VOL. 50 ISSUE 34 AUGUST 27, 2013
hit a bump in the road. The folks
at Indian said they spent a lot of
time and hard work on the Chief's
chassis and it certainly shows.
As strange as this may seem,
the big Chieftain felt more sporty
and nimble than the other two,
which probably has a lot to do
with its steeper head angle and
shorter wheelbase. The Vintage
and Classic had more of a traditional, lazy cruiser-style feel,
which is fine for those easy Sunday jaunts. When speeds picked
up, I preferred to be on the Chieftain, though its extra weight compared to the other two bogs it
down just a bit power-wise.
Big cruisers aren't known for
their plush rides but the Indians
P59
aren't bad. The Fox air shocks,
which come with a hand pump for
quick adjustments, provide some
cush, as do the forks. The fork,
however, dives quite a bit initially
when hard on the front brake. It'll
settle nicely, however, midstroke.
Braking power is sufficient but
typically big-cruiser soft. One or
two fingers on the large frontbrake lever was usually sufficient
for casual stopping, but you'll
need a good squeeze on the dual
300mm floating discs up front
to get immediate results. I'd say
they're strong, but not grabby.
ABS is smooth and not overactive. They keep to themselves until you need them.
The bikes are ergo-friendly for
sure. Layout is all cruiser but still
comfortable. We did a lot of riding
over the three days and I never
felt the need to take a break due
to fatigue or soreness. The bikes
we rode were pre-production
units and we were told that the
seats for the Vintage and Classic models weren't completely
settled on yet. Either way, the
seats on the bikes we rode were
acceptable.
The Chieftain's fairing and electronically controlled windscreen
do an admirable job of protecting the rider from the elements.
The windscreen has four-inches
of adjustability; for my 5'11" frame
that was just enough. I preferred
the lowest setting most of the
time so I could peak over the top.
Droning along above 60 mph,
however, I'd press the button on
the fly and raise it to its fullest
