Test drove an Indian Chieftain

[rdeady]

I really do love this Honda but I still need to find a shield that gives me what I was originally thinking I was going to have with the supp0ssed biggest best touring bike on earth. I was unhappy with seating positio or foot position ,the seat stinks in my humble opinion and wind protection is not as good as it should be and that's with all the shields I've tryed. I have licked the foot position by installing ergo 3s. The seat which almost angles downward had me constantly trying to slide forward but it's not slippery so it just tugs or pulls on my skin on legs and rear-end. Very uncomfortable. Using a airhawk r in the right positions gives me a slight tilt rearward alleviating that tugging.I still want a new seat. Probably going to go mustang just because it's lower and it's nice looking. The russell day long scoot up probably won't work for all the short rides and lights I stop at. And I've tried a bunch of shields including
Using madstad which did get rid of some of the buffeting but not all and it also whistles!
So I Tryed a new harley and the other day I test road a beautiful indian chieftain. I told the owner/ salesman who I know that there is only one thing that will make me trade in the f6b and that is a beautiful quite pocket of air in the driver's seat. They told me all about the new vents etc etc.and how great it worked. Well it did not. Now that windshield was the stock shield so it was small. On a positive note the bike has huge amounts of torque . Is reasonably smooth (about like the 2017 Harleys which really are much smoother then the 16s and older).The indians are beautiful,very comfortable and sound real good. But there was nothing about that bike that would get me off the f6b though.

[53driver]

I was reading my HOG magazine yesterday about the new motor, the Milwaukee 8, which is a 107....lol.
(yes, I'm a lifetime HOG member)
In order for it to get to 115hp, it has to have the Stage 1, 2, AND 3 kits installed.

I laughed and went out to pet Isleen.....
Cheers,
Steve

[opas ride]

Saw the new Motorcycle Consumer News review of the "new 107" motor in a road test of the Road King which is one their lighter bikes in the Touring line...An earlier article in another mag said the new HD's are a full two or three bike lengths quicker from 0-60 than last years model...Wow!! ...what a joke....The thing goes from 0-60 in 5.26 seconds and runs the quarter mile in 14.32 sec @94.56 mph.....Not so bad until you see that a stock F6B does 0-60 in 3.80 seconds and runs the quarter mile in 11.85 sec @104.65 mph...."Whoops".....

[ths61]

The 107 is one-upping Victory's 106, just like Indian's 111 one-upped HD's 110.

Victory has had 114 and 116 kits out for years now. Past time for them to do something stock.

[opas ride]

The 107 is one-upping Victory's 106, just like Indian's 111 one-upped HD's 110.

Victory has had 114 and 116 kits out for years now. Past time for them to do something stock.

Kind of seems like a big V-Twin "pissin" contest....You one-up my twin and I will do the same next time...Maybe one of these days the games will end, but that is what successful marketing is all about, or so I'm told....Meanwhile I will stick with my F6B motor which has been around "blowing off these big V-Twins" for 16 years.....Ride safe

[wantone]

After i totaled my F6B last year I bought Indian chieftain. I had it for 3 weeks and traded it for 16 Street Glide special. I do not know why I bought Chieftain. I have had close to 13 bikes in 3 yrs. By far best has been Street Glide FOR ME. See what I did there ? I highlighted " FOR ME". Why do most riders compare 6 cylinders with 2. I have no Idea. Every motorcycle is different. They all have good and bad. I went thru so many cycles in 3 years just to find the right one and I think I'm very close. I bought my SG in May 16 and by end of AUG I had 11000 miles on it. Travelled 19 states in 3 months. Never had a blast on any other bike.

F6b or some other bike may be the best in the world. But its not for everyone. SG fits me close to perfect and I luv it. It may not be reliable as Honda but I'm ok with that. With Chieftain I felt a need to shift into 2nd gear quickly compared to SG. Also there was clacking noise, it also was difficult to go into 2nd gear until bike warmed up. Chieftain felt like a tractor at lower torque, but at higher speeds was decent. Compared to F6B, SG feels like tractor too but F6b does not fit me well. I just love riding, and try to gather useful info from all the forums I've joined so far.

[JGF6B]

My madstad does not whistle; you should double check your installation.
Regarding wind: I have a madstad and baker hand wings. I believe most of the wind I feel comes up through the fork holes. If you're trying to eliminate all wind, look into the fork wind blockers.

[tiltingf6b]

I really do love this Honda but I still need to find a shield that gives me what I was originally thinking I was going to have with the supp0ssed biggest best touring bike on earth. I was unhappy with seating positio or foot position ,the seat stinks in my humble opinion and wind protection is not as good as it should be and that's with all the shields I've tryed. I have licked the foot position by installing ergo 3s. The seat which almost angles downward had me constantly trying to slide forward but it's not slippery so it just tugs or pulls on my skin on legs and rear-end. Very uncomfortable. Using a airhawk r in the right positions gives me a slight tilt rearward alleviating that tugging.I still want a new seat. Probably going to go mustang just because it's lower and it's nice looking. The russell day long scoot up probably won't work for all the short rides and lights I stop at. And I've tried a bunch of shields including
Using madstad which did get rid of some of the buffeting but not all and it also whistles!
So I Tryed a new harley and the other day I test road a beautiful indian chieftain. I told the owner/ salesman who I know that there is only one thing that will make me trade in the f6b and that is a beautiful quite pocket of air in the driver's seat. They told me all about the new vents etc etc.and how great it worked. Well it did not. Now that windshield was the stock shield so it was small. On a positive note the bike has huge amounts of torque . Is reasonably smooth (about like the 2017 Harleys which really are much smoother then the 16s and older).The indians are beautiful,very comfortable and sound real good. But there was nothing about that bike that would get me off the f6b though.

I own an Indian Scout 2015 first run model and I would have upgraded to the 2017 Springfield this year but Polaris and Indian don't have their act together when it comes to customer support. The 111's are known for their clacking noise and no fix on the horizon. Being air cooled they run hot, esp. in the summer. and you can forget the OEM windshields if you want quiet rides. For the life of me I do not know why motorcycle engineers don't spend some money on wind tunnels! The F6B is a dream boat compared to a lot of American bikes; its even boring because it is so reliable. When I tour I want reliable !!! Sure pretty is great if all you want is compliments but for me a motorcycle is about the ride and getting to where I am going.

[F6Dave]

If you want great wind protection try a BMW K1600. I rode one for about 50 miles. As I remember the powered shield moves forward as it moves up. I was able to have perfect wind protection at any speed at the touch of a button. If I wanted a little breeze I could have that too. It has loads of smooth power, too. It's an excellent motorcycle.

[Old Ryder]

But it is called a "motorcycle". Part of the attraction of riding a bike is the open feeling.

Now I full understand wanting to get that 60-80 MPH wind off of the face and chest. If you have wide bars and no wind protection, it tires me out quickly trying to hold on while being blown off the back of the seat. But I always thought that a little wind was SUPPOSE to be part of the motorcycle experience. I thought that was why they invented cars.