Road test new indian chief

[hogpipes1]

AZ bike wk  demo rides . I took the big  chief out on the rd  for a good ride. Getting on the bike after  a heat soak my leg was hot from AC on left and muff on right. noticed that 1 st off , trans was kind of clunky in 1 st and not as smooth in the other gears  as I'd hope it would be. lot's of power in all 6 speeds , handling was good for a big bike ,  radio good , motor noisy more than I expected for a new bike  with 900 mi's on it . the dash is the worst  POS   with all the glare seeing your mug looking back at you, the center with orange lites  for infor is hard to see at best . may be ok if not a sunny day or  at night  but too much time looking  than eyes on the road.

F B Wire I have no use for, has that little blip when rolling off . adj. windshield didn't seem to me to make much diff up or down , still had a lot of wind buff and w/o a helmet a cap would be down the rd. In fact I thought it's not a windy day and my bat wing bagger would be a lot less wind buff than this bike . brake and shift lever are  forward a bit more  . good for a guy with longer legs for sure. So my over all  on the bike is it has nothing on a H-D   I get a pretty good feel of H-D with a 85 FXRT, 2000 SPORTY, & 03 FLHTC . there all different rides  for sure , if I needed a new bike I'd still have to go with H-D . Indian is on the right track but not there yet for me.

[NETacomaFatboy]

good review....

[88b]

I'm still waiting for a ride on a Chieftain, the seat to foot board arrangement just doesn't seem right to me, the seats too low. I find the Victory Cross Country  just perfect, it fits like my RG.

[easyricer]

I have not ridden a Chieftain yet and really have no desire to. Like I reported last year on the Vintage, I think the seat could be 2 inches further forward and the bike would be perfect. The handling and power of this big machine is nice. It's almost impossible to lug the motor. Just like, Harley, you gotta pay the tax to get the temps under control. (get the stage one reflash)
I've heard about the clunky tranny, but have yet to experience it. Since I get to ride the Vintage every now and then, my biggest complaint is that it's not mine.
Over the last 6 months that Steve had this bike, the only bad thing we can say about the bike is that the brown leather has faded and has a green hue to it. After contacting Gregory Polaris about it, they said that seems to be an issue with bikes in the sun. They did recommend a fix for it that another customer found to work using a specific brand leather die and sealer. (I can't remember the name)
The best thing about the Indian is the suspension. We have yet to find where it bottoms out at. My Harleys all hit bottom on one spot in the road on my way home every day. When I take the Indian home, I hardly notice the spot at all. I don't know if Harley has addressed this problem on the 2014 bikes or not but the 2013 Streetglide bottoms on the same spot that my 98 Electraglide does. 
The FBW on the Indian feels much more like a cable set up. I never did like how soft the FBW on the Harley is, not enough tension on it. Since I'm used to how the Harley cruise control is set up, I still find myself having to look at the housing on the Indian to set or adjust the speed.
EASY

[truck]

Any of you guys know why there is what look like slots, in the cylinder fins on the right side of the motor?

[easyricer]

I'm pretty sure it's a cover to hide the exhaust spigot. They wanted to keep the "Down Pipe" exhaust design of the old flatheads but had to make it more efficient.
EASY

[truck]

Thanks.