Regrets?

[opas ride]

I bought the Deluxe as I wanted the extra things without having to add on later...You will not go wrong with the F6B as it is a great bike in all regards...The Indian is also a great bike and I have ridden one a few times...If I did not love my F6B, I would probably buy the Indian above all other V-twin's available...I thought my 99 Valkyrie,(at age 59) would also be my last bike...Wrong!!..Now at 74, I have had 5 others and enjoyed them all...Depends on your needs whether or not to buy the Deluxe and only you can answer this....I added the Cobra pipes, Mustang seat, Kuryakyn grips, and other goodies, besides a custom paint job...allof which did not come cheap....In my opinion, if you are planning on keeping this bike a long time, Honda is pretty darn reliable and plenty of dealers etc...., but Polaris/Victory/Indian is growing everyday and adding more dealers.....PS, I definitely would go for the self-cancelling turn signals as the older we get they sometimes get left on!!!....Good Luck

[Ixol Phaane]

Hi folks,

New prospect here. I'm wanting some feedback on an unanswerable question before taking the plunge is such a thing is possible. So here's the backstory: In 40 years riding (off/on), I've never had a completely "new" bike. Closest was a few months old trade in of a M109R right after they came out. (I guess even the F6B wouldn't be totally "new" in that I'm looking at t 2013, but all the miles would be mine so I do still consider it new and ultimately, my CHOICE rather than someone else's hand-me-down.) At 58, I'm realistic that this could possibly be my last bike or perhaps my only new bike ever. (I'm not the guy that can afford to trade every riding season and this would be a 72 month loan anyways.) Final data point: My "dream bike" remains the new Indian Chieftain -- not so much for riding reasons as for style and image and yes, the "American" factor although that goes deeper for me being a Minnesota boy and Polaris being a Minnesota company in origin.

So all that factored in, am I going to regret this purchase? I absolutely love the look and ride of the F6B and I've been enamored of Gold Wings from their very inception. I guess bottom line is I don't see having the extra $8k+ that a Chieftain would set me back anytime soon and I very much do feel the biological clock ticking before it's time to consider a sidecar, trike, or Spyder. What say ye?

Hey, Big...

The new Indian Chieftain looks like an awesome bike with great specs. It looks to me like it's got a lot going for it. I don't envy the choice you're faced with.

The F6B and the Chieftain represent two different rider styles, in my opinion, so you gotta ask yourself which style fits you. Are you more a traditionalist when it comes to riding.. or are you more progressive in your tastes? I don't think you can go wrong with either machine.

I'm 52. I've been riding my own bikes since I was 18. I started with a Honda CB400 way beck then, and I've racked up close to 300k miles. I've been blessed with a solid career so all of my bikes (8 over the years) have been bought new. They have all been Honda street bikes but one Kawasaki. My taste is more progressive and I have owned a big Gold Wing, a VFR race styled bike and even a Pacific Coast. None of my bikes has ever let me down. My last bike was a VTX1300S cruiser (go figure) that I rode, contentedly, for 11 years.

I couldn't be happier with my new F6B. I wanted a bike that handled well in the city, and that had the gravitas for going the distance on the open road. My previous experience with the Gold Wing showed me its reputation for long distances touring was truly earned. And every review and write up I read before I bought my F6B was glowing. It's a challenge to find someone who has anything negative to say about the bike - aside from a lack of certain equipment like cruise and reverse. I can add cruise to my F6B, and that would make it MY dream bike.

But... there's a lot to be said for dreams and I'm big on going after 'em. I was soooo ready to drop coin a year ago for the 2013 model F6B, but couldn't swallow either red or black color, so waited. Honda rewarded my patience with the new fastest yellow.

If the Chieftain really is your dream bike, then I think you should either be patient for a year and save some cheddar by buying a model year sell-off (?)... OR do what it takes to make the down payment sooner.

I guess the bottom line here is... if you choose the F6B, I think you might regret it. NOT because the F6B a lesser bike, (it ISN'T, it's a GREAT bike)... but because you may feel you didn't buy what you really wanted.

Ooooh... choices.. choices.

[Injun Joe]

Thanks folks for all the great advice up to now! I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive to come here with this in that I've posted questions to other forums only to have my premises completely disregarded. I really appreciate you all being respectful of them. Now to a couple specific follow ups:

To the person with the used F6B, hit me up with specifics. Understand it would have to make financial sense which would include a bank and a transfer from where you are to where I am in Colorado. (I'd most likely want to make a road trip out of it. )

To the person saying the Indian and F6B are different riding styles, I would beg to differ having ridden both extensively. That is part of what makes consideration of the F6B possible but I can understand your comment if you've never ridden the Indian. I have never ridden a V-twin that is so well balanced and so stable and vibration free. As my wife says, it's alchemy. Where I see the difference is in style. I realize I'm style conscious and at my age, I'm unapologetic for that. But I appreciate both styles. Truth be told, the F6B style is more consistent with who I am: I believe in riding protection and full face helmets for instance.

Maybe I should be giving the heated grips more consideration. I keep hearing about this "revelation" thing, I live in a highly variable climate and I do have some hand aches, numbness, etc.

I really hope I don't have to go for a taller windshield. This is one area where the F6B has it all over the Indian. I am absolutely adamant about looking over a windshield so that's the starting point. I could add SOME height and still look over but the way I've had it explained is the stock shorty blocks body wind and pretty much allows full helmet wind. Whereas slight increases in height actually induce buffeting. I'm just going on what I've been told here. I'll confer with my buddies at Clearview tomorrow.

To the person who claimed hardly any down sides to the F6B. I start hearing a growing list of nagging (non show stopping) ones. The biggest bummer is the "drone" of aftermarket pipes. I'm not a loud or "macho" pipe sound guy necessarily, but the stock "Jetsons" sound is border line embarrassing to my sensibilities. So I'd prioritized different pipes quite highly heavily favoring the Cobras because they look so bad*ss. I'd already noticed that first gear is way too short. Not a show stopper for me, but a nit. Earlier today I started reading about this "ghost shifting" thing that apparently is significant enough for Honda to address is more recent models. I've yet to determine how much of a concern that is.

The soul searching continues! I've just gotten back from a long brunch with my wife where she probed me deeply on all these issues adding on top, "How would you feel if I got an Indian in a year?" Since she's mostly thinking the Scout, that's not such a huge concern.

[opas ride]

Thanks folks for all the great advice up to now! I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive to come here with this in that I've posted questions to other forums only to have my premises completely disregarded. I really appreciate you all being respectful of them. Now to a couple specific follow ups:

To the person with the used F6B, hit me up with specifics. Understand it would have to make financial sense which would include a bank and a transfer from where you are to where I am in Colorado. (I'd most likely want to make a road trip out of it. )

To the person saying the Indian and F6B are different riding styles, I would beg to differ having ridden both extensively. That is part of what makes consideration of the F6B possible but I can understand your comment if you've never ridden the Indian. I have never ridden a V-twin that is so well balanced and so stable and vibration free. As my wife says, it's alchemy. Where I see the difference is in style. I realize I'm style conscious and at my age, I'm unapologetic for that. But I appreciate both styles. Truth be told, the F6B style is more consistent with who I am: I believe in riding protection and full face helmets for instance.

Maybe I should be giving the heated grips more consideration. I keep hearing about this "revelation" thing, I live in a highly variable climate and I do have some hand aches, numbness, etc.

I really hope I don't have to go for a taller windshield. This is one area where the F6B has it all over the Indian. I am absolutely adamant about looking over a windshield so that's the starting point. I could add SOME height and still look over but the way I've had it explained is the stock shorty blocks body wind and pretty much allows full helmet wind. Whereas slight increases in height actually induce buffeting. I'm just going on what I've been told here. I'll confer with my buddies at Clearview tomorrow.

To the person who claimed hardly any down sides to the F6B. I start hearing a growing list of nagging (non show stopping) ones. The biggest bummer is the "drone" of aftermarket pipes. I'm not a loud or "macho" pipe sound guy necessarily, but the stock "Jetsons" sound is border line embarrassing to my sensibilities. So I'd prioritized different pipes quite highly heavily favoring the Cobras because they look so bad*ss. I'd already noticed that first gear is way too short. Not a show stopper for me, but a nit. Earlier today I started reading about this "ghost shifting" thing that apparently is significant enough for Honda to address is more recent models. I've yet to determine how much of a concern that is.

The soul searching continues! I've just gotten back from a long brunch with my wife where she probed me deeply on all these issues adding on top, "How would you feel if I got an Indian in a year?" Since she's mostly thinking the Scout, that's not such a huge concern.

Again, I hope you make the choice that is right for you in the future...but I disagree with you on the Indian being vibration free compared to the F6B, there is no comparison as I also have ridden many, many new Indian bikes since they were introduced at several demo-days rides as a volunteer helper to the local dealers....I have also owned (2) different Victory bikes both a Kingpin Tourer and a 2011 Vision Tour...Both great bikes but nowhere , in my judgment, near as smooth, as powerful, nor as good handling as the F6B...The F6B is in a whole different league compared to any V-twins available as far as I am concerned....I have owned and ridden my share of big V-twins and am now totally sold on the rheostat like power delivery of the Honda 6 motor...and at the ripe old age of 74, I don't feel the need to shake, rattle and roll anymore!!!

[Injun Joe]

Again, I hope you make the choice that is right for you in the future...but I disagree with you on the Indian being vibration free compared to the F6B, there is no comparison as I also have ridden many, many new Indian bikes since they were introduced at several demo-days rides as a volunteer helper to the local dealers....I have also owned (2) different Victory bikes both a Kingpin Tourer and a 2011 Vision Tour...Both great bikes but nowhere , in my judgment, near as smooth, as powerful, nor as good handling as the F6B...The F6B is in a whole different league compared to any V-twins available as far as I am concerned....I have owned and ridden my share of big V-twins and am now totally sold on the rheostat like power delivery of the Honda 6 motor...and at the ripe old age of 74, I don't feel the need to shake, rattle and roll anymore!!!

We'll just have to agree to disagree then as my opinion is based on riding experience as well. But what I meant to say is that Indian v F6B is not the apples to oranges that say F6B v Harley would be.

[powercruzer13]

No regrets at all.
Coming from over 100,000 Valkyrie miles the only logical choice for me was an F6B. Anything else would have been a downgrade.
Wasn't ready for the full on Goldwing experience but I have always admired the awesome power & legendary longevity of the 1832 cc Honda flat 6. I was very happy to see the F6B come out as a stripped down GL1800, just what I wanted. I hear from lots of different stories about bikes having "souls" & some brands of bikes coming with a "lifestyle", I consider that complete nonsense.
Ride what turns you on & be happy about what the bike has to offer you. You make your own "lifestyle", the bike does not.
As far as windshields for the F6B, if you like wind in your face & just a little taken off your chest the stock w/s will be perfect for you. You can forget hearing the radio over 40 mph without a taller shield unless you are a midget.
Despite that Indian motorcycles are a 100 year old brand the fact is they now offer a brand new line up that does not have anywhere near the track record of the Honda GL1800. I agree with opa about the engine vibes, totally different league.
Get the F6B, you won't be sorry.

[RoadWeary]

Bigcabdaddy, I've never ridden the Indian, and I love the F6B, but the paint on the F6B is bad, and I wouldn't recommend buying the F6B because of that.

[Jimmytee]

Bigcabdaddy, I've never ridden the Indian, and I love the F6B, but the paint on the F6B is bad, and I wouldn't recommend buying the F6B because of that.

I don't seem to have any issues with the Paint on my 2013 red

[Wild Bill]

I don't seem to have any issues with the Paint on my 2013 red

I have no issues with the paint on mine eather. Fast Red!!!

[opas ride]

I don't seem to have any issues with the Paint on my 2013 red

I would not let any paint issues make the decision as the F6B is in a class by itself to me, as I said earlier...The Indian is an extremely nice bike and well thought out as are a couple of the new "Mt.Rushmore" Harley's all with nice paint jobs.....but nice paint jobs do not make for a decent motorcycle that will out-perform, in almost all ways, any all current V-twin on the market.....I still believe you cannot compare "apples with oranges" and make a proper choice on what you ride.....It seems to me that your "dream-bike" is the Indian and I would get it if you can, but don't look back at the F6B as you may regret your decision down the road...Regards