VOLUME ISSUE JUNE , P119
nicer to look at. With pull-back bars
and forward foot controls, ergonom-
ics were about the same as the Super
Scout, so the ride of the Classic was
no different.
There was a quick split where rid-
ers were offered the option between
a short 25-mile route to the hotel or
70-something miles of more enter
-
taining roads. We like fun here. Over
the next hour, we twisted and turned
through what felt like three states.
Weird little backwoods hippy towns
and some freak-out redneck stuff
you'd never expect to see in the Bay
Area. It was great fun. We pulled out
of the forest and back onto PCH in
what seemed like a time warp and
were straight into Santa Cruz and at
our hotel on the water.
I checked into my room that
overlooked the boardwalk and slept
with the balcony door open, listening
to the waves all night and wonder
-
ing why they still used a USB-C for a
2025 model. And why all the handle-
bars mount to 1-inch risers but have
7/8 controls. I guess I'm glad to have
such small points to focus on with an
otherwise very well done bike.
We woke up to a breakfast buffet
over the water and a man drawing the
Indian Motorcycle headdress logo in
the sand in our view, though in the
two-hours we were there, he never
drew the face of the chief. We re
-
ceived the presentation and route for
the day, which would bring us back
into San Francisco through a series
of tighter roads along canyons and
creeks between Santa Cruz and SF.
I started our second day on the
Sport Chief with blacked-out fenders
and quarter-fairing, a blue-painted
gas tank, a 19-inch front wheel, and
5.5-inch risers with tracker-style bars.
This felt like a missed opportunity to
Stock brakes are a little sensitive and quick to bite, and soft front suspension does that action no favors.
