The guys in this photo are my build team, the body shop guys, the Indian engineers and the shop foreman:
OK, on to the cosmetics:
First, the fit and finish is
far superior to my Gilroy bike, and I
love my '02 Chief. (I've spent hours riding, fixing, polishing and cursing at it, but I love it nonetheless.)
There is virtually nothing left to chrome! Everything comes
already chromed. Primary, controls, everything.
The Indian warbonnet has been moved back on the fender somewhat, and I was told by an Indian exec that it was
very intentional. "As a company, We intend to be looking forward into the future. The new warbonnet is symbolic of that." he said. From the plans I've been told for their new, upcoming bikes, they aren't kidding. I think even the most ardent Indian skeptics are going to be pleasantly surprised over the next few years. Shocked, even. But that's a whole 'nother thread.
The controls:
The foot controls are essentially the same as any Indian or HD, and it comes with a Baker 6-speed. (For anyone who cares to, Bert Baker wrote a letter to Indian which is posted on their website, in the blog section. He loves the bike.) I like how the shifter is slightly rocked upwards when it's in first. I'm a doofus, and tend to forget, and try to take off in second or third at lights, and here, I know instantly from the position whether I'm in first or not.
The hand controls take a bit of getting used to. They are very similar to Triumph controls, and apparently this has to do with ease of getting TUV certification for sales overseas. Once you do get used to them, they are actually pretty cool. You have a button on the front of the control pod to toggle through your gauges: tach, odo, amps, trip, etc. It doesn't have a gas gauge, per se, but it does have a fuel countdown. When you hit 1.3 gallons, the gas light comes on, and the VDO starts counting how many miles you've gone since the light came on. I've been brave (or stupid) enough to get up to 54 miles on that function, but when I filled up it was right about 5.4 gallons. Eek! Not having to switch to reserve in heavy traffic is nice, though.
The handlebars are narrower than stock Gilroys, with just a shade of pullback.
Fairly comfortable for long rides, so far.
The Speedometer/multifunction gauge has better mounting placement than my old bike, and is large, and very easy to read, while still maintaining the classic look.
The seats are extremely comfortable, and my wife loves the passenger seat, as well as the new suspension. We went over some railroad tracks, and she started laughing, and said: "Hey! That didn't hurt my a**!" I also noticed she doesn't start griping about her hiney after two hours on the road, either. Big improvement! (Here, the Indian engineers tell me, they got an ergonomics expert to spend literally hundreds of hours designing and testing the new seats. It shows. They are as comfortable, to me, as a certain large Japanese touring bike...)
The key is enormous and heavy, but very cool:
The bike also comes with two twelve-volt power outlets for your GPS, radar detector, heated clothes, curling iron, or whatnot.
On the road: Shocking is probably the best way to describe the ride. After so many years on large American cruisers, I had literally forgotten what it felt like to ride a bike that handled like this.
Riding my '02 Roadmaster feels like riding a locomotive. It's long, and tall, and a handfull, particularly at low speeds. This thing handles like a MUCH smaller motorcycle. Say, a 1000/1200 size...or maybe even smaller...750, say. Incredible.
The thing feels actually, well,
nimble. It gobbles up twisties like some of the sportbikes I had in my younger (much younger) knee-dragger days. I have to force myself to back off sometimes...I keep scraping the footboards! The suspension is much better, and they are using a Fox monoshock. The bike comes standard with Metzelers, and the rear tire is now a 150 rather than the old 130. That's nice, because I always thought the rear tire on the Gilroy Chief was too skinny for that fat rear fender.
When you want to stop, and you grab a handful of those Brembos, hang on, elsewise, you will find yourself picking teeth out of the nacelle. Stop, and quick, it will.
The clutch is a Brembo hydraulic, and both it and the brake lever are fully dial adjustable. Very neat. Someone realized that not all of us have the same sized hands.
The engine itself is pretty awesome. It's 105 cubic inches, with closed loop fuel injection. Nice powerband, and it pulls really well, even with two-up. I hope to get it on a dyno sometime soon, and get an idea of the HP and torque, but from the feel, it's considerable more than my 100". The motor is regulated through an OBD-II computer, and it meets or exceeds all anticipated emissions standards. The exhaust has a catalytic converter in it, as well.
OK, now for the things I don't like:
-The front fender has those gaping holes in it for the brakes. It's jarring to the overall aesthetics of those swooping fenders, although I am told there are caliper covers, which will be body-colored, coming, and in the future, the front fender will be slightly redesigned to shroud the brakes.
Or, you can just get the short fenders (which were modeled after the 1938 Indian Chiefs fender). I didn't care for the short fendered version, but it really grows on you after you see it in person.
-The wiring for the hand controls is on the outside of the handlebars, and I think it looks cheesy. I'm not sure of the reason, and I hope they change it in the future.
-The exhaust note. The stock exhaust is VERY quiet. There is a 95dB exhaust in the works, as well as a set of true duals too. (I want me some DUALS!)
The bottom line:
Pretty awesome.
Sexy looks, great handling, and, reportedly, far better reliability. There
has been a report of some issues with some of the oil pumps being out of tolerance, and with porosity of at least one bikes' cases, but Indian transported
that bike back to the factory and rebuilt the offending items, under warranty, and at no cost to the owner, of course.
Thus far, I have to say, my experience with Indian, and with their customer service has been nothing short of amazing.
A phone call or email gets an instant response...even, on occasion, a response from the General Manager of the company!
If you aren't familiar with them, they are some impressive folks. The guy running the show for them is the former head of the Sportster and Buell divisions of HD, and among their engineers are some of the former top guys from Victory and HD. Take a look at their website for more info on them.
In spite of the crummy economy, and their somewhat high price, the bikes are selling quite well. I think these guys know what they are doing, have a plan, and are here to stay. In the case of Gilroy, they wanted to get to the point where they could compete with HD. The new owners plan to grow far more slowly, and expand into some interesting areas. They are even talking about a return to racing at some point.
Me, I'll keep my fingers crossed... and start saving for the 2011 "101" Scout.
-Doc
2009 Indian Chief: Ride report 
Re: 2009 Indian Chief: Ride report 
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