-08-24 8:13 PM
XRsteve - 2013-08-24 12:47 PM
I saw on Facebook, some friends of mine were at the demo rides in Charlotte today. These are hardcore Harley people...........
Lemme guess, their review is .. "nice bike, but...."
I haven't heard from them yet. Maybe that will be their evaluation. But it speaks volumes that they even went to the indian dealership. Interest breeds more interest. First time I saw a Vision I thought " That's too much" I own two now.................. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | Other than the Vic's on the demo ride, lead/trail, mine was the only Victory I saw being ridden. The parking lot was full of Harley's, a few old Indians and Ricers, Wings, sport bikes, but not many. I had people asking me about my Vision. If would have had a Hard Ball, I might have taken that home. He did have a Victory Classic, and I mauled over that. I still want an Indian, but I'm afraid it wouldn't be what I want in an everyday rider. |
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Visionary
Posts: 2300
Georgia, west of Atlanta | Wow surprised to hear you say that.......... |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | Yeah, Steve, as much as I love the looks, the saddle felt good at rest, but they went back a few years on the feel of the bike. The King Mountain bikes sat the way I expected this to sit, at least as I recall from a few years ago. I sat on one then after belting out two days on my Vision and it had the same sit. When I sat on the Vintage, I like the reach to the ground, but the pull-back was a little forward and its front end felt closer in. And I felt like I was up on the bike, like a bar stool. I know this is all old school for most bikes, but this old frame says give me comfort. I'm looking for open wind with comfort. The Victory Classic is looking good at this juncture, but the wife is pushing me to get a new Vision. I want to roll another 50,000 miles before I do that. I rolled 8 hours yesterday, 4 down, and 4 back. I had to take the back way so I would stay off the throttle. The ol' gal still got it.
Edited by varyder 2013-08-25 4:50 AM
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Cruiser
Posts: 281
| Here's my review from Friday's demo rides:
Well, I spent a good deal of the day at the NJ Indian demo event and I didn't hear anyone say anything bad about them. In fact, the response I heard was unanimously positive. The worst thing I could say about the Chief was, it's not a Vision. But it's not trying to be.
If you're planning on going, the route sucks. The dealer is in a congested area on Route 22, aka hell. They had a VERY well organized police escort that mad you feel like you were riding a motorcycle in a presidential motorcade, but without anyone on the grassy knoll. It was as safe and fun as you can get in that part of NJ.
Also, if you don't have an appointment to ride, you may be out of luck. Even in you THINK you may have an appointment, don't be surprised if you don't. Other than that, the folks at the dealer are great and it was a good time. Free food, what?s not to like.
There were a lot of Harley and Victory riders there, but most brands and styles of motorcycle were represented at the demo.
Regarding the Indians, they are rolling works of art. Fit & finish is excellent. The motor is seriously torquey. We got to wind it out getting onto the Parkway, and it gets up and goes.
Ergonomics are very good. Plenty of leg room without sitting in the "praying mantis" position. The Chief seems to fit everyone in every size and shape imaginable. The leather saddle was very comfortable. I even put my big butt on the passenger seat, and it was pretty good. My biggest complaint is that the top of the windshield is in my line of sight. Other windshields are available, or you could have this one cut to size.
The suspension is very good. I kept looking for pot holes and uneven pavement to test it out, and the bike handled it all well.
You won?t think this bike weighs 800 pounds or more. It?s a big machine, but at no time did I feel like it was heavy. The Indian handles well for a heavy cruiser. I tried to drag a floorboard or 4 at various times, with no luck. YMMV.
I?ll be returning tomorrow to do a 2-up ride with my bride. I?ll give you her 2 cents after that.
...
Today my wife rode pillion on a demo ride with me. Her biggest complaints about the Chief from a passenger's perspective were that it's not a Vision, and there are no passenger floorboards (yet). Otherwise the Chief was a hit with her.
The demo ride today went through Watchung Mountain Reservation, a park up in the hills. It was a much more plesaant ride which allowed us to test the lean angle of the Chief. I'm still waiting for someone to tell me they dragged a floorboard.
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They're going to sell a lot of Indians.  |
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Cruiser
Posts: 281
| Here is an unbiased review from a fellow that rides a Triumph Tiger 800:
The short summary: I rode a Chieftain (as opposed to Chief or Chief Vintage) and really liked it! Overall a great bike - certainly the best cruiser I've ever ridden. Beats the Road King and Road Glide I test rode a few weeks ago hands-down. Smoother, nimbler, no paint shake at idle. Yes, some heat on your knees from the engine, but after noticing it (just because it was different) I quickly forgot and got on with enjoying the ride.
And it was a nice long test ride - a good 20-25 minutes through a nice variety of roads. Though I never got it above 3rd gear, we did get up to 50 or 60 in a few stretches.
Cornering - really impressive for this kind of bike. About midway through the ride I overcooked a right-hander a bit and thought "rats, can't swing wide, don't want to jam on the brakes, I guess we're gonna scrape some hard parts" ... And then it didn't happen. Waaay more cornering clearance than you expect, or most any other cruiser. After that I found myself looking to take corners a lot harder. A number of the test riders are clearly coming off Harleys. It was interesting to watch them take what I would call a Harley Turn - you know, slow down, swing wide, then wobble it round the bend. I started taking corners like you would on something like a Tiger or a Bonnie - and the Chieftain just dug in and held a nice, tight line. Pretty cool for 800+ lbs.
Fairing: liked it a whole lot less than I thought I would. After the novelty of running the screen up and down a few times like you can on an FJR or an RT, it ended up being slightly annoying. Full down it let some nice air over, but it bisected my view. Full up, it blocked the breeze, but wasn't quite high enough to disappear from the field of view. If I bought a Chieftain, I'd probably swap for their shorter screen right away. A few small nits: there was a rattle & a squeak coming from the fairing on the particular unit I rode. I can imagine given the number of test rides these are out on, plus being trucked around, having something a little loose at this point is understandable and probably a quick fix. The other small nit is that the mirrors are very close to the grips. If you wear gloves with any kind of knuckle armor, you can end up bumping the bottom of the right hand mirror with your throttle hand. But it ended up being something I noticed at first then quickly forgot and it became a non-issue -- certainly never interfered with the throttle.
Engine - they've outdone HD, in my view. Better engine than the 103 in the RK and RG I test rode last month. Quieter, smoother, more torque, idles lower. No paint-shaker hop at stop lights. Noticeably wider powerband - things get a little busy at the top end of the range, but that's a heck of a lot higher than the HD 103. Maybe not on paper (haven't checked) but definitely in feel. Exhaust note is a nice deep rumble.
Overall, still a little loud for me -- what can I say? I've got loud kids at home, I don't want to listen to a roar going down the highway. But much better than the stock HD exhaust note, to my ear. Riding the RK and RG a few weeks ago I thought "how do people ride down the road listening to this? It's deafening!" No such impression on the Chieftain. Like I said, still at the loud end for me, but much closer to acceptable.
Ergonomics - as others mentioned, somehow they've got the seat, floorboards, and handlebars dialed in in such a way that they seem to fit everyone. (I wish other manufacturers could pick up this trick... *ahem* /coughtriumphcough/)
Bars are wide enough to give nice leverage but not faintly ridiculous like on the RK / RG. Seat is both plush and supporting. Floorboards are nice too. And no heel shifter to get in the way.
I will say the levers are way up at the front end of those looong floorboards, so you really are sitting cruiser style. But it's remarkably relaxed and comfortable.
Overall thumbs-up on the ergos.
Transmission - light clutch pull and smooth shifting. No drama, no missed shifts, just works. Nice.
Brakes - the front brake works, as does the rear. None of the HD (or Victory) softening of the front brake response so as not to scare the newbie cruiser rider. I found myself using both brakes in a way analogous to how I would on the Tiger -- trail-braking into corners, scrubbing off speed with equal front and rear, holding still on a hill with just the front or just the rear, as the situation required. Very nice and non-cruiserish.
Paint - great colors. Nice.
Leather - very nice.
Chrome - not my thing, but also nice.
In sum, a very nice motorcycle and I wish Indian well!
...
And here's a review from a guy riding a Triumph Speed Triple...
I rode the chief classic, no bags or wind screen, just basic model. It was a very comfortable bike and felt light. Handled way better than expected as someone mentioned. Very deceptive. Kind of bike you could sit back and ride 90mph all day on a highway comfortably. Cornered pretty well. Nice ride overall. Lots of torque, smooth acceleration, good breaks, good ergos for a cruiser.
Paint, finish, all very nice. Engine looked great, as did the Indian Logo on the case. Nice looking bike. Mine was blue... The bike that is...
If I were to get a cruiser this would be it, but not a cruiser guy.
Overall nice ride with good handling and feel.
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I talked to a lot of people during the 2 days I spent at the demo rides, and I didn't hear anyone say they didn't like the Indians. |
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Visionary
Posts: 2300
Georgia, west of Atlanta | varyder - 2013-08-25 4:47 AM
Yeah, Steve, as much as I love the looks, the saddle felt good at rest, but they went back a few years on the feel of the bike. The King Mountain bikes sat the way I expected this to sit, at least as I recall from a few years ago. I sat on one then after belting out two days on my Vision and it had the same sit. When I sat on the Vintage, I like the reach to the ground, but the pull-back was a little forward and its front end felt closer in. And I felt like I was up on the bike, like a bar stool. I know this is all old school for most bikes, but this old frame says give me comfort. I'm looking for open wind with comfort. The Victory Classic is looking good at this juncture, but the wife is pushing me to get a new Vision.? I want to roll another 50,000 miles before I do that.? I rolled 8 hours yesterday, 4 down, and 4 back.? I had to take the back way so I would stay off the throttle.? The ol' gal still got it.
Well we have been spoiled by the length and comfort of our Visions. I still say the Vision is the best high speed touring rig ever built. I'll test ride a chief now I guess down at Biketoberfest, there will be enough down there so I don't have to wait in a LONG line anyway............ Are you gonna put 200,000 miles on your Vision before you trade it in ?? |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | I'll do my best, that would still be another 2 years off. I need to do some rear end work, replace shock, pulley (chirping) and brake calibers, front also. That's the immediate attention. Engine is still running strong. I'm still considering the Vintage as bike II. |
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2014 Indian Chief
