Would you buy another Indian?

[MilwDave]

I'm forever grateful that here in Aus the law is that if something is advertised at a certain price, that is the PRICE.
all fees/charges/taxes must be included in the advertised price. they can't add them on later.
so I know that I will not pay any more than $28,990 for a Chief Bobber out the door 100% stock
if I decide to change anything however - the extra costs are on me.

I just went through this buying a Moto Guzzi. The dealers in Wisconsin are required to list all fees other than the taxes and DMV fees.
I felt with dealers in several states that advertised bike at prices that were not including over $2K in added fees.
Here is how they list bikes under Wisconsin’s strict rules for dealers.

 

[Walrus]

It's not very likely.
The FTR is a unique beast regardless of brand.
For cruisers and tourers, I prefer the Harley look, sound and engine. I keep trying to like other Indian offerings with test rides and research, but they just don't float my boat. After much comparison, I added a 2022 Fat Boy to my herd, not an Indian. That said, I absolutely LOVE my local Indian dealership. They are all great people and give great service - a cut above the local Harley shop. If it was on local service alone, Indian would win hands down. But we're talking the actual machines which are fine, but don't do it for me.

 

[edgelett]

I just went through this buying a Moto Guzzi. The dealers in Wisconsin are required to list all fees other than the taxes and DMV fees.
I felt with dealers in several states that advertised bike at prices that were not including over $2K in added fees.
Here is how they list bikes under Wisconsin’s strict rules for dealers.

yeah righto - here they are just required to list the final price in the advert.
All the fees/taxes are on your invoice though.
[Ride Away Price includes base model, dealer delivery and government charges. Accessories excluded. Prices may vary by colour.}
Indian Motorcycle Australia : Chief Dark Horse

 

[Snorkelface]

I love that Freedom side dump exhaust.
I wish they offered that for my R18.

That’s funny you say that. My bike was the development bike for all the Freedom systems for the Chief, and we had to wait for them to finish up on the R18 system before they got started on mine. Haha

Yeah it’s badass…I’m not the most popular on the com systems in group rides though 😳😅

 

[Wayne]

I have spent some serious money to get my '19 FTR RR to where I want it and very much like the bike. It is just fun. I do have my HD bagger which I love for its intended purpose but all-around sport riding the FTR is hard to beat once dialed in which included, titanium exhaust, S&S slip on, rally bars, new Corbin seat, aftermarket pegs/brake/shift lever, frame sliders and removal of the ugly license plate mount, suspension set up, change of tires, V6 ECU tune, and a few other tweaks. I got the bike new for a little over 15k so my total investment isn't that bad for what I have now. If I was going to opt for another bike it would likely be a Ducati Street Fighter, V4 S albeit at a much higher price point and maybe not as good or practical as an ever day street bike.

 

[Blue1]

I like my FTR, and feel the first year Replica is the bike to have, once fueling issues are sorted.

I have nothing against the Indian brand, but doubt they will offer another bike that will interest me.

If I buy another bike it will probably be a big bore Triumph Triple. Almost fifty pounds lighter and fifty HP stronger. Sweet.

But if I can afford another bike, I will still keep the FTR, it's just too unique and a hoot to ride.

 

[Jerrylee 9964]

In spite of the monstrosity that lumbered out of Spirit Lake following all the tantalising hype with the project bike, (I still think that stock the 19 FTR is a candidate for one of the ugliest motorcycles that I've ever seen and biggest disappointments to come out of a factory). In spite of being one of the worst fuelled bikes to ever splutter out of a showroom. In spite of the cold start issues and the cut outs that contrived to try and claim my life. In spite of the countless coin that I've had to throw at it to get it to run right and even vaguely resemble the flat track motorcycle that Indian purported it to be. In spite of the laughably low range and the eye watering fuel consumption. In spite of the stupid TV sized TFT display that ruins the front end. In spite of the shite customer experience offered by Indian and the exorbitant pricing for spares...

This is without doubt the most fun I've had on a motorcycle since I learnt to ride my first bike, a Yamaha DT 175 on the dirt. And this is the best bike I've owned since my RD350LC. Every day, feels like the first one - the anticipation and the thrill of riding it. The novelty never wears of. It's as though I've just collected it from the dealer. I love the fact that it's a challenging, temperamental, crotchety bitch...feed it what it demands, learn to tame all this with your wrist first, not a laptop or an ECU. I adore the fact that its such a head turner, that it's so unique, inimitable and frankly...such a badass beast. As I said before, turns out, the bike that I brought home to my garage was possessed. Short of bringing in a Priest, swinging the incense burner and sprinkling it with holy water whilst reciting the Athanasian Creed and performing a three hour exorcism ritual, I opted instead for the Lloydz V6. Granted, she was replete with more issues and attitude problems than a bi-polar ex, to an extent, I genuinely like elements of unpredictability. The subsequent bench flash may have lobotomised its deranged electronic brain and sanitised this animal like shock therapy and in the process erased some of that 'character' i speak of, but its tetchiness and irritability occasionally rears its head and reminds me of the bikes I grew up riding. I absolutely love this bike.

Would I purchase another Indian? I wanted a street tracker - and I so wanted the bike that they teased and dangled in front of us in the marketing. That was the only reason I bought into the brand. We didn't get that - but as ugly as it seemed, beneath it all Indian nonetheless had created a gnarly flat track-inspired street hooligan that’s not for the faint-hearted or the inexperienced. It oozes character all of its own and the ill-mannered demeanour engineered and extracted from its flat track DNA was immediately obvious the first time I rode it. Seeing as they seem intent upon distancing themselves from that pedigree and increasingly compromise and pander to market appeal (which is understandable), the answer is no. I really don't like the post '19 incarnations of this machine and for now, I'm very happy with what I have,

I too started on a dt175 and own one exactly like it now. I have to say your post is spot on and very well written. Enjoyed it.

 

[irsh]

I voted Possibly but if I don't gel with the FTR, I will likely move on to another brand. The Triumph Speed Twin and the Guzzi V100 have my eye. Cruisers and Baggers aren't my thing.

 

[Blue1]

I voted Possibly but if I don't gel with the FTR, I will likely move on to another brand. The Triumph Speed Twin and the Guzzi V100 have my eye. Cruisers and Baggers aren't my thing.

An FTR really isn't a cruiser, it is a dirt track race replica, with decent electronics, which can perform on the street pretty well with decent tires unless you are willing to take serious risk on a more typical road race replica on faster roads.

With that being said, I get what you are saying. Some bikes trip your trigger and some don't, for a vast variety of reasons.

Your Guzzi and Triumph selections have interested me as well, but performance-wise they really aren't faster than the FTR (actually they are a little bit slower getting up to speed).

As the FTR is not my primary bike (maybe 1000 mi/yr), I figure I'll keep it and see if it appreciates with such low sales numbers and ride it in the mean time.

Good luck in your search for a great ride!

 

[irsh]

An FTR really isn't a cruiser, it is a dirt track race replica, with decent electronics, which can perform on the street pretty well with decent tires unless you are willing to take serious risk on a more typical road race replica on faster roads.

With that being said, I get what you are saying. Some bikes trip your trigger and some don't, for a vast variety of reasons.

Your Guzzi and Triumph selections have interested me as well, but performance-wise they really aren't faster than the FTR (actually they are a little bit slower getting up to speed).

As the FTR is not my primary bike (maybe 1000 mi/yr), I figure I'll keep it and see if it appreciates with such low sales numbers and ride it in the mean time.

Good luck in your search for a great ride!

Sorry, didn't mean to imply that the FTR was a cruiser, just that the rest of Indian's line up isn't for me, so it's this or nothing.

The FTR is right about where I want to be in my "standard" bike going forward. I came to this from a 1290 SuperDuke and was lucky to escape with my life. The Trumpet and Guzzi tick the same boxes as the FTR for me and will be my around the area and commuter bike.

 

[Blue1]

Sorry, didn't mean to imply that the FTR was a cruiser, just that the rest of Indian's line up isn't for me, so it's this or nothing.

The FTR is right about where I want to be in my "standard" bike going forward. I came to this from a 1290 SuperDuke and was lucky to escape with my life. The Trumpet and Guzzi tick the same boxes as the FTR for me and will be my around the area and commuter bike.

No apology necessary, and that KTM is a beast.

 

[ferraiolo1]

Sorry, didn't mean to imply that the FTR was a cruiser, just that the rest of Indian's line up isn't for me, so it's this or nothing.

The FTR is right about where I want to be in my "standard" bike going forward. I came to this from a 1290 SuperDuke and was lucky to escape with my life. The Trumpet and Guzzi tick the same boxes as the FTR for me and will be my around the area and commuter bike.

You sayyyy that. Till you hop on a challenger or sport chief with some work done to it.

I had no plans of getting a larger bike. But my wife wanted something she could ride on during long trips when she didn’t wanna ride her ftr. So I got a challenger I was going to leave stock. Well it spiraled and I have almost as much fun on it as the ftr. It’s got fork cartridges +2 lift for handling. 17in wheels this week and a lot of weight savings

 

[cupcake_mike]

You sayyyy that. Till you hop on a challenger or sport chief with some work done to it.

I had no plans of getting a larger bike. But my wife wanted something she could ride on during long trips when she didn’t wanna ride her ftr. So I got a challenger I was going to leave stock. Well it spiraled and I have almost as much fun on it as the ftr. It’s got fork cartridges +2 lift for handling. 17in wheels this week and a lot of weight savings

Or, you know, get a SDGT and tour just as much, with just as much of you and your wife's crap, on a bike that weighs (almost) half as much. Riding 600 miles pushing around an 800+ lb bike is harder on my body then doing 900 miles on a 500 lb'er.

 

[ferraiolo1]

Not as neat. Anyone can do that.

I used to tour on fz1s that had r1 conversions I did. Just not the same.

And it’s in the mid 700s now

 

[irsh]

I have an Africa Twin for touring, and a Harley FLHTCU I inherited.

 

[Jerrylee 9964]

You sayyyy that. Till you hop on a challenger or sport chief with some work done to it.

I had no plans of getting a larger bike. But my wife wanted something she could ride on during long trips when she didn’t wanna ride her ftr. So I got a challenger I was going to leave stock. Well it spiraled and I have almost as much fun on it as the ftr. It’s got fork cartridges +2 lift for handling. 17in wheels this week and a lot of weight savings

I also own a Challenger for almost a year now. A touring bike that is fun to ride. It feels much lighter and nimble than comparable bikes. The stock bars are awful. Every bike has it's use. Like chainsaws it just depends on what you're doing. I can't imagine life with 1 chainsaw.

 

[MacBayne]

I would buy another Indian, for sure.

I am getting old... so the cruiser market looks attractive.

What a lot of people on here complain about Indian versus HD versus Japanese is actually what I like.
Indian, from Polaris, from what it seems, is an American motorcycle with some European influence. From production style, to performance characteristics, to fasteners...

American Muscle cars and the "boats" up to the 80s with HUGE displacement and low HP numbers BECAUSE OF LOW REV NUMBERS, for comfort, are what HD are after. What I mean is, low revs with high torque feels great for cruising. I wish that more people understood that when talking about engines in general... but I digress.

The European bikes trying to make "American" power fall short... like the Triumph Rocket.... it's too European. Don't get me started on the Diavel...

Japanese cruisers are comfortable, smooth, and well-built. They miss an "Oomph" in my opinion...

NO doubt, HD is Indian's competitor. Full Stop. But when I sling my leg over a 117 CI Harley ( I ride a lot of different bikes in my line of work) it feels like I am playing a guitar with the "tone" turned to zero. All of the fun "edge" is taken away.

Indian is everything HD offers, but cleaner.

 

[FelipeGtzB]

I would, and probably I will.. I'm looking into the Chief to add a cruiser to my stable.

Before getting into my FTR, I was coming out of a decade-plus long relationship with Ducati. So maybe there's something wrong with me

 

[Roddy]

Love the bike. Hate the dealership in Aus. The first service they charged a fortune and a week later I had the bike halfway stripped down fixing what they had messed up. If it goes to a mechanic again it likely won't be the dealership. Another pain point is a small warranty claim that I submitted a month and a half ago and still waiting for a resolution.

 

[Eeyore]

I am brand agnostic and will own whatever moves me but I like good motorcycles, so right now Indian still provides that in touring and cruisers. FTR gives me fits but I am about to embark on racing in WERA and ASRA this year with two 2019 FTRs, so I must like them also...