I looked at the idians but couldn't get to the cheapo look they have..my opinion..it looks like a Kawasaki or something metric.could be the best bike ever but just like the Harleys and that's what I buy.my friend also has two other bikes and they are both Harley Davidsons.he rides a lot and said he would never own another Harley aslong as he could get an indian.hes begged me to buy thew indian over the ultra but I cant do it.id rather work on my Harley than to have a bike that looks like a metric knock off.just saying.he may be on here reading my posts!!he may be onto something with the indian but I just cant do it.

 

I like the new radiused fender on the chieftain and the 116 upgrade was pretty solid. I have the Indian Scout bobber that I bought for a beginner bike for my girl as it’s very narrow and low.
One thing that the Indian has over the 2016 Ultra that I have is the Ride Command screen is way better in detail, it’s touch screen with gloves on and is bigger in size. I also thought the electric locks on the bags were cool. The 2018 model switches look good to me.
I still wouldn’t buy one over an HD mainly for the dealer network as noted already.

 

+10 on dealer lack of dealer network. I couldn't imagine touring with so few dealers available or on home front having to be satisfied with only one dealer. Stuff breaks on all makes and you need basic parts at times. HD has 3 dealers within 45 miles of me and closest Indian is 95 miles. HD network may be sparser in some places but not anything like Polaris when I checked their network a few months ago. BMW and a couple of other brands never entered my mind for yrs for same reason.

 

When I was shopping for my new bike last year I was considering the Indian Dark Horse. They are a good bike. All bikes will have some issues. The M8 has some issues as well.
Asking people here on a Harley site will obviously be Pro-Harley and some of the old school Harley riders will buy a no matter what. That's the old school mentality.
I totally disagree about the mentality about the dealer locations. When I went to the HD dealer looking at bikes the sales guy about walked away when I told him I was also looking at the Indians. He got very defensive and 1 of his arguments that HD was better was the large number of dealers in case my bike broke down on a road trip. My reply to him was... Why would I need a dealer with a brand new bike? My new bike should not be breaking down in my opinion.
I also believe that HD would have never came out with the M8 (more power) if it were not for Indians 111 engine. and the market share they were taking from HD. Competition is a good thing in this small market. It keeps the pressure for advancement of quality and innovation.
They both are good bikes and both have their pros and cons. You as a consumer need to test ride both and take long looks at both and decide which 1 calls to you more. It's your bike and you need to be happy with your purchase.

 

I couldn't have said it better myself - especially regarding the dealer network. If you really think your bike is that problematic that you need to be assured of a dealer close by, then you bought the wrong bike. I'm sure we're both going to get flamed for our opinions though.

 

Im not sure its really about the thought of buying a new bike and then breaking down every 200 miles. I think its more like, if something happens you are close to a Harley dealer. You might not be very close to an Indian dealer. To me, that stuff doesnt matter. I think the Indian is a pretty nice looking bike. That being said, I bought a Harley....... Not a fan boy, just liked it better.

 

I'm right there with you - I'm on a Harley forum for a reason, I just liked the Road Glide more than I liked the Chieftain. I just hate the fanboy mentality that refuses to see the good in another (American made) product. Competition is always good and while Indian may not be your cup of tea, they are far from being a bad motorcycle.

 

and there's more to the advantages of dealerships than just breakdown concerns...what if you want to get a tire, oil change, some services. lots of dealerships have bbq's, live music and bikini bike washes you can hang out at while you wait or just go buy another T Shirt to go with the 23 others you hardly ever wear!!!!

 

Bikini bike wash? Oh my, not near me but if there were......... Im getting my bike washed. Hopefully cool hand Luke style.

 

My coworker traded his SG for a Indian Roadmaster 111. He swears its more powerful than a HD, then went and added a big bore kit in it. For me, I just don't like the looks. But I smiled and said "nice bike" because it's just the polite thing to say. Plus it's his bike. But I have no desire to even sit on one nor care about it's power.


As for dealerships, it does matter, to me, that the HD dealerships are so plenty. I don't expect to break down, but if I do, I like that there should be one or more near by. My buddy has a SG.....got a flat heading into Louisiana and had it towed to a dealership in New Orleans for a tire. Here is the kicker!!! The tower was just some random guy (who rides a Harley) who lived near by....he went home and got his trailer and towed it. Same buddy had his expensive air shock go out heading back from Key West to Miami and had it towed to Miami and just went ahead with 13" stock shocks. Same buddy, same Key West trip... got a flat headed back from Miami to NC ...we had to stop at Daytona HD for a tire. We did an emergency plug and had to keep stopping for air just to get to that dealership. Man, I can't make this stuff up!!!! He's that one guy with no luck.


Plus, I loooooove stopping at dealerships while we're on our road trips and just meeting strangers. We were headed to Selma, AL and had stopped in at Montgomery HD. This couple told us a storm was coming and we could actually see it and was trying to out run it. They gave us a route that our GPS wasn't taking us and swore it would skirt us around it. They hopped on their bikes and led us 1/2 way to Selma just to be nice.