Demo Day at an Indian Dealership

[Soggy Biscuit]

Here are some pics of the bikes I got to demo. This happened today in Elizabethtown, PA. The one that called out to me the loudest was the Chieftain Dark Horse. What a gem of a machine it is! I was surprised how easy it is to maneuver and how wonderful its stock exhaust sounds. Yes, I became an F-word at the traffic lights, stop signs, and country roads. If I had the money to spend, a Chieftain Dark Horse would have been mine today. The rear brake on the FTR was a little spongy. Other than that, it was a breeze to ride. I didn't like its front wheel. Every time I leaned, it felt as if the front tire was flat or something. The Pursuit wasn't my bag, unfortunately. I developed a nasty hip cramp, pulled off on a side street, stood up, and proceeded to have a leg buckle and drop the bike. It was a hassle picking it back up due to how insanely hot it was and having the leg and hip issue. Throttle wasn't very responsive. Turns out it's due to some feature I was unaware of. I didn't really mess around with the menus and functions on the display screen. I left it on sport mode. Challenger Limited is amazing. I dig it more than the Pursuit. The Chief wasn't shabby either. The Scout Bobber 20 is way too small for me. My knees were resting on top of the fuel tank and the stock suspension jammed my lower back. Made my ride home a little more painful.

 

[Danno]

I have had that leg hip issue since my 1st bike..gs750l at 16yrs old. Cruisers have always been rough. Some are better than others. And sometimes back pain. I like the bikes but they dont like me. Really like the 23 softail s with the 107. I would need to add 4 in of seat height to be comfortable. But the bike looks how I would build a modern cruiser...minimal!

Many of my cruiser friends switched to wings and never looked back. Better ergos, great power and affordable. My old neighbor runs double darside and rides around hunting vtwins to race.

The indians are nice looking bikes....no doubt!

 

[Soggy Biscuit]

They are sweet bikes! I've always felt a pull toward them over HD for some reason. I made the FTR1200 look like a Grom because I'm so damn big and tall. Maybe that's one of the reasons the handling of the bike felt off. Another bike that makes my hip cramp up is the Kawasaki Vulcan and Vaquero. It cramps as soon as I lift my right leg and place the foot on the peg/floorboard.

If I come across a Goldwing that runs and at a reasonable price, I'll pull the trigger on it.

 

[Danno]

Vtwin? Evo ultra or classic with tall seat. Maybe foot board extenders.. 88s and 96s rode nice also ...efi I favored the delphi bikes

 

[Danno]

Check OH for wings.. private and dealers

 

[Soggy Biscuit]

Certainly not interested in DCT ones.

 

[Danno]

Neighbor rides 2007. The bike is double darkside with an all balls taper roller headstock bearing kit. The bike has racked miles in the last 3 yrs. I use to see these bikes sell for 3-7k. Crazy amount of standard equipment.

 

[DJ_MI]

Great pics! That looks like a lot of fun.

 

[Soggy Biscuit]

Great pics! That looks like a lot of fun.

Thanks! It was a lot of fun. The not-so-fun part was picking up that heavy ass Pursuit. I was already soaked in sweat and dead ass tired due to the heat and humidity. There needs to be more demo ride days out here. The closest Indian dealership is in a lot of hot water due to its owner being a scumbag. Prior to having my V-Strom, I almost bought a bike at the Wilmington, DE dealership 2 months before. Glad I didn't!

 

[DJ_MI]

Yeah, I’m sure that wasn’t fun. I just looked in their site and that thing is about 900lbs!? That’s crazy. I didn’t know bikes could be that heavy.

I’ve only been to one demo day and it was awesome. It was by Triumph. It worked; I didn’t know anything about them and left with a new appreciation for the brand.

My neighbor is super into motorcycles and being retired he has all the demo days scheduled and planned out. It’s always fun hearing about what he got to ride when he gets back.

 

[Danno]

Thanks! It was a lot of fun. The not-so-fun part was picking up that heavy ass Pursuit. I was already soaked in sweat and dead ass tired due to the heat and humidity. There needs to be more demo ride days out here. The closest Indian dealership is in a lot of hot water due to its owner being a scumbag. Prior to having my V-Strom, I almost bought a bike at the Wilmington, DE dealership 2 months before. Glad I didn't!

I call it heat brain..kinda euphoric and danderous. I actually ride different routes out of the logging yard depending on how much my brain was melted. Not fun with heavy bikes!

 

[DJ_MI]

Makes sense. I started to really feel sick while I was at work on Monday and didn’t want to ride home. I altered my route a little since I was feeling kinda slow in the head.

 

[Danno]

Makes sense. I started to really feel sick while I was at work on Monday and didn’t want to ride home. I altered my route a little since I was feeling kinda slow in the head.

I cheat..somewhat I down 48oz water laced with sodium bicarbonate at 6am and 12pm...I am still perplexed at soggy's adveture. I turned an 2007 xl883 upside down on the dyno ramp. No harm except pride..I really liked the low883... one of my top picks.

 

[Soggy Biscuit]

I cheat..somewhat I down 48oz water laced with sodium bicarbonate at 6am and 12pm...I am still perplexed at soggy's adveture. I turned an 2007 xl883 upside down on the dyno ramp. No harm except pride..I really liked the low883... one of my top picks.

Hip cramp formed while a mile or so into the ride on the Pursuit. I turned on to a side road to get away from the traffic since I wanted to park and stretch out the cramp. I couldn't get my right leg to cooperate quick enough to stabilize the stopped bike in order to get the kickstand down on the left side. It went down very gently since I tried with all what was left of my might to keep it from slamming down.

 

[DJ_MI]

That thing weighs triple what my bike weighs. I don't know if I could hold that up even without a leg cramp or heat exhaustion.

 

[klaviator]

My local Indian dealer had a demo day a few years ago. I took advantage of it to ride a few bikes. I had zero interest in riding the ginormous 8-900 pound cruisers. They didn't have an FTR so that left some different versions of the scout. The Bobber had a weird feet forward and low bars riding position that i don't see how anyone could find comfortable. Then I rode another Scout which felt much better. The motor and chassis felt pretty good. My favorite by far was the touring version with windshield, bags and floorboards. I'm not a cruiser guy but if I were, that bike would be one of the few that I would consider.

I didn't think I'd like the floorboards but I did.

 

[Soggy Biscuit]

That thing weighs triple what my bike weighs. I don't know if I could hold that up even without a leg cramp or heat exhaustion.

It's my natural reaction to try keeping something upright. It went down without making a single sound. I'll call that a victory of sorts. With my stature, I was able to lean over the bars and use that to my advantage in picking it back up rather than the back to the bike and lift with legs method. With my right leg the way it was, doing it the right way wasn't working whatsoever. I fessed up upon getting back to the dealership. They weren't mad and were glad I was okay.

My local Indian dealer had a demo day a few years ago. I took advantage of it to ride a few bikes. I had zero interest in riding the ginormous 8-900 pound cruisers. They didn't have an FTR so that left some different versions of the scout. The Bobber had a weird feet forward and low bars riding position that i don't see how anyone could find comfortable. Then I rode another Scout which felt much better. The motor and chassis felt pretty good. My favorite by far was the touring version with windshield, bags and floorboards. I'm not a cruiser guy but if I were, that bike would be one of the few that I would consider.

I didn't think I'd like the floorboards but I did.

Scout is a lovely line of bikes. My only complaint about them is the stock rear suspension. The pegs can be adjusted for taller riders and better ergonomics. It's a matter of finding one with adjusted pegs or getting somebody to do it. The low handlebars are a no-go since I'm so tall. My knees would hit them. The ones that work are the mini apes.

As far as the FTR1200 is concerned. Its riding position isn't bad at all. It's very close to how just about everybody looks on a common ADV/sport touring bike. The odd side is that sitting/riding position compared to where the pegs, rear brake, and shift lever are situated. It felt like an odd hybrid of a sport bike and ADV bike. It didn't take very long to get used to. Felt odd and a little off for a few minutes.

The Sport Chief was the huge draw on the one I went to. I never got a chance to ride it since it was being ridden by somebody each time I completed the 10mi lap.

 

[klaviator]

It's my natural reaction to try keeping something upright. It went down without making a single sound. I'll call that a victory of sorts. With my stature, I was able to lean over the bars and use that to my advantage in picking it back up rather than the back to the bike and lift with legs method. With my right leg the way it was, doing it the right way wasn't working whatsoever. I fessed up upon getting back to the dealership. They weren't mad and were glad I was okay.

Scout is a lovely line of bikes. My only complaint about them is the stock rear suspension. The pegs can be adjusted for taller riders and better ergonomics. It's a matter of finding one with adjusted pegs or getting somebody to do it. The low handlebars are a no-go since I'm so tall. My knees would hit them. The ones that work are the mini apes.

As far as the FTR1200 is concerned. Its riding position isn't bad at all. It's very close to how just about everybody looks on a common ADV/sport touring bike. The odd side is that sitting/riding position compared to where the pegs, rear brake, and shift lever are situated. It felt like an odd hybrid of a sport bike and ADV bike. It didn't take very long to get used to. Felt odd and a little off for a few minutes.

The Sport Chief was the huge draw on the one I went to. I never got a chance to ride it since it was being ridden by somebody each time I completed the 10mi lap.

I'm 6-2/34" inseam and didn't have knee clearance issue even on the bobber. The bobber was just very uncomfortable and hard on my back.

I would have ridden the FTR but one wasn't available to ride. It looks like an interesting bike.

I don't see myself ever buying an Indian because they are all too heavy. I decided years ago to not buy another bike over 500 pounds. For future bikes I'd like to stay under 400 pounds or at least closer to 400 than 500.

 

[Danno]

My vstar1300 is such a great bike. But engine tune is more adv and standard. The ergos are a long reach stting in the bucket style. Thes cruisers are beautiful but get kinda old fast. Windshields are necessary to not become a parachute in top gear. 70-80mph on the vstar. The engine is awesome but in the wrong chassis. I also felt this way about many harleys. My strom on the other hand works great...annoying because it is just some zook answer to a do all touring bike sourced from parts bins.

Tall riders might prefer the ultra or classic harley tour models to the softail style cruisers from any brand. The ergos are superior but the weight is enormous. There are tons of parts for these bikes..so a tall seat or long reach sitting in the bucket seat is not hard to find in take off parts.