a little biased isn't the word... he posted a video of a guy dropping his Chieftain and the throttle stuck and it kept spinning in circles... he made a comment that all Indian motorcycles did this... I commented on his video and said that mine never has but of course I never dropped it... he basically said you're a liar they all do... I unsubscribed at that point and lost total respect for him..

 

a little biased isn't the word...

I couldn`t have said it better!

 

The absolute worst I ever had for poor low speed was a 2003 Yamaha Royal Star Venture touring bike. It was extremely top heavy at low parking lot speed but fairly nimble while out riding. It was a load to hold up at stops too.

 

^^^ So much this!! ^^^ I had a 2009 Royal Star Tour Deluxe that was an absolute bear to maneuver around in parking lots. Ending up putting lowering links on it which helped a bit. Going from that to my Chieftain was night and day.

 

I agree, but, loved my 99 Venture. Had 214,000 miles on when I sold it in 2009. Probable still running.

 

I've watched a fair number of Jerry's videos, and have gained a good bit of valuable information / confirmation on good techniques and the value of practicing low speed techniques. The guy knows his stuff about riding. I appreciate him posting them for everyone to benefit from.
Anything aside from his videos on skills should be taken with a (large) grain of salt. He "may" be endorsed by HD or have some type of agreement with them (that wouldn't be made public for any of a myriad of reasons). I don't know - either way. But when you put out as many videos as he does with that many views, it would make sense that deals / favors come your way by using or endorsing a specific product, if for no other reason than viewership visibility.
You "can't" tell me that "subliminal endorsement" of specific products isn't as apparent as overt endorsement when you start one of his videos that has this as the opening screen:

With that said, I think it would be unrealistic for a viewer NOT to be at least somewhat influenced to purchase an HD after "seeing what the expert is riding / using / endorsing" openly in all of his many videos. Likewise, you won't see him using a competitor's products in most, if any videos or positive reviews / evaluations, nor will you see any criticism of HD in any of his videos.
I think it's pretty obvious where his loyalty lies. "Why" it's so prominently featured is anyone's guess.

 

He "may" be endorsed by HD or have some type of agreement with them (that wouldn't be made public for any of a myriad of reasons). I don't know - either way. But when you put out as many videos as he does with that many views, it would make sense that deals / favors come your way by using or endorsing a specific product, if for no other reason than viewership visibility.
You "can't" tell me that "subliminal endorsement" of specific products isn't as apparent as overt endorsement when you start one of his videos that has this as the opening screen:
View attachment 636601


I think it's pretty obvious where his loyalty lies. "Why" it's so prominently featured is anyone's guess.

he did a video where he explains why he prefers Harley and why he upgraded to a newer Harley yet again. of course he doesn't say "because they pay me", but i doubt that's the case anyway. it's the most popular motorcycle brand on the planet. some people are going to prefer a Harley over others. i don't see any reason to assume his bias towards Harley is anything other than simply because he likes them.

 

yea, i saw the video. maybe he's right, maybe not. it doesn't mean i'm selling my indian for a harley

 

I ride both Harley and Indian. The Ultra Limited has been the hardest one for me to learn tight turns. It's simply top heavy.

 

Jerry is all about his ego, nothing he teaches is new, proprietary or forward thinking. He is simply a retired motorcycle cop teaching the standard motorcycle maneuvers that can be learned at any quality motorcycle course.

All bikes are different and you don’t have to ride like a motorcycle cop to be safe. Low speed handing is good, and U turns are essential things to learn. But how many motorcycle deaths are cause by failing to execute a 18 foot turn or slow speed maneuvering In fact the number one cause of motorcycle acccidents is failure to negotiate a turn at speed.


He should spend more time doing training on defensive motorcycling techniques, operating safe in traffic, weather and how to be seen and avoid potential trouble.

I am sure that is discussed, but he likes to show you how good he is, but if he is not good, it is because of the poor handling non Harleys.

 

Took the words right out of my head. He does seem to have an ego.

 

The 5 most difficult motorcycles to handle at low speeds

Over the years I have watched and enjoyed quite a few of Jerry Pallidino's "Ride Like A Pro" video's, and typically agree with most of what he has to say. However, I do believe that he is slightly biased towards HD, and feel that this video perhaps is biased in that direction as well. I believe that my current Chieftain, and my previous Springfield both handle as well, and actually a little better than the Harleys that I have ridden, and the two that I have previously owned.

I have ridden, but do not have enough experience with a GW to make a comment about that comparison.

What are your thoughts?

one of the things that sold me on the Chieftian was how easy the low speed handing was.

He complains about the wide Indian handlebars. Well I can see that is an issue for that little man….

 

one of the things that sold me on the Chieftian was how easy the low speed handing was.

He complains about the wide Indian handlebars. Well I can see that is an issue for that little man….

Little big man here, 5’7”, 165, 69 years old. I ride a 2017 chieftain limited. LOVE IT. Been riding since I was 9. By far the chieftain is the best handling bike I’ve had. Low speed handling is awesome, just have to know how😉 I feel like a jockey on a race horse. Fits me like a glove. My 6’1” Harley buddy got on it. Came back…loved it. Said it “fit him like a glove!”
magic bike

 

Okay gang, I understand the defensiveness, but I just finished up the advanced police motorcycle training course. I did 60% of it or so on my roadmaster. The rest I finished on a loaner road king. Yes, I’m sure there are riders that could have completed the trials on my roadmaster. For me, it wasn’t an option. I grabbed a road king and completed the trials easily. That’s not even a slight on the Indian bikes. They have an extra long wheelbase. That offers comfort and handling benefits, but it doesn’t do you any favors when it comes to slow speed agility maneuvers.

 

Truth it took me a little while to get used to the switch over.

 

The most difficult I've ever seen was an old Yamaha 250 (pre RD)- possibly YDS7?
I was a trainee instructor at the time(~'80, RAC/ACU) and a girl turned up on it- however hard she tried she couldn't get it past the 3rd cone. everything else she could do great
So one of the instructors tried it - he failed- despite a few attempts. Then the senior Instructor tried- after demonstrating it was easy on his Police BMW- He failed (just getting to 4th cone).
Steering lock was ludicrous- maybe 10-15 deg each way
End result we got her to use a course bike for the final test-she passed.

 

I had a VSTAR 650 I picked up as a second for my XCT. It was scary at low speeds. Very hard to control the bars on u- turns.

 

I later had a 2007 Roadliner "S" and it was the opposite of the 03 RSV. Nice low center of gravity and excellent handling thanks to an aluminum frame much like the ones Victory and Indian use. Now just who copied who is anybody's guess.

 

I used to have a Vulcan 1500. It was horrible at slow speeds compared to my Roadmaster. I saw the video with the Indian that kept going after the rider fell over. I can attest, unfortunately from personal experience, that they definitely don't all do that.

 

I know what you mean some of my buddies ride HD's... one of my riding buddies rode a RK Police bike (moved on to a Chieftain in 14)... we always went to test rides of other brands and rode them just to check them out... back when I had my Victory we always hit them up as they did test rides just like Indian.. anyway he would always say the Victory handled better and rode better on the highway.. but his HD handled better in the parking lot... I would laugh at him and challenge him to keep track of the time he was in the parking lot compared to the time he was on the road... he got the point

 

I do own, and have owned both. Jerry is right on most or all of this. The shorter Harley wheelbase helps a lot with these maneuvers, just plain physics. It absolutely is much easier on my Roadking vs Roadmaster, Chieftain, and Vintage of which between my wife and we own. I also agree Harleys stock throttle mapping is better at low speeds. Indians DO have a lazy throttle at the initial twist unless you have a newer one with sport mode or have had it tuned. That being said, I don't buy bikes to do these maneuvers with, I buy them for comfort and on road handling, which Indian wins every time. I believe learning to do these maneuvers and being able to control any bike is important, but to set a specific sized box and say you have to complete turns in it will limit how comfortable the designer can make the bike. Indian chose to "think outside the box" in many ways and I'm glad they did. I'm sure everyone has heard or seen videos of Harley high speed wobble? Doubt you'll see that with Indians. If you are of shorter stature, the Harleys will probably fit you better. Both are great bikes. If I was going to do police school training, which I would love to do, I absolutely would take the RoadKing. But for any other ride, it is down the list of which bike I will take out for the day.

 

I love the police Rider tutorials,not a one could catch us on old streached choppers.
On the freeway yes,but take a dirt road or lots of traffic,and your gone.

 

My second steed which is another iconic American branded motorcycle is depicted below.

Now I am sixty this September and have owned and ridden a myriad of motorcycles in over 40 years of riding. What I can say is this:

The Breakout is an utter sh1tp1g in the handling stakes it is akin to an oil tanker and Massey Ferguson tractors have a smoother gear change. Nevertheless I love it as much as my Indian for completely different reasons. The fundamental fact is that the Breakout took me longer than any other motorcycle to get to grips with it and harmonize my own limitations to that of the bike to get the best out of it and feel 100% comfortable in the saddle. It took me about 7 months and is still dire to handle at low speeds.

The Breakout just has to be in the top 5 in my opinion. If not I wish to appeal any judicial decision. In no way shape or form am I Harley bashing here but it is what it is, a behemoth of a machine but a very comfortable mile muncher on straight roads.

 

The Breakout just has to be in the top 5 in my opinion. If not I wish to appeal any judicial decision. In no way shape or form am I Harley bashing here but it is what it is, a behemoth of a machine but a very comfortable mile muncher on straight roads.

I always called those "Rakeouts" instead of Breakouts, (due to the extreme rake of course) That CVO is very nice looking though, I actually pondered that bike a few times myself.

 

I can verify that Wings are worse at low speeds than our bikes. I dumped my GL1800 a couple of times in parking lots ~~ both times after long days in the saddle. Only dumped my RM once, and that was pilot error (trying to make a sharp u-turn to get back on the frontage road from I-40 e/b to Cadillac Ranch). I took the Ride Like a Pro class with our IMRG group and everybody did fine.

Re what Jerry says about “throttle lag,” my 2015 RM had noticeable lag. It was a bit of a surprise from any other bike I’d owned. This has been cured on my 2021 RM — zero lag ( TS116). And IMHO the changes in steering geometry on my 2021 (and a lower seating position) make it much easier to finesse in parking lots.

 

FYI -
Roseanne Roseannadanna

>>>Never mind.

 

M

The 5 most difficult motorcycles to handle at low speeds

Over the years I have watched and enjoyed quite a few of Jerry Pallidino's "Ride Like A Pro" video's, and typically agree with most of what he has to say. However, I do believe that he is slightly biased towards HD, and feel that this video perhaps is biased in that direction as well. I believe that my current Chieftain, and my previous Springfield both handle as well, and actually a little better than the Harleys that I have ridden, and the two that I have previously owned.

I have ridden, but do not have enough experience with a GW to make a comment about that comparison.

What are your thoughts?

My Chieftain handles better then my Street Glide that I sold to by my 1st Indian. Way better suspention my wife don,t get bounced off the seat like she did on my Street Glide.

 

I've had a couple of old Goldwings that were fine at low speeds but those were GL1000's much smaller than later wings. My 2008 Concours 1400 was the trickiest at low speeds of all my bikes. A big, tall heavy bike with a fairly short wheelbase and HUGE saddlebags that stick waaay out. Of course the tall ride heught allowed it to lean way the hell over at speed without dragging and you could see over most cars. And the big stonking 1400 Ninja motor was always fun.

 

I’m a big fan of Jerry’s in spite of his HD bias. He is a good teacher and I think the low speed handling is important. I also bought his Indian-only CD.

I have never had or rode any motorcycles other than Indians, so I can’t compare. I just keep practicing on my Scout and Chief.

There’s another YouTuber out there also teaching slow speed handling. Retired motor officer from NYC, and essentially the same techniques, but a different perspective. He is very good and enjoyable, although some of his practice videos are just too long to watch.
Check him out:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPorqLZnGKVk8ZxPTvTKvnQ/videos

 

I rented a Road King when I was in Denver for a couple of days. Had it on its side(s) 4x in 2 days - it was like someone turned on an electromagnet under the street when I tried to corner slowly - I was begging to get back on my SDH, which has never been down in over 31K miles (except when I set it down on carpet for practice picking it back up). Although, I wonder if the different steering rake on the Springfields isn't a big help in tight corners vs. the other full-size Indian models...

 

Not trying to be an asshole but that sounds like rider error.

 

If you are looking for a low speed handling nightmare look at an old Big Dog chopper (not the Mastiv or some of their shorter offerings) or most custom choppers made back in the chopper fad. A long rake and a 300 series back tire might look good but not made for maneuvering in a parking lot! Dean

 

No offense taken, I knew you were an asshole a long time ago.

 

I'm just saying if I said I rented a Springfield and I dropped it 4× in 2 days you would have every right to say maybe it's the riders fault and I would agree with you lol
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