HARLEY-DAVIDSON ROAD GLIDE ULTRA VS INDIAN ROADMASTER
COMPARISON
P62
would look utterly crappy with a
Garmin system wedged some-
where readable.
The Indian's cruise control
system is on the right, under
the throttle, and if you've got
smashed up hands like me,
holding the throttle and reach-
ing to activate cruise is annoy-
ing at best. The stereo controls
on the left are unnecessarily
huge and spaced out, but next
to them lies an ace in the In-
dian's arsenal, the switch for raising
and lowering the screen. Like the
Indian not having GPS, the fact you
cannot raise or lower the screen on
the Harley is a fail. Both Kit and my-
self found the H-D screen was just
a touch too short (we're both over
6'0", so if you're shorter you may
not have this problem), meaning
helmet buffeting was almost always
on the cards above 60 mph. An-
other fail is the fact that the Harley
doesn't have heated grips or seat,
both of which come standard on
the Indian. Again, these are things
that should be standard equipment
on premium bikes such as these,
and not having especially heated
grips on the Harley feels like penny
pinching.
Away from the lights, the Harley
has it over the Indian. The Mil-
waukee machine's better throttle
response, smoother engine char-
acter and far nicer gearshift action
makes the initial blast up through
the gears less labored than the
Indian. But it's not faster. The
Indian will pull away harder and
faster, just not as smoothly, and
while drag ΒΌ-mile times are as
good as pointless in a test like
this, it's the Harley that gets the
nod at this point. Those extra In-
dian cubes are felt immediately,
as are the vibrations under hard
acceleration. It'd be interesting
to see if the Screamin' Eagle
(Above) Two helmets for the
H-D to one for the Indian.
(Right) The Roadmaster
tips the scales slightly
heavier than the Road
Glide, but is a clear winner
in the looks.
THOSE EXTRA
INDIAN CUBES
ARE FELT
IMMEDIATELY,
AS ARE THE
VIBRATIONS
UNDER HARD
ACCELERATION.
