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Posted by indue
- February 12, 2019, 13:15:09 PMThis may not be a good comparison as I still have work to do on the Heritage namely, the carburetor needs to be looked after as the bike has probably not been driven in quite some time and I need to purge all the old gas. But here goes...Looks: both bikes are good lookers and actually I think the Drifter looks more authentic than the new Indian. The Heritage that I have has been made to look like an old bike of which the old Harley's particularly 1936-1963 I think are their best lookers. Engine: the Drifter motor is more refined and smoother and revs faster. The Heritage has quite a lot of vibration so, you really know you are sitting atop a V-Twin motor. But the motor works well. Maintenance: the Heritage requires a bit more as far as checking fluid levels namely, the trans and primary. Because the Drifter is unit construction it requires only one type of oil and the Heritage requires two, the primary and dry sump engine oil and the trans which is separate. As all of you know, you just have to check these things on both bikes. Drive: the Drifter has old style drive shaft nothing like the new BMW's and Guzzi's which are fully articulating. The belt drive on the Heritage works great and lasts a long time making it easier maintenance. Braking: I did put on a PM 6 piston front brake on the Heritage and new brake pads on the rear and they are not fully worked in yet but they will stop well so I don't have an opinion on that yet vis a vis both bikes. Ride: now here we get to the difference. The Heritage just rides and takes the bumps and the atrocious roads so much better that with my bad back this is a major plus. Trans: the gearing on the Heritage is a bit lower so you have to change gears a little bit sooner but, both are good shifters except on the Heritage it is quite difficult to find neutral. Handling: the Heritage handles better because (I'd have to look this up to confirm) it seems to have a shorter wheelbase and less rake making those U-turns and twisties a bit easier. Availability of parts: I really do like metric measurements but of course the Harley is English so there are a lot of proprietary parts on the Harley. How about 3/8X 32? That is all I can come up with because my bolt/nut measure does only 3/8X16 and 24. So, it is off to the Harley dealer to get a new one. Luckily, there are a gazillion Harley dealers around. I never had that problem on the Drifter as all of the metrics are standard. Dealer network is very good on Harley and I have one of the big one's within 5 miles and they are really nice people (not like yesteryear). Fuel consumption: I have not had a chance to analyze that aspect yet. Riders: Even though the Drifter riders don't number nearly as many as the Harley guys, I have never been one to buy anything because someone else has it. So, Drifter riders rejoice, you have an excellent bike.