Day Tripping
2015 Indian Vintage Chief
When we came up with the idea for the
DayTripping feature, we just had a few simple rules.
These would be rides within Louisiana, that we could
do in a day, or maybe overnight for some events. It
might be about the event we’re riding to, the people
we’re going to see, or sometimes, just the road we
feel like riding on. This month, it’s a little different, it
is just about a bike I really wanted to ride.
The engine was very smooth and pulled
evenly from right off idle. It doesn’t feel like a
fast bike, but that Thunder Stroke 111 has a lot
in reserve. I went back to the Mississippi Bridge
on 190 later that night, and rolled it on without
downshifting, and it went hard. I never came close
to full throttle, but it accelerated up the steep bridge
without any hesitation. When you need the power,
it’s there.
We gave it a good ride, and after dropping
Ainnsley off I took off again on my own. It was a
great ride, I finished the night happy. I am looking
forward to trying out some other models, and
Eaglerider’s rental program is going to make that
easy.
When we did the road test of the Indian
Scout, I just loved it, and that made me want to try
out one of the larger Indians. We will be doing a lot
of test rides with dealershops all around the state,
but I wanted to really give this one a run. To that
end, I headed down to Eaglerider in New Orleans.
The whole process was quick and easy, and in short
order I was riding off with a nice black Indian
Vintage Chief.
Passenger impressions by Ainssley Begnaud
The seat was real comfortable. I never had a “brace
for impact” moment when we came across a bump
in the road. The only thing negative I would say is if
you’re a little older, it’s just a little more difficult to
get on the seat then other bikes. Then again I’m used
to sportsters and soft tails.
Could have been the passenger seat height too, but
definitely the back rest when getting on. I did lean
on it the whole time while riding, though.
It was comfortable
Overall, a very smooth ride. I give it 4 stars.
Frosty
Now, this was a rental bike with 22k miles on it, so
that might account for the extra noise, but that still
isn’t really a lot of miles. I also thought engine had
more top end noise than I’d expect on a newer bike.
Nothing like the clatter my Shovelheads put out, but
it was enough to make me stop and check the oil.
Both of these issues improved as the bike warmed
up, and I got used to it. Nothing major, but also not
what I was expecting.
I put a couple miles on to feel it out, then
picked up our New Orleans Editor Ainnsley and
headed off to the West Bank. Overall, the bike was
great, a lot of fun to ride, and it got a lot of attention.
Riding through traffic was like being in a parade,
with everyone trying to get a look at the bike.
There were a couple issues that I didn’t
expect. The first thing I noticed was that the
trasmission seemed kind of clunky, very loud
changing gears, especially going into first from
Neutral. The effort didn’t seem excessive, and I never
missed a shift, but I was expecting something more
like the effortless “click” of the Scout transmissions.
I was very happy with the handling and
suspension. We went down some rough roads in
Gretna, but the bumps were not bad even with
a passenger. The bike felt just as smooth with or
without Ainnsley on back, so very nice for two-up
riding. I did feel like the bike could have used an
extra degree or two of rake, but again that is just
something you get used to.
The riding position felt good, everything
was easily in reach, but the floorboard position was
a little flat for my preferrences. I would rather have
them angled up more in front. While there was not a
simple adjustment, it did appear to have an alternate
pair of mounting holes. From their location I think
that set of holes would put the boards in a better
postion for my tastes.
Lauren Blanchard
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