I've been tinkering with my new bike for the last couple of days and meant to post this a bit ago.

I've been riding my Indian for several hundred miles and decided it just wasn't for me. The local dealership had a used Softail Slim S that I was able to take for an extended test ride. I ended up going for about an hour or so on the bike and returned to the dealer and filed out the paper work for a new Slim S.

I bought the Indian with the delusion that my wife was going to ride with me on some trips. She made it quite clear that the only time that she would be on the back of the bike with me was maybe for a quick loop around town.

Performance: To be honest, I was a little disappointed in the power delivery of the 111 Thunderstroke engine. It seemed lazy. Even when trying to push it, it seemed to require a massive twist of the throttle to make it go. This was fine for putting around town, but made the engine feel very sluggish. I think their ride by wire system was a little goofy. There was also a lot of surging at lower rpms. The engine was almost completely vibration free and almost seemed electric.

When I got on the FLSS it seemed more alive. It felt like you were on a machine. Like a nice watch ticking and moving under you. A small twist of the throttle and ZOOM! It felt like the throttle was more directly in control of the motor.

Suspension: The Indian suspension was definitely more cushy than the softail. The big issue was that the suspension rates were uneven, this caused strange tracking on sweepers, and a rocking sensation when you go over bumps at speed. The rear of the HD isn't what I'd call plush, but it gets the job done. The front end is fantastic. I prefer it to the Indian's front end.

Brakes: The Indian had a FAR better rear brake. The front brakes were both similar. That's not to say the HD's brakes are bad, but in comparison, Indian did a great job there

Aesthetics: Indian styling is a love it or hate it proposition. There were some things that I really liked about it. There were little details like the war bonnet on the front fender, the quality of the paint, the classic look of the thunderstroke engine, and the beautiful Indian logo on the side were all high points. That's about where it ended for me.

The extended rear end left the bike looking like a limo. It's like they took the frame from the seat back and extended it for no reason. It made the bike look incredibly long and needlessly empty.

The classic bobber style of the FLSS is just perfect. There is a timeless look of the bike that keeps me walking out into the garage to stare for a couple minutes several times a day. Especially with the crap weather we've had here lately... Lastly, the fit and finish of the bike are second to none.

Handling: The bike seems to be about 200lbs lighter. It's easily maneuverable at any speed, and outside of the lean angle, the bike seems much more nimble at every point of the ride.

The Indian has lean angle all to itself. You scrape the floorboards on the Indian and you might as well be ready to plant yourself. The trade off is that the floorboards are set higher than the FLSS, this made the cockpit seem much more cramped. I would like to see the width of the Indian floorboards be carried over to the HD. I know I can put aftermarket on in, but I'm just picking nits. I find myself having to kick my feet around the floorboards on the HD more than the Indian.

X-Factor: This is what pushed me over the edge. I got into it with my Indian dealership over the service department. With the Harley, I'm able to take care of a lot of mods and maintenance myself. If there is anything I need help with, I'm looking at a 4 day wait. The Indian is a bit more complicated, with loads of body work to have to remove just to get access to basic pieces of the bike (battery). There are also not a fraction of resources on the internet to assist in working on the bike as there are for HD.

The next piece is ease of modding and the aftermarket. There are about 5 manufacturers making exhausts for Indian... I think there are 2 that make headers. Everything else are slipons only. Things like the FP3 make tuning the HD a breeze, and the options for the Indian require you take the bike apart to get the same effect. As everyone here knows, the HD aftermarket is infinite. You can get anything you desire to throw on your bike to make it your own. Your bike is your canvas, paint away.

Finally, parts price. I can't believe how expensive basic parts are for Indian motorcycles. If you want to get a good laugh, just go look at the shop on their website. Cheap Indian brand slipons are $699 and accessory tips (mandatory), are between $150 and $300. It's $200 to install them, and $40 to flash with the stock map.

I'm sure there are things I am leaving out, but it's freezing cold and wet outside, so I figured I'd type for a while.

Overall, I didn't have a bad experience with the Indian motorcycle. I DID have a big problem with the Indian dealers and their service departments, the aftermarket, and the ease of maintenance/modding. God forbid I need to get some help with the bike. The service departments at both of our dealers within 100 miles are up to 6 weeks out. Two of them blamed BMW maintenance for the back log... Go figure.

 

Did you trade in the Dark Horse or are you selling it?

Both bikes a good looking machines. I stay with H-D because I have all the needed tools, manuals and experience. To old to learn anything new.

 

Traded it in. Got a good trade in offer with the 120% deal going on right now at my local.

 

nice wright up enjoy your bike RIDE SAFE

 

To me Indians are like an Edsel car. Both were great back in their time but don't look right in this day n age.

 

Congrats! Love the look of the Slim S..

 

I forgot to add comfort... After this afternoons ride, I can safely say that the seat on the Slim is not what I would call comfortable. I can go an hour or two on it just fine, but anything beyond that and I can feel the bones in my *** starting to push through my butt cheeks...

 

Congrats on the FLSS...nice choice indeed! I agree 100% on the engine comparison. Keep in mind the looser(more miles) the 110 get the better it's going to perform. I've since upgraded to a full stage1 on my SlimS and I can say is that I just absolutely LOVE this 110! All the motor I am ever going to need on a cruizer.

 

Congrats on the Slim S it's a very nice bike.

 

Awesome bike, bad seat. Totally agree. Check the S-Series - Home Base thread for ideas.

The Indian style doesn't do much for me. It looks forced and comes across fake. They get great reviews and I'm sure they are good bikes. I just think they look silly.

The Scout is the only exception.
As it turns out, Victory took the Scout and made it better with more displacement, more torque at lower RPM.