OK, sell me on the F6B

[opas ride]

Having owned and ridden 2 Victory motorcycles and several Indian bikes at demo rides, it all depends on what one wants in a bike...After riding my F6B for over 2 1/2 years now...no question that the F6B is the way to go..Smoother, faster, one of the more reliable bikes on the planet, not much chrome to polish and handles like a dream...The Indian is way heavier, over 900lbs, and is just not my type of bike..You will spend a lot more on it and why??...At 76 years of age I did not want to wrestle with a heavy V-Twin bike and the F6B was my answer...Spend the cash you will save on the Honda and outfit the F6B the way you want and enjoy a truly great bike...I thought that at 55 I was on my last bike!!....Since then I have had 6 different bikes and none as nice a ride as the 6.....JMHO...

[Miks]

Since I have owned a plethora of motorcycles...I think about 37 counting my 2015 Honda F6B, I hope I can help you decide what bike you should purchase.

First off, I categorize a motorcycle as different than most other products we buy. A motorcycle has soul, but it also has to have that look to it that you enjoy. Nothing like going for a ride, parking your motorcycle alongside a river or other photographic scene, and just staring at it because you enjoy it that much. If you don't like the looks of a bike, you can't use the more analytical approach to ownership, it is all about the visual and character of the bike that will make that decision.

That being said, I ride my F6B with a Indian Chieftain rider, and can give you some input to how the bikes compare. I traded my 2015 Victory Cross Country for the Honda F6B, and it was the best decision I have made in a while.

First off - Indian will be around for a long time! I have gone to the Polaris factory in Spirit Lake IA, as the factory is about 100 miles from my place. The Indian is a totally re-engineered motorcycle from what piece of crap they ended up with just to have the Indian name. The bike has a lot of shared component engineering from the Victory, which is a good thing. The Victory 106 Freedom engine is built like a tank, and from modification companies, they say it is a very hard engine to blow up! The transmission is a Victory 6 speed, so it is going to make a lot of CLUNK, but it is a certified 100,000 mile + transmission so abuse it if you want.

The Honda F6B is more of a practical everyday bike, it handles better and will leave the Indian in the dust (why do you think the F6B has such large mirrors?, to watch the rest of the bikes while you are pining the throttle!) Anyway, the F6B has the engine performance, and is generally smoother with a transmission that is hugely slicker when it comes to grabbing the next hear. When I say "everyday" bike, I mean the weather protection is better around your legs, and the batwing fairings always have airflow from the bottom that seems to slip up to your chest and face. The F6B doesn't have that annoying characteristic.

While riding with the Indian Chieftain, both are equally comfortable, and amazingly get about the same gas mileage if not the edge to the F6B by two or three miles per gallon. What I like is that I don't have to search for premium fuel all the time, as the F6B uses 86 octane regular. In the Chieftain manual, it states that you can use a lower octane, but for best performance 91 octane should be used.

If you ride a lot in warm weather, the F6B is going to be the bike of choice. The radiators get rid of the heat away from you for the most part, while the Chieftain...especially in stop and go traffic, is a very warm bike in that the heat radiates right at you and the engines run HOT! I had a temperature gauge for my oil on the Victory, and it would run 220 to 245 if the temperature was above 85 degrees and we ran the bikes hard, but according to the engineers I have spoke to, they aren't worried until it gets in the 270 + range and they really aren't all that concerned about that either.

The Chieftain is more top heavy, and it does NOT have reverse gear. The electronics are a little more advanced IE bluetooth from the dash, so you can link your phone to your helmet, and it does have the throttle by wire. Now, if you were talking a Harley Vs. Indian Chieftain, forget about it, the Indian is a no-brainer. But, if you like pure reliability and refinement, the Honda is the answer hands down.

The belt on the Chieftain is a 40,000 mile replacement interval, so not a big deal, they are cheap. Going between the two bikes, and other Indian riders that we swap bikes at times, most can't believe the performance and fun the F6B brings to the table. I enjoy the thump of the big V-twin as it is a single pin crank similar to the Harley, so it has that "heart beat potato-potato" sound, and it has torque out the wazoo. It is the real deal if you like big V-twin bikes.

While riding to a resort, we stopped at a popular watering hole for a cold beer on the way home, and I told my riding buddy that the attention to his bike would be insane, as it is a nice looking bike with all the chrome, and most Harley guys like Indian motorcycles. To my amazement, most people would look at the Indian and like the looks, but they were more involved with "what the heck is this...a HONDA?" and then they would go on about how they owned a Honda at one time, and thought the F6B was one cool bike.

Go figure, huh?

[VP8]

Like what others have said, you really need to ride both and decide which you enjoy riding most. Also, another thing to consider is, are you going to be riding a passenger. If you are riding a passenger more than just a little...then you may want to consider a bike with a trunk...such as the full dress Honda Goldwing or the Chieftain you are contemplating about. I know Indian dealers will let you test ride the bikes...and some Honda dealers will too. It's just something you will have to pre-arrange with the salesperson.

Now, I've ridden the full dress Honda Goldwing, Indian Chieftain, HD Street Glide, HD Ultra Limited CVO, owned a Victory Cross Country (also owned by Polaris) and of course currently own a F6B.

The HD bikes have nice low end power, shake like crazy at idle and are a bit cramped for the rider. The Chieftain was well balanced, good control, decent power, but I also felt cramped, similar to the HD. My 2012 Victory Cross Country, which I owned for one year and ridden over 26K miles on was very smooth, decent gas mileage, very roomy for the rider and had mass loads of saddlebag storage. My problem with it was reliability, parts availability from Polaris and lack of dealerships near me. During my one year of ownership, I ran into eight warranty problems...one of which was the belt pulley was defective and squealing. Polaris agreed to replace the pulley, but not the belt. Generally, when ever you replace the pulley, it is best to replace the belt at the same time. On one warranty issue (porous cylinder head), my bike was sitting at the dealer for over 45 days waiting for a new cylinder head to arrive from Polaris. I was so pissed off, I managed to find one myself.

Since maintenance and reliability is a big factor for you...you really need to do some research on not only the Indian brand (since Polaris took over) but you should also do some research on Polaris as well. As others have said...shaft drive is maintenance free. Verses a belt, you have to replace the belt and pulley every 30K miles...which I believe can cost somewhere around $500 with labor.

As for electronics, Indian does have Honda beat on that. The Chieftain has bluetooth, remote control lock saddlebags (the full goldwing has this too), key fob electric start and an electronic adjustable windshield. However, the Chieftain does not have reverse gear like the full goldwing does.

As for power...Honda is way more powerful than the Chieftain.

I've owned my F6B for a little over a year now...and I love it...I haven't had one warranty issue on this bike yet. There is that one recall that people have discussed, but I haven't experienced any problems, so I will wait until my next service interval to have that issue taken care of. I rarely take a passenger, and I know how to pack light, so this bike was perfect for me, as I was contemplating on purchasing the full goldwing.

Hopefully this has been of some help...good luck with your decision.

[stroguy]

Hey Miks and VP8, you guys upset with Twitter? Freakin sweet you 2. Now let your keyboards cool down.

[shooter]

I thought I was reading a novel.

[stroguy]

I thought I was reading a novel.

The wives must be out of town. I originally was going to post 'cause I like it'. Guys make us look bad. Where's Phantom?

[yardart]

You need to ride both bikes, they are different style of riding. Enjoy them both before you decide.
Or just buy them both..

[willtill]

Will never own another piece of shit Vic.

Went back to Honda for reliability.

[Texas TC]

Watch out for Polaris warranty issues. I owned a Polaris Razor for a while and Polaris refused to warranty every issue. I had bought an extended warranty that I cancelled before the original warranty ran out because they were so bad about servicing problems. I really like their new Sling Shot as a novelty bike but would not own one or any other Polaris made product.

I have had my F6B for three years and nine months. I have almost 33,000 miles and truly love this motorcycle.

[xgringo]

Hey lhurker!!

This is all GREAT info. Let me add one tiny detail. The F6B is very easy to lift. It weighs about 55 pounds more than my previous bike an 08 Kaw Nomad but it is sooo much easier to lift if it goes down. In fact I couldn't lift the Nomad when loaded for travel. I know, it went down in an oil puddle at a Love's fuel stop in Texas. Happily some strong employees saw me struggling and helped me upright her commenting as they lifted at how heavy it was.

On that same trip I was rear ended at low speed in San Miguel de Allende in front of two cops. The Nomad was a tank and could take it, but one of the cops had to help me lift it. So when you move to the F6B you will in effect be downsizing although to a possibly heavier but a far better bike. And if you ride alone as I do this is a biggy.

Enjoy!!
Tom