[Bryan Archambeault]

I've had my Indian for a couple of days now (new member into here: Getting my Indian on Saturday (11/22) | Indian Motorcycle Forum). Here's some initial impressions and questions:

1) I can't believe how balanced and stable this bike is. I am coming from a Honda Shadow Aero that weighs almost half of this Indian, so I was a little worried about the handling of a bigger bike. No worries anymore. This thing handles like a dream. And so comfortable to ride. I feel like I've gone from a Ford Focus to a Rolls Royce or something.
2) The brakes are fantastic. I can't compare them to a Harley or other big bike, so they may not be as good as I am saying compared to other similar bikes, but coming from the Shadow, it's a huge difference. My Shadow has a single caliper front, and a drum in the rear. It stopped okay, but having the dual calipers in the front and the single caliper in the rear just feels so much smoother and responsive. Not to mention the ABS. I'm impressed.
3) The saddlebags aren't as big as I'd hoped. They are way bigger than the ones on my Shadow, but still not big enough to fit my laptop, so I still have to use another bag on the luggage rack or wear a backpack, which I was hoping to avoid. The Indian messenger bag looks big enough for my laptop, but at $499 there ain't no way I'm getting that thing. I have a Kuryakyn Tombstone bag that I used with my Shadow that slid over and secured to the sissybar seat pad and sat on the luggage rack. However, the sissybar seat pad on the Indian is like twice as big, and the bag attachment won't slide over it. Well, it sits on the luggage rack just fine, but I have to use bungies (bungys?) now to secure it. Plus, it's black, and the Indian is tan leather, so it doesn't match. Anyone know of any leather (or at least tan) bags that secure to the sissybar seat pad and luggage rack?
4) My Shadow had a tank pouch that I kept my garage door opener in. Indian makes one (Redirecting), but $100 is a little steep for such a small thing. Anyone know of any other brands that might make something like this for way cheaper?
5) Engine (or something) ticking noise. When I did the demo ride at an event in Long Beach, CA, I noticed that the Vintage I was riding was making some pretty bad noise. Ticking? Clacking? Not sure what to call it. My Shadow never made such a sound, so it seemed like a problem to me. The Indian guy there didn't really have an answer, and I've read so many reviews and watched so many videos of these new Indians, and no one else has really mentioned it. But, now that I have one, I can say that I still hear it. It's nowhere near as bad as the demo unit, but it's still there. Does it go away or diminish after the 500 mile break in period and service? It is just a normal TS111 sound and I should just get used to it and not worry about it? Maybe it's not even the engine? Maybe it's the tranny? My Shadow has a shaft drive and the Indian has a belt drive, so maybe it's just a new sound I'm not used to hearing? I only hear it around 10 - 40 MPH. It's not there at idle, and it's not there at higher speeds.
6) 91 octane fuel? Was reading the manual last night (I needed to figure out how to set the clock) and I noticed it said I need to put in 91 octane fuel. Is that just a suggestion, or is that a requirement? Gas prices have come down significantly, but I'd still rather put in 87 or 89 or whatever if it isn't going to hurt anything.
7) No locking fuel cap? Really? This really surprised me. I mean, I know there are very few jerks in this world that are going to siphon your gas, or put water in it or something, but how hard would it have been to just put a lock on the cap? My Shadow even has that. Anyone know of any after market ones?
8) No lock on the bags? Really? I know the hard bags are lockable, but they really should have put something on the soft bags. I'm not even so worried about the lid itself (though that would have been nice), but there isn't even a way to lock on the inside removal mechanism. So, someone can just walk up and remove the bags and walk away. Again, I know there aren't many people in this world that are going to do that, but it would have been nice for there to be a way to secure these things since they are so expensive.

That's it for now I guess.

 

[builder]

The ticking noise seems to be a trait of the 111 Thunderstroke engine. Many people complain about it, Many of use seem to understand that it is a trait. If I were in your position (and I was a year ago) I would ride the piss out of it and not think trice about it again. It's the Thunderstroke music. My dad always said, "Don't let the ticking of the grandfather clock keep you up at night. Let it lull you into comfort of being home."

 

[barneyrw]

#3. I don't think your luggage has to match the brown color of the bags and seat, anymore than your boots, jacket, or belt does.
#8. When on the road, I take my saddlebags into the motel room at night for two reasons, theft and rain.

 

[mate_stubb]

Yeah, it shouldn't be a surprise that leather bags don't lock - that's what hard bags are for.

 

[Bryan Archambeault]

The ticking noise seems to be a trait of the 111 Thunderstroke engine. Many people complain about it, Many of use seem to understand that it is a trait. If I were in your position (and I was a year ago) I would ride the piss out of it and not think trice about it again. It's the Thunderstroke music. My dad always said, "Don't let the ticking of the grandfather clock keep you up at night. Let it lull you into comfort of being home."

Good. As long as it's not a mechanical issue that I need to worry about, I'll just get used to it and enjoy the ride.

#3. I don't think your luggage has to match the brown color of the bags and seat, anymore than your boots, jacket, or belt does.
#8. When on the road, I take my saddlebags into the motel room at night for two reasons, theft and rain.

#3 - Good point. My boots and jacket are black.
#8 - I ride my bike to work everyday, and it sits parked in a pretty public place. Maybe I should bring them into the office with me?

 

[Bryan Archambeault]

Yeah, it shouldn't be a surprise that leather bags don't lock - that's what hard bags are for.

There are many leather bags or fake leather bags that lock. It's not going to stop anyone with a knife obviously, but at least it's a deterrent for a quick snatch and run. These Indian bags retail for like $1,500, right? For that kind of money, you'd expect there to be a way to lock them shut (to protect the contents), or at least a way to lock them from being removed from the bike (to protect the bags themselves).

 

[Mikehell]

6) 91 octane fuel? Was reading the manual last night (I needed to figure out how to set the clock) and I noticed it said I need to put in 91 octane fuel. Is that just a suggestion, or is that a requirement? Gas prices have come down significantly, but I'd still rather put in 87 or 89 or whatever if it isn't going to hurt anything.

Yes, you should use premium gasoline. Welcome to the world of American bikes!

 

[barneyrw]

There are many leather bags or fake leather bags that lock. It's not going to stop anyone with a knife obviously, but at least it's a deterrent for a quick snatch and run. These Indian bags retail for like $1,500, right? For that kind of money, you'd expect there to be a way to lock them shut (to protect the contents), or at least a way to lock them from being removed from the bike (to protect the bags themselves).

Yeah, I agree on the locking the bags to the bike. They should have something where you could put a padlock to prevent one saddlebag lever from being lifted.

 

[Shuje Sunge]

I'd definitely take the bags in or leave them off. Once the thugs figure our how much their worth and there is a demand for them, they will be stolen. I'm fortunate enough to be able to watch my bike while I'm at work.

 

[mate_stubb]

Hmm, hadn't thought about worrying that the bags themselves could be stolen. Definitely a point in favor of the Chieftain then.

 

[LukeP333]

You need a smaller laptop! the first thing that rode in my saddlebags was my laptop bag and ball cap.

 

[PatK]

I've had my Indian for a couple of days now (new member into here: Getting my Indian on Saturday (11/22) | Indian Motorcycle Forum). Here's some initial impressions and questions:

1) I can't believe how balanced and stable this bike is. I am coming from a Honda Shadow Aero that weighs almost half of this Indian, so I was a little worried about the handling of a bigger bike. No worries anymore. This thing handles like a dream. And so comfortable to ride. I feel like I've gone from a Ford Focus to a Rolls Royce or something.
2) The brakes are fantastic. I can't compare them to a Harley or other big bike, so they may not be as good as I am saying compared to other similar bikes, but coming from the Shadow, it's a huge difference. My Shadow has a single caliper front, and a drum in the rear. It stopped okay, but having the dual calipers in the front and the single caliper in the rear just feels so much smoother and responsive. Not to mention the ABS. I'm impressed.
3) The saddlebags aren't as big as I'd hoped. They are way bigger than the ones on my Shadow, but still not big enough to fit my laptop, so I still have to use another bag on the luggage rack or wear a backpack, which I was hoping to avoid. The Indian messenger bag looks big enough for my laptop, but at $499 there ain't no way I'm getting that thing. I have a Kuryakyn Tombstone bag that I used with my Shadow that slid over and secured to the sissybar seat pad and sat on the luggage rack. However, the sissybar seat pad on the Indian is like twice as big, and the bag attachment won't slide over it. Well, it sits on the luggage rack just fine, but I have to use bungies (bungys?) now to secure it. Plus, it's black, and the Indian is tan leather, so it doesn't match. Anyone know of any leather (or at least tan) bags that secure to the sissybar seat pad and luggage rack?
4) My Shadow had a tank pouch that I kept my garage door opener in. Indian makes one (Redirecting), but $100 is a little steep for such a small thing. Anyone know of any other brands that might make something like this for way cheaper?
5) Engine (or something) ticking noise. When I did the demo ride at an event in Long Beach, CA, I noticed that the Vintage I was riding was making some pretty bad noise. Ticking? Clacking? Not sure what to call it. My Shadow never made such a sound, so it seemed like a problem to me. The Indian guy there didn't really have an answer, and I've read so many reviews and watched so many videos of these new Indians, and no one else has really mentioned it. But, now that I have one, I can say that I still hear it. It's nowhere near as bad as the demo unit, but it's still there. Does it go away or diminish after the 500 mile break in period and service? It is just a normal TS111 sound and I should just get used to it and not worry about it? Maybe it's not even the engine? Maybe it's the tranny? My Shadow has a shaft drive and the Indian has a belt drive, so maybe it's just a new sound I'm not used to hearing? I only hear it around 10 - 40 MPH. It's not there at idle, and it's not there at higher speeds.
6) 91 octane fuel? Was reading the manual last night (I needed to figure out how to set the clock) and I noticed it said I need to put in 91 octane fuel. Is that just a suggestion, or is that a requirement? Gas prices have come down significantly, but I'd still rather put in 87 or 89 or whatever if it isn't going to hurt anything.
7) No locking fuel cap? Really? This really surprised me. I mean, I know there are very few jerks in this world that are going to siphon your gas, or put water in it or something, but how hard would it have been to just put a lock on the cap? My Shadow even has that. Anyone know of any after market ones?
8) No lock on the bags? Really? I know the hard bags are lockable, but they really should have put something on the soft bags. I'm not even so worried about the lid itself (though that would have been nice), but there isn't even a way to lock on the inside removal mechanism. So, someone can just walk up and remove the bags and walk away. Again, I know there aren't many people in this world that are going to do that, but it would have been nice for there to be a way to secure these things since they are so expensive.

That's it for now I guess.

Congratulations Bryan. I have put down a deposit on a Roadmaster for late May 2015 delivery. The dealer is about 800 miles from where I live so I want to increase my chances of being able to ride in the mountains without snow when I pick it up.

 

[Bryan Archambeault]

9) So I went and got gas for the first time today. I looked like a fool for a while. On my Shadow, the fuel nozzle would go all the way into the tank, just like on a car. However, on the Indian, there is a metal bar that stops the nozzle from going in very far. This means the nozzle unit doesn't make a good seal, and therefore pulling the trigger does not start the flow of fuel. It wasn't until I realized that I could pull the rubber seal mechanism up away from the tank that the trigger would engage and fuel started flowing. Is this normal, or just the way that gas station's pumps are setup?

 

[Roadgypsy]

9) So I went and got gas for the first time today. I looked like a fool for a while. On my Shadow, the fuel nozzle would go all the way into the tank, just like on a car. However, on the Indian, there is a metal bar that stops the nozzle from going in very far. This means the nozzle unit doesn't make a good seal, and therefore pulling the trigger does not start the flow of fuel. It wasn't until I realized that I could pull the rubber seal mechanism up away from the tank that the trigger would engage and fuel started flowing. Is this normal, or just the way that gas station's pumps are setup?

Rest the nozzle on the metal cross bar. Fuel at low speed (usually the first click on the "hold open" handle and when it hits the auto shut-off stop. Do not add that little squeeze of additional fuel. As far as the the flow not starting that was just that specific pump. Not your bike.

Ride and enjoy.

 

[Zenrider]

The rubber seal mechanism is designed to catch the vapors, and are likely going to be found in California and most urban areas where emissions are monitored. Here in the middle of Pennsylvania, you wont find many pump nozzles designed like that. The dealer told me when I picked mine up, to stick the nozzle in until it hits the bar and then fill her until the nozzle kicks off. That is a big improvement over my Victory Cross Country. I had 4 trouble free years from that bike, but filling the tank was a bit of a PIA.
I remember seeing a tool that somebody makes that holds back the rubber flex seal on the gas nozzles, just a flat piece of metal with a slot in it that fits around the nozzle really.

 

[Bryan Archambeault]

10) Cruise Control and Kill Switch. So last night I was on the freeway in the dark and decided that would be a perfect time to try out the cruise for the first time. I knew the on/off switch was on the lower right, so I managed to turn that on. I also knew the set/resume/etc. toggle was on the right and I kind of felt around for a toggle on the right and switched it when I found it. The bike died and I had to pull to the side of the freeway. Guess I found the kill switch. Probably should have oriented myself with the controls better in the daylight.

 

[elrod]

10) Cruise Control and Kill Switch. So last night I was on the freeway in the dark and decided that would be a perfect time to try out the cruise for the first time. I knew the on/off switch was on the lower right, so I managed to turn that on. I also knew the set/resume/etc. toggle was on the right and I kind of felt around for a toggle on the right and switched it when I found it. The bike died and I had to pull to the side of the freeway. Guess I found the kill switch. Probably should have oriented myself with the controls better in the daylight.

Big oooops there

 

[CavemanHHH]

The controls can be fun at 18 degrees, due to large thick glove and cold fingers. I changed to tour master gloves, but they still are thick?

 

[RATFINK2]

Yeah, the controls are not glove friendly at all. As far as the cruise control, that practically take two hands to operate as well.

 

[CavemanHHH]

True about two hand operation with winter gloves on. Still leaps and bounds better over the old black screw knob on my 1998 HD. When if you needed to turn it off quickly, you would be in a panic to make it happen. In general I love the cruise control, nice on those really cold mornings.