[Flux_Capacitor]

It wasn't a decision I made lightly but I had to trade my Springfield. The bike was a fantastic ride at almost any speed and was quite easy for my to handle in any scenario, despite its weight. Unfortunately, the quality was a bit of an issue to me from the start and some of my problems started the week I brought it home. The very first week I had it, the left turn signal wire was completely chewed through. Considering my dealer is over an hour and a half away, I just fixed the wire myself. While I never had performance issues and I never had to walk, I had a litany of times where my check engine light would come on. It became so frequent that I just let it shine.

This Springfield of mine was very much a "Friday at 4" motorcycle as all the hardware for the engine guards, passenger foot board, seat mount, and center console all had to be tapped in order to get the hardware to run back down. In fact, one of the screws for the headlight nacelle had a bend in the shank! One of the captive nuts in the air cleaner back-plate freely spun while I was trying to inspect the air cleaner as part of a service forcing me to literally rip it off the bike. These issues were heart breaking and they cast an ugly shadow over almost any sense of pride and joy I had for the motorcycle.

Part of the idea behind getting a motorcycle was to reduce the costs of commuting to and from work. Considering more than half of my commute is stop-and-go, the gas mileage was horrendous. At the end of the month, the savings in gas in comparison to my car was marginal at best. While this doesn't reflect negatively on the bike per se, it does create a problem for me when I have to budget for weekly expenditures. Granted, I also bought a motorcycle instead of a commuter car because it is a blast! But the last reason was a hinderance in that regard too.

For the life of me, I could not be comfortable on the bike for longer than 45 minutes to an hour at a time. I bought another seat, which helped, but didn't make it comfortable for any real amount of time. I also added a backrest but that didn't make as big an improvement as I had hoped. The reach to the shifter was creating an issue for me as well; the twist I had to put in my knee was starting to get painful. I know there are options in the aftermarket when it comes to seats but, having already spent $700+ in the endeavor of finding comfort, I wasn't willing to risk spending another $300 to $600 just to wind up being right where I was before. I decided to look at seat pads but then I realized that this just isn't the right bike for me.


I traded my '18 Springfield in for a '16 Triumph Trophy that was new with no miles on it. While the bike was fantastic as-is when I got it, my foot slipped while backing it into my garage the first day. This slippage caused a side-load onto the seat pan and broke part of the seat. The bike's seat is height adjustable out of the factory, or at least it was until I broke it. now it is stuck in the low position. Looks like I'll be spending that $600 after all!

The Triumph gets great mileage while making fantastic power and I am happy to report that I no longer have to fill up in the middle of the week; a fill-up on Sunday evening lasts me all the way to Friday evening. The service intervals are also 10,000 miles apart which are chiefly oil changes. I miss seeing that gorgeous Indian in my garage and driveway. I miss the keyless start and remote locking, top-loading saddlebags. But, if all goes well, I just might be able to deal with the shortage of features and devilish good looks.

 

[dreamalaska]

Machines coming off the line always fit a bell curve for quality, fit and finish. Being over 3500 miles from the nearest Indian dealer, I was very fortunate when I rolled the dice that my ‘17 SF was on the “perfect” end of that curve. Triumphs are great bikes with a rich heritage. Best of luck and safe riding!

 

[Flux_Capacitor]

Machines coming off the line always fit a bell curve for quality, fit and finish. Being over 3500 miles from the nearest Indian dealer, I was very fortunate when I rolled the dice that my ‘17 SF was on the “perfect” end of that curve. Triumphs are great bikes with a rich heritage. Best of luck and safe riding!

This is true however, there is a certain expectation of quality when you spend a large sum of cash on anything. The issues I was having were unusual. I researched this bike and brand as much as I could before I signed the papers and there wasn't any real indication that I was going to run into the sorts of issues that I had. I knew there was going to be something eventually but not so much so soon on a bike that was less than a year old. I tried to make it work though; I put about 10,500 miles on the clock. Either way, at the end of the day, this bike just wasn't a great fit for what I wanted and needed from my motorcycle. If I ever have the cash in the future, I will absolutely buy another one though!

 

[DMG]

Wish you well with the Triumph! Too bad about your experience with the Indian.Wheels purchased from you are turning well. Be safe out there!

 

[Flux_Capacitor]

Wish you well with the Triumph! Too bad about your experience with the Indian.Wheels purchased from you are turning well. Be safe out there!

That's awesome! Have you taken any photos yet?

 

[17NDNSTL]

View attachment 508948 View attachment 508954 View attachment 508950 View attachment 508952
It wasn't a decision I made lightly but I had to trade my Springfield. The bike was a fantastic ride at almost any speed and was quite easy for my to handle in any scenario, despite its weight. Unfortunately, the quality was a bit of an issue to me from the start and some of my problems started the week I brought it home. The very first week I had it, the left turn signal wire was completely chewed through. Considering my dealer is over an hour and a half away, I just fixed the wire myself. While I never had performance issues and I never had to walk, I had a litany of times where my check engine light would come on. It became so frequent that I just let it shine.

This Springfield of mine was very much a "Friday at 4" motorcycle as all the hardware for the engine guards, passenger foot board, seat mount, and center console all had to be tapped in order to get the hardware to run back down. In fact, one of the screws for the headlight nacelle had a bend in the shank! One of the captive nuts in the air cleaner back-plate freely spun while I was trying to inspect the air cleaner as part of a service forcing me to literally rip it off the bike. These issues were heart breaking and they cast an ugly shadow over almost any sense of pride and joy I had for the motorcycle.

Part of the idea behind getting a motorcycle was to reduce the costs of commuting to and from work. Considering more than half of my commute is stop-and-go, the gas mileage was horrendous. At the end of the month, the savings in gas in comparison to my car was marginal at best. While this doesn't reflect negatively on the bike per se, it does create a problem for me when I have to budget for weekly expenditures. Granted, I also bought a motorcycle instead of a commuter car because it is a blast! But the last reason was a hinderance in that regard too.

For the life of me, I could not be comfortable on the bike for longer than 45 minutes to an hour at a time. I bought another seat, which helped, but didn't make it comfortable for any real amount of time. I also added a backrest but that didn't make as big an improvement as I had hoped. The reach to the shifter was creating an issue for me as well; the twist I had to put in my knee was starting to get painful. I know there are options in the aftermarket when it comes to seats but, having already spent $700+ in the endeavor of finding comfort, I wasn't willing to risk spending another $300 to $600 just to wind up being right where I was before. I decided to look at seat pads but then I realized that this just isn't the right bike for me.
View attachment 508958 View attachment 508960 View attachment 508962

I traded my '18 Springfield in for a '16 Triumph Trophy that was new with no miles on it. While the bike was fantastic as-is when I got it, my foot slipped while backing it into my garage the first day. This slippage caused a side-load onto the seat pan and broke part of the seat. The bike's seat is height adjustable out of the factory, or at least it was until I broke it. now it is stuck in the low position. Looks like I'll be spending that $600 after all!

The Triumph gets great mileage while making fantastic power and I am happy to report that I no longer have to fill up in the middle of the week; a fill-up on Sunday evening lasts me all the way to Friday evening. The service intervals are also 10,000 miles apart which are chiefly oil changes. I miss seeing that gorgeous Indian in my garage and driveway. I miss the keyless start and remote locking, top-loading saddlebags. But, if all goes well, I just might be able to deal with the shortage of features and devilish good looks.

Wow, I have experienced nothing compared to what you described. I cant blame you for jumping ship. If I was going to jump ship for quality reliability and fit and finish, it would be Yamaha followed my Honda.

I am so sorry you experienced this. Best of luck to you on the Triumph. I'd love a New Bonneville.

 

[17NDNSTL]

This is true however, there is a certain expectation of quality when you spend a large sum of cash on anything. The issues I was having were unusual. I researched this bike and brand as much as I could before I signed the papers and there wasn't any real indication that I was going to run into the sorts of issues that I had. I knew there was going to be something eventually but not so much so soon on a bike that was less than a year old. I tried to make it work though; I put about 10,500 miles on the clock. Either way, at the end of the day, this bike just wasn't a great fit for what I wanted and needed from my motorcycle. If I ever have the cash in the future, I will absolutely buy another one though!

Very much so. Its why I stopped buying American cars.

 

[Geoff-3]

Flux_Capacitor Congratulations on the new bike ,I understand where your coming from and too be honest the Indians are nice bikes but the quality control should be way better than it is ,with silly little warranty claims for things that should never happen on such a expensive bike. But as much as I love the Indians I do love the Gap ,English and German bikes for reliability ,speed, handling and reliability . If I were too end up having issue after issue with my Road Master or having to ride in the heat with traffic every day ,I would consider going back to the BMW again. Mean while I am happy with the Road Master and want to keep it till I can't ride any more. If that happens I will be happy man.

 

[telescopes]

@Flux_Capacitor You are correct about many of your concerns. One that bothers me is the mpg. Sorry, but for drivers who run these bikes daily as commuter bikes, the gas milage is poor. IMHO

 

[Captain steve]

I am guessing that your Springfield came from another planet as absolutely none of your issues have shown up after 18,000 +miles on mine. You complain about the mileage but no numbers to back it up.... what's up with that? I consistently get 43+ and a lot of that {about 30%} is riding two up with my bride. As far as comfort I am 5'9" and it is virtually a custom fit. I have done 700+ mile days with in complete comfort and I am old guy at 67.

I did add the Grasshopper LTD backrest and a great ride only got better. My bride enjoys the OEM backrest and is perfectly comfortable all day long. I like Triumph's, think they make a great bike but they have nothing {zip, nada} in common with a Springfield - apples and oranges to say the least. Sounds like you need to dial in what you are looking for but if a great touring/cruising bad ass Torque Monster like a Springfield is not your thing maybe the problem is not the bike....

 

[geewago]

I've had 2 Spirit lake Indians so far. 44,000 miles between the two. When people ask me where i go for service and repairs I tell them I don't know yet. As I have never had and issue of any kind. The only thing that could be classified as a breakdown was when my high beam went out on the 14 Chieftain. However it still worked. Low beam was still there and when I hit High beam the computer sent more juice to the low and it became a high as well. I went ahead and replaced it with an auto zone bulb just to get the code off the screen. I've never had 2 better bikes than these two Indians.

 

[Geoff-3]

Captain Steve remember no 2 bikes are the same and no 2 riders ride the same or have the same build. I get around the same sort of milage your saying that you get. My BMW`s would get heaps more but also hard larger fuel tanks but way better on fuel consumption, even when they have better performance than our Indians will ever have. Don't get me wrong I love the Indian but they are far from perfect and if someone does not like their bike for what ever reason and wishes to change it ,so be it. They are the only ones that have to ride and live with it . I was told Iam crazy buying a Road Master as my BMW K1600GTL was a far better bike and in many ways it was, it handles and went faster than the Road Master will ever be able too. But I wanted the Road Master so bought it and love it.I also loved the BMW`s ,So each too their own and I think we should respect their choice.

 

[DMG]

That's awesome! Have you taken any photos yet?

 

[wildmandmc]

hey guy from one biker to another. As long as your riding that's all that counts. I once had the bike from hell an i still do miss the biotch .

 

[high plains rider]

the Triumph is a nice looking bike and quite honestly for what you describe as your way of riding, at least the majority of it... you probably made the right call... only you can decide that... but for everyone jumping on him about gas mileage... my Chieftain gets 36 and when I put my lowers on when it's cold 33.. I commute everyday I can... but my F150 gets 15 so... I gain... the Chieftain Limited is the bike I wanted and I love it... so far I can say it isn't a Friday @ 4:00 pm bike.. knock on wood...

 

[2Cool]

Back in 01 I was ready to get another Harley Heritage, problem was because of the demand back then they wanted $3,500 over msrp and a long wait to boot to get one. So I looked around and just couldn't pull the trigger on any rice. But, one day at the last Honda dealer I went 2 I saw 3 2000 Indian Chiefs. Works of art, real beauties. That night I had dreams about them. At that time the Indians were stripped down with no bags, windshields, all those extras were add-ons.

I went back to the Harley dealer and was told they wouldn't come off the 3.5K over msrp and I couldn't get one any earlier than 3 months - they said look at the lines. Now, the Indians back then were selling for $24,500, 3 more grand than the Heritage. I found out from a friend though that the Honda dealer I saw the Indians at had decided to get rid of the Indians as they didn't fit well with their established business, so I got out the fine pencil and made some low ball offers. With windshield, bags and the Indian of my choice I got the price down to $17,000 out the door plus sales tax. I was ecstatic.

When I brought the Indian home instead of sharing the excitement with me my wife turned into a monster. "An Indian, what the fuvck is that? I thought you were getting another Harley!" I'm a good talker so I finally calmed her down. After a few rides she loved the Indian and her next dilemma was what to do with all her Harley shirts.

The wife and I used to make the Trail of Tears ride every year down in Waterloo and Florence, Alabama held in September of each year. In 02 Indian had a large tent with boo koo Indians, but in 03 they made no presence at all, that seemed funny because the ride was all about Native Indians (feather). We found out after we got home that weekend that Indian had folded. Us Indian Riders made up sayings like "We don't need no Stinkin Factory, Indian Riders love Skirts, Buffalo tastes better that pork or rice, etc." Riders of Indians in that one weekend were abandoned by the mothership.

I was an initial member of the Iron Indians which started on July 4th of 2002. Believe me there was a great deal of discussion about what we all were going to do. There was also a great deal of helping each other out in maintaining our bikes. I learned a lot from them. To make a long story short we learned to love these bikes and we learned to work on them. Not by choice but because we were a brotherhood of Indian riders. When the 02's and 03's began having engine problems there were work a rounds and a free flow of information. We just loved the brand and many of us stayed loyal to Indian though we also felt that we had been abandoned. I kept my 2K chief (turquoise and white with 88K+ miles on her) up until the spring of 14, I only sold her after I purchased my 14 Indian Classic in early November of 13.

So to me, Indian isn't just another bike. I was stranded numerous times with that old Gilroy, I've worn out many a strong good man pushing me to get the bike started. Electrical problems (the infamous CLICK), but each item as they came up was fixed properly and the fixes were shared by all of us helping other Indian Riders across the country. We all learned to adapt, to cope and went forward with our love of Indian Motorcycling. We made them bullet proof. Just saying.

 

[pablo94]

Right there with you 2Cool.

Many don't know what those times were like, but without them the Indians of today would not exist...

 

[Flux_Capacitor]

View attachment 509102

Those rims compliment the bike quite nicely!

 

[DMG]

Those rims compliment the bike quite nicely!

Thank you!No tubes to contend with.Patch and go kit for trips.

 

[Flux_Capacitor]

, Buffalo tastes better that pork or rice,

Lol, I'm going to have to remember that one. I get the brand loyalty 100% as Indian (my dealer) worked with me quite a bit when it came to the troubles I had with the bike; Indian has earned my trust and loyalty. The problem became one of cost though, among other things, as I am by no stretch a rich man. Unfortunately, I also don't have much free time as I work and go to school full time. Any time I had to take the bike 1 1/2 hours one way to get something looked at and/or fixed was time that was away from school work and what precious little time I get with my wife and kids.

Don't get me wrong, I still go out on short excursions on the bike when I get the chance but they weren't as fun as they should have been given that I had a few issues with the bike so early on took some of the fun, pride, and joy out of it. Keeping the thing gassed up and maintained, as much as I did ride it became expensive too. I managed to put 10,500 miles on the bike in less than a year. I have never been more than 70 miles from my house with it. When the time comes, I'm going to get another Indian.