Words to Live By

Don't be afraid your life will end; be afraid it will never begin.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Bragging Rights and the New Indians


Yes, I'm bragging. Our lovely Phoenix winter weather has afforded us with some beautiful riding weather. Again. And for those of my friends in sunny CA, where the winter has been unseasonably warm: this post does not necessarily apply to you. This is for all my east coast people who are freezing to death and wishing, hoping, and dreaming of riding weather.

Yesterday, Daryl and I rode over to Ride Now Motorsports to see the new Indians. I'd like to start by saying the ride was gorgeous. We were in t-shirts. And it was a great ride.


The first bike I laid eyes upon was the Indian Chief Classic. It was Indian Motorcycle Red. Not my favorite color. But the only other options are Thunder Black or Springfield Blue. The Chief Classic was very comfortable and for around $19K, I could have rolled it out the door.


Then I strolled over to the Indian Chief Vintage in Thunder Black with distressed leather seat and bags in tan. What a gorgeous bike! The Chief Vintage was definitely my favorite. It had the tall quick-release windshield, and it looked perfect. The Chief Vintage starts at just over $20K.


The Indian Chieftain starts at $23K. The model on the floor was Thunder Black with black leather seats. The Chieftain has hard bags and a fairing. The fairing is reminiscent of a Honda Goldwing fairing with the odd marking lights out on the 'wings'. I'm also not a fan of fairings in general, as I like to see everything in front of my bike. I don't like that blind spot. The bags are awesome. You can't unlock them without the key fob. They automatically lock when the key fob is away. I like that feature.



There was enough chrome to sink the Titanic, twice. These bikes were all visually pleasing. The motor is beautiful and very detailed. I believe people who don't enjoy motorcycles in general (do these people really exist?) would appreciate the beauty that is the Indian Thunderstroke 111.

With a 5-year extended coverage service contract that includes roadside assistance, the new Indian has it all. But I think if I were to buy one (never going to happen), I would have to get it painted a nice cream, or pearl white. The color options are severely limited, but there's always custom paint.

I can't afford a new Indian right now, so for now I'll suffer the ride on my beautiful Road King, Victoria Ann. At least I'm not suffering like you poor east coast folks with the bike all winterized and in the garage looking sad, while the snowblower stands at the ready. Yeah, at least I have that.

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