2014 Indian Chief

[49Reo]

The things I do for you guys.....I went to Madtown, like I said I would. 300 miles (approx) to see and take pictures of the new Indian...what did I get? NOTHING! I get to the place, and they have a fancy new building just for the Indians, but NO BIKES! I walk in, and there is a front fender on a stand like some kind of trophy...accept for the wider chrome trim strip, it might have been off my bike...same colors and everything! The salesman come over and asks how I am...I say disappointed. He won't have any bikes until the first week in September. No sales brochures, no nothing, but a fancy building and a fender. On the bright side, the Drifter got 44 mpg running 75 mph on the "I". Down side:
I went to pull into a town to get fuel on the way back (180.6 miles-4.109g), and when I squeezed the clutch...there wasn't one! Pump like crazy, and I could get it to release long enough to shift down and get into neutral...coasted into the gas station, filled it up, pumped like crazy, and got into gear...back on the "I"...and back home. Called the dealer, he ordered me a rebuild kit for the master...won't be in 'till Friday. Glad I have the "W"....the last bike night of the season is Thursday!

...shades of the past...

[Troll]

WOW early winter for you people then......I am hoping to ride till at least end of Sept if not into Oct this year.

Bike night at the local Drive-in restaurant...I'm planning on riding into December, like I usually do.

[CDNRatMan]

the last bike night of the season is Thursday

WOW early winter for you people then......I am hoping to ride till at least end of Sept if not into Oct this year.

[Troll]

  The things I do for you guys.....I went to Madtown, like I said I would. 300 miles (approx) to see and take pictures of the new Indian...what did I get? NOTHING! I get to the place, and they have a fancy new building just for the Indians, but NO BIKES! I walk in, and there is a front fender on a stand like some kind of trophy...accept for the wider chrome trim strip, it might have been off my bike...same colors and everything! The salesman come over and asks how I am...I say disappointed. He won't have any bikes until the first week in September. No sales brochures, no nothing, but a fancy building and a fender. On the bright side, the Drifter got 44 mpg running 75 mph on the "I". Down side:
I went to pull into a town to get fuel on the way back (180.6 miles-4.109g), and when I squeezed the clutch...there wasn't one! Pump like crazy, and I could get it to release long enough to shift down and get into neutral...coasted into the gas station, filled it up, pumped like crazy, and got into gear...back on the "I"...and back home. Called the dealer, he ordered me a rebuild kit for the master...won't be in 'till Friday. Glad I have the "W"....the last bike night of the season is Thursday!

[darkdrifter]

edit

[John Hopkins]

I like the new Indians, and I like the engine..1810ccs, I like the price $18,500 up..I see  what you are all saying about it not looking exactly like an old Indian, but it IS an Indian..

Several of you have said you don't want your Drifter to look like an Indian, that you are proud of the Drifter look and now some of you are saying the Drifter looks more like an Indian than the Indian does..

Let's not lower ourselves to brand bashing, we have a great bike that will always get admired by riders and non riders alike, let's settle for that.

If I win the lottery this week I will go out and buy a new Indian, if not I will be proud to ride my Drifter..

John.

[Troll]

I'll be posting pictures of the 2014 Indians tomorrow, after I get back from Madison...I'm sure they will be no match for yours...

[darkdrifter]

keep in mind how many years it took for Victory to finally make a profit for polaris.  If I recall correctly, it wasn't until 3 or 4 years ago.  somebody may have to fact check me on that.
I figure they'll do the same for Indian if it doesn't make money right away.  and even though I don't agree with some of their marketing approach either, I'll still force myself to give them the benefit of the doubt and think they may change the design if these 14's don't sell.
I'm glad victorys are out there, I just think their ugly in some ways, and trying to copy too much off harleys and the metrics in others.  thats jmo, and if we all liked only one style of bike, it would be a boring mc world.
what dissapoints me is how much you see victory in these new Indians, all the way down to the engine.
it may be pushrods, but its still same layout, with "oil cooled" design.
I'm no expert, but I am "told" that a rh side drive on a standard vtwin is "better balenced" and more torque.  Not to mention, its a whole lot less time consuming and less of a pita to change a belt.  (could be wrong) either way, thats one carry over from victory I do like.

I also dislike polaris's approach to providing parts for their 2012-2013 Indian models (many still on dealer showroom floors).
Their approach is:  immdietly discontinue many of those parts while the new models are still being sold.  this is no joke (ask me how I know).
The only differances I see in my 09-2013 Indian service manul between the Kings Mountain era Indians, and the Polaris built Indians from mostly left-over parts (other than discontinuing many of the colors and models), is the forks where built by a differant manufacture and no longer have drains on the bottom for the oil,.... and a couple changes inthe fuse box.

My approach when I bought my 2010 Indian was to ride the crap out of it.  If parts fail or break, I'm gonna make/cut/morph/build myself to fix or make better.
I've actually only had a handful of small problems.  Polaris fixed them all that I turned in for warranty.  They where in no big hurry though.
I'm at 15000 miles, and the engine has been bullit proof.  It even got flooded in water just up to over the top of the cylinders in the missisipi river a few weeks ago (not a fun story).  Several engine oil/tranny/primary flushes later and its running better than ever.
I have added a tuner and pipes, and many many mods to the rest of the bike to get it where I wanted it.  Including a repaint.
anybody here considering buying a 09-14 Indian,  it really is a pretty dang good bike, you just better plan really hard when considering factory replacement parts.  but there are some things in your favor.  the baker dd6, for example.... thats obviously not a issue as far as maintance and parts.
I could go on and on.  and the end of the day, its a overpriced bike (duh), and it looks like it still is, just not as bad, till you go putting some of the accessories on it.... $900 for a rear seat back rest?  seriously?   even my kings mountain indinan backrest was only a couple hundred.
leather bags are even more than for the last model.  (take a look at the leather bag prices, I dare you, lol!

oh well, the drifter is a better bike to me in many ways, but its definetly not as good in many others for what I want in a bike.  we're all differant.

The new 2012 and 13's that where unsold at the dealerships all dropped quite a bit in price when the price of the 14's where revealed.
Should any of you have any questions considering purchase on a 09-13 Indian, I'll be happy to give you my opinion or advice I can offer.
speaking of which, here are some pics with the woman from most recent little photo shoot with my Indian at my buddy's vtwin shop.
she borrowed a headress and we got out the body paint.
We're going to have to do some pics with the drifter like this,

NWS NWS NSFW NSFW!!!!!
NUDE BUT CLASSY, LOL!!!
AGAIN, NWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h322/stormpatchkid/Indian%20at%20JJ/chuniversal1654_zps21aa2269.jpg
http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h322/stormpatchkid/Indian%20at%20JJ/chuniversal605_zpscf4fd8f6.jpg
http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h322/stormpatchkid/Indian%20at%20JJ/chuniversal1682_zpsf205b056.jpg
http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h322/stormpatchkid/Indian%20at%20JJ/chuniversal1600_zps59cbbbcd.jpg
http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h322/stormpatchkid/Indian%20at%20JJ/chuniversal699_zps3a9fd278.jpg

[draconarmy]

I want tgo say wraped but cant remember for sure

[Petemoss]

Draconarmy, was the lid or top of those bags leather or leather wrapped aluminum?

[Petemoss]

You know, I actually like the idea if a hard bag wrapped in leather. You have the classic look of leather with the durability of a hard shell.

[dakuhosu]

ok so having seen them in person I am left less than impressed by these new Indians.  the apparent soft bags are in fact aluminum bags with a leather coating.  the dual exhaust is actually two pipes into one and back to two and the cross over is smaller around than the handlebars.  don't get me started on the price tag.  nope I think I will stick with my drifter any day.  that being said they will be rolling out some accessories that should fit our bikes with minimal tweaking, perfect for those of use trying to clone our drifters into Indians.  from some beautiful leather mudflaps with and without fringe luggage racks and winsheilds all with that indian head blazend across them.

That's the spirit. Some good will come out of this and it'll be more cool stuff for our Drifters, yea!

[draconarmy]

ok so having seen them in person I am left less than impressed by these new Indians.  the apparent soft bags are in fact aluminum bags with a leather coating.  the dual exhaust is actually two pipes into one and back to two and the cross over is smaller around than the handlebars.  don't get me started on the price tag.  nope I think I will stick with my drifter any day.  that being said they will be rolling out some accessories that should fit our bikes with minimal tweaking, perfect for those of use trying to clone our drifters into Indians.  from some beautiful leather mudflaps with and without fringe luggage racks and winsheilds all with that indian head blazend across them.

[Troll]

  Ok... I decided. Monday, bright and early (I'll wait for sunrise) I'm riding down to Madison to Englehart Motorsports and look at and photograph the new Indians. I will post non media pictures here for you to see. I will not go out of my way to be flattering.

[dakuhosu]

Forgive me for being a little jaded about our lost media . When I look at an older Indian model they look so long and sleek, the engine, while not the flathead, looks like a Jewell sitting in there, I even got used to the little gap in the rear of the engine. I have to say I'm in love with them. New ones, not so much. Like you I can't wait to see one all chopped up. If can get behind an SX650 custom, I can sure get behind a new Indian custom. If I was Jay Leno I'd buy one even, two just to chop one up. Plus I'd put one of those new engines in an older model. 

[Troll]

MCN will pick it apart. They always do and I trust their opinions about the performance, not just the looks. After I hear about the mechanicals, I will wait for the customizers to do their thing. I will never be able to afford one of these, but there is one thing you MUST admit about them. they are NOT a kit softail like the predecessors. There is an dealer about 150 miles away, so I'm thinking it might be worth a road trip just to see one up close. I posted on their facebook page about the hard bagger being available without the fugly fairing, but in 2 days, nobody has resopnded

[dakuhosu]

Torch how? On the Aluminum frame? Plastic Fenders? Buy it and park it like an Edsel, it may be worth something someday. Not to be a complete downer but most media today is paid advertising. I personally don't believe anything that I might catch a glimpse of on TV, I worked in film production in Hollywood and left because what I was seeing was going to give me cancer it was so bad, and I'm talking about the programming, not the microwaves. Everything is a lie!

[Troll]

I'm going to wait for a road test from Motorcycle Consumer News before I make any kind of value judgement that isn't based purely on the look...or lack of it. If the power/handling/overall performance is there, then the rest could be fixed by whacking off the ugly parts. I hate bar fairings, they all look like afterthought crap. If they wanted to make  a "touring" model, a frame mount fairing would have been the way to go since it doesn't require messing with the steering geometry to make it work. Sorry, they are mostly pretty ugly...but if they go and stop and turn decent, then out comes the torch!

[dakuhosu]

No amount of marketing or feel good social media campaigns can fix this. Longtime Indian owners are aghast. Other forums have little if anything good to say. I bet the people who are talking it up are all Polaris employees getting paid for it. I just don't get it, with so many talented builders building outstanding bikes in their garages how a company like Polaris can manage to screw this up so bad. Some of those changes were purely cosmetic and added nothing. That headlight belongs on something else all together. Why so much Chrome on everything? An aluminum frame? WTF? Mag wheels??? I never liked the style of Victory and these look just like them. Look around, nobody has anything good to say. Getting the word out is not saying anything good about it. Nobody is praising this or that or anything specific. I can't stand those friggin handlebars and all that junk on them. When the trend is to hide everything Polaris piles even more useless chrome crap on the bars...look at meeeeeee. That is one ugly fairing too. That whole bike reminds me of a Kawasaki Police Special, tell me it doesn't. I think the police special even has more genuine style. Ok, so the engines cool.

[FloridaDrifter]

I've got to say that Polaris has done a great job getting the word out and creating a buzz.  People are talking about their bikes.  That had to be goal #1.  Now they need more dealers to put butts on bikes.  Then its up to the product to make its statement.

[DC]

Two years from now, Polaris will be offering HUGE discounts on their remaining production.  Their new Indians are not Harley killers.  It's just the wrong way to market this.  Harley is about everyone thinking they are different, but actually they are all cookie cutter clones.  Wear a black leather jacket (like mine) and grunt occasionally (like me).  The Indians will be too different, and so much so that existing Harley riders will be afraid of being ostracized by other Harley riders for having a weird, non-Harley bike.

Beyond that segment, the remaining market is even more limited.  Figure in maybe 1,000 boomers longing for the nostalgia, and possibly 50 Drifter owners (if that), and you can see there is very limited demand for this brand now.  So once the peak demand is filled in the first two years of production, there's probably not a lot left to keep a full-time factory going.  But who am I to say.  We'll see what actually happens.

Well, there you have it.  That's my crystal ball.      

[49Reo]

Hopefully they realize their mistake and correct it...would hate to see them (Indian) fail again.

[dakuhosu]

Yep, old Indian way sweeter. I have to say the old engine looks good too. That is a handsome engine even if it doesn't look like an old flathead. No dealer support, styling farts all over, I predict a big fail.

[49Reo]

They should have left well enough alone. Maybe the engine would have been okay, apparently there have been issues with the bottle cap engines in the past. But they should have left the overall styling alone. IMHO.

[Petemoss]

I can't believe Polaris thinks the machine they reintroduced as Indian looks better than its predecessor. No question IMHO the previos model is way sweeter.