[rachet]

The wife and I were sitting in Denny's last night after a late meeting we attended when I saw a Road King pull off I-40 and pull into Denny's. It was drizzling rain, cold and had been raining off and on for hours. The guy, Matt, was from OKC and on his way to Las Vegas, just pulled in to warm up, dry out get some food. He sat next to us and we had a friendly conversation about his trip and bikes in general. I found out that he had a 2011 Road King with 99k miles on it that he traded last year on a new 2014 Chieftain. He's retired and rides a lot and said that the Chieftain had left him stranded 3 times, once in L.A., again in Las Vegas, and a third time in Chicago. The first time, an Indian dealer was close by and they came out, picked it up, made repairs and sent somebody to get him so he could pick up his bike. The next two times were pretty big inconveniences that also cost him in extra overnight stays and other expenses, so with 9k miles on it, he sold it, and bought a new 2015 Road King. He said he bought the Chieftain for the seat - the most comfortable ride he ever had and hated to sell it but got fed up with being stranded. Kind of hated to hear that because I like the new Indians.

 

[Lurch77]

We were going to buy a Roadmaster in the spring. We were just about to put our deposit down. But a deal on a lightly used Ultra Classic came up, so we aren't going to buy the Indian now. In preparation for buying the Indian I joined an Indian cycle forum. Lots of great guys there. There are some problems, mostly minor, which I think is to be expected from a brand new line of motorcycles. 2014 was year one for the Polaris built Indians. And many of the initial problems were addressed in the 2015 models, and further addressed in the 2016 models hitting the showrooms now. The same thing happened when Polaris started Victory. I have confidence the quality will continue to rise, as will the dealership count. Wife and I still hope to own a Roadmaster in the fairly near future. The ride and comfort was much better for us, when compared to both the Harley and Victory equivalents that we tested.

 

[Porky]

If you want a comfortable and reliable Harley, for you and your passenger, get a new Ultra Classic!

If you need a dealer, then HD has dealers everywhere and this gives peace of mind when traveling.

Indian, BMW, Ducati, Triumph, MV Agusta, Moto Gootzie and any other exotic brand have very few dealers compared to Harley and to the JAP dealers.

Although I've had several BMW's, Ducati's and Triumph's, I would be hesitant to take them on long touring rides, fearing that if I had a break down, I'd be in trouble. None of mine had any problems whatsoever but one never knows.

Sam:biggrin:

 

[OldDeadeye]

I'm not trendy enough to feel the need to buy a "new" model or even a "new and improved model, let alone the first or even second year production of a bike brand.

A friend of mine was frothing at the mouth for a first year Rushmore and I urged him to wait a model year to let them work out the bugs and he decided to do so and missed all the little hiccups.
Harley has a huge dealer network and will put you first if you have problems from out of state, I've heard and read all kinds of folks applauding them for it.

Indian has very small dealership support at this point and time, and I would never buy a touring bike under such circumstances.

Plus they're Butt-Ugly.....

 

[Lurch77]

A brand new Ultra Classic was at the top of our list as well. But we both gave the nod to the Indian, as far as comfort. It edged the HD out with the seat, the body position for me, and I loved the electric windshield. It really made a difference. Down while cruising the city and back roads, up on the highway. I'd give the Roady Ultra a test now that it is out, if we were still going brand new.

Plus I love that at least for now the Indians are rare and stand out from the deep sea of batwing fairings everywhere you look. But I think we're going to be mighty happy with our low mileage used Ultra Classic, even if it doesn't have all the doo dads the latest greatest machines have.

 

[OldDeadeye]

A brand new Ultra Classic was at the top of our list as well. But we both gave the nod to the Indian, as far as comfort. It edged the HD out with the seat, the body position for me, and I loved the electric windshield. It really made a difference. Down while cruising the city and back roads, up on the highway. I'd give the Roady Ultra a test now that it is out, if we were still going brand new.

Plus I love that at least for now the Indians are rare and stand out from the deep sea of batwing fairings everywhere you look. But I think we're going to be mighty happy with our low mileage used Ultra Classic, even if it doesn't have all the doo dads the latest greatest machines have.

You're gonna love that Ultra, and the wife will be plenty comfy on the back.

 

[rje58]

Plus they're Butt-Ugly.....

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

And besides, beauty is only skin deep. Ugly goes all the way to the bone.

 

[OldDeadeye]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

And besides, beauty is only skin deep. Ugly goes all the way to the bone.

Then the Chieftain is thick boned.:coffeescreen:

 

[hogcowboy]

I thought the same thing, especially those big front fenders. It finally hit me that the thing actually has a function. People don't get their feet as wet with them. So it has reluctantly grown on me a tad. Still think it's ugly though.

 

[Porky]

Those big, stylish fenders do indeed keep a person relatively dry from road splash and also keep the entire frame front and engine clean also.

I like them. I had the same thing on my past Kawasaki Drifter 1500:biggrin:

Hutchinson's Harley in Yucca Valley, CA, sponsored a ride into the old mexico town of San Felipe every summer and one year there had been terrible rains and floods in the area. As about 150 riders, myself on my Electra Glide and my Bud on his Custom FXR, crossed the border, we almost immediately had to ride from the town of Mexi-cali, almost all the way on roads covered with red clay rain and mud! We all pulled off after about 20 miles of this 20 mph ride and when we did, it was hilarious! The Folks on the dressers were relatively clean as were their bikes but the riders on the bikes with the small front and rear fenders were absolutely filthy as were their bikes:biggrin:

Those big fenders are for more than looks!

Sam:coffeescreen:

 

[rachet]

Personally, I have no plans to buy a new bike of any kind. I'm a guy that keeps his bikes ( and cages ) for a life time so I figure I've got another 10 years minimum left in my VTX. However, I do like both the UC and the Roadmaster. If I were in the market, the Roadmaster would be my #1 choice because I'm a big guy and the Roadmaster fits me better than the UC period. The Roadmaster seat is also more comfortable, and for me, fit and comfort are my first priorities. I love the UC but it's not roomy enough IMO, at-least for me.

 

[Lurch77]

No one said if you buy a new bike you can't keep it for a long time. And you can own more than one at a time.

 

[Porky]

AMEN to that:biggrin:

Sam:coffeescreen:

 

[rachet]

Right you are. But my VTX is paid for and several of momma's big priorities need to be met before I even think about spending more on another bike - a long way off right now for me. Now if I was like ole moneybags porky I'd have a different bike for each day of the week ! ( Just kidding Sam )

 

[GatorJoe]

Different Makes , Different Styles , Be boring if all wanted the same thing with the exception of Reliability .. Almost 10K on my 2015 Indian Scout now and Almost 60K on my 2012 Victory Cross Country with No Problems that ever left me Stranded .. A Few Minor Issues but all my Miles have been Trouble Free .. Although can certainly see why he traded the Chieftain being Stranded 3 Times ..

 

[hogcowboy]

Yep, I would have dumped it too. Or turned into a bar hopper if I was rich which I'm not. I do not like wrenching anymore than I have to for things like new farkels.

 

[Porky]

"Now if I was like ole moneybags porky I'd have a different bike for each day of the week ! ( Just kidding Sam ) " Rachet quote.

This incurable disease, "Motorcycle reverse phobia," actually over time affects ones brain in a symbiotic way and directs me to peruse the showrooms of any motorcycle dealership I drive by and basically forces me to say yes to any salesman that wants me to try and buy his bright, new, shiny toy. When the Virus is sated, I (WE) find relief for normally about 12 months or so and then this pernicious and terminal malady metastasizes and takes over the "Little grey cells," (HERCULE POIROT) and the cycle starts again. There is no known cure---only appeasement.

I should have never ridden a friends new 1962 Honda 50 CUB---He said it wasn't addictive and certainly not a "portal drug," but he lied

My shortest lived bike was a new 1987 BMW R65 that lasted for 3 weeks after it stranded me on a very hot day on our first real ride together as I was at cruising speed and the thing just DIED! I trailered the bike back to the dealer that day. According to the dealer, I hadn't ridden the bike enough after I picked it up to sufficiently charge the battery and I needed to buy a battery tender and hook it up when parked in the garage:frown: They replaced the battery and I was on my way---right to another dealer to buy a JAP bike because I wasn't gonna be stranded again and I'd never heard of a "Trickle Charger" (GAY) before and I refused to buy one to appease the Fatherland, so BMW went bye-bye!

I'm actually terrified to go into an Indian dealership! I'm afraid-very afraid

Sam:coffeescreen:

 

[vito]

I looked at the Roadmaster and was very impressed, but that bike is heavy! My current ride, a 2013 Triumph Thunderbird is supposedly "only" 750 pounds, and that (to me) is already pretty heavy. Normally its no problem, but getting the bike off the sidestand on a sloped road can be a real challenge for this old guy with torn rotator cuffs in both shoulders. Everytime I look at a larger touring bike, like a Roadmaster or a Goldwing (I guess I never really consider HD; its hard to change after a lifetime of telling Harley jokes) I think about the weight and think "at my age I should be looking at a lighter, not heavier motorcycle". I thought about the BMW touring bikes, which are lighter, but the seat is just too high and the controls just a bit too far back for my liking. So maybe I will just stick with my T-bird, but that Roadmaster seat did feel really nice......