FIRST RIDE
P58
2014 INDIAN CHIEF CLASSIC, VINTAGE AND CHIEFTAIN
disappoint, having just that right
note and rhythm that definitely
pleased my ears. Overall, their
sound did remind me a bit of that
other well-known American motorcycle brand, but the Indians
do have their own distinctive "baba-ba-ba."
Even though the exhaust pipes
are ceramic coated, I did notice
a fair amount of heat coming off
them that I'm sure I'll appreciate
more in cooler weather than I did
here in Sturgis in July.
All is good in the shifting department as well. The transmission works silky smooth and
shifting is solid. And the gear
shifter has a very positive feel.
I did have to adjust the clutch
cable once after experiencing a
couple missed shifts and a hardto-find neutral at idle a few times.
It wasn't too concerning, however, considering the bikes we rode
only had a few miles on them and
had basically zero break in time.
The clutch itself also works very
well. I felt zero chatter and no
fade even in the harshest conditions. Lever pull is remarkably
light for such a big motor, which
is something I was very thankful
for during our first couple of days
of riding - much of which was
spent averaging no higher than
20 mph in stop-and-go traffic.
I learned the hard way that the
motors are fitted with a "knock
sensor" when the connector in
mine jiggled loose (most likely
caused by shipping rather than by
design), causing my bike to run
funny for a while. The knock sen-
(Left to right) The
Indian Classic,
Vintage and
Chieftain get things
started for the new
Indian Motorcycle
Company.
sor is designed to protect the motor from low-grade gas in case you
have to fill up with anything less
than the recommended 91-octane. The sensor prevents engine
knock by automatically retarding
the ignition timing. Very cool.
I was amazed by how well
these bikes handled for such
heavy, big and long machines.
They all feel extremely solid, offering a firm yet not-rigid ride,
and yield excellent communication between you and the pavement. Cornering is remarkable.
When leaned over (which you
can actually do pretty far before
things start dragging), the bikes
remain super stable and don't
get hardly upset at all when you
