The old kwaka Vulcan drifter was a good ripoff of the indian but looked much better with a solo seat

Bit disappointing after all the pissin in the breeze ?
Talk about going from Gilroy to Gilligan ?
No wonder they were trying to flog em sight unseen !
The donk looks ok but if ya ask me , it has been slapped with the victory stick , Eeewwww !
The MoCo must be rollin in the isles literally !

From the front of the seat to the front wheel the bike looks great, yes it was a let down the rear half of the bike is terrible, what were they thinking.

Way too much body work on the rear half of the bike, maybe they might change the design of the rear of the bike in time. They should have put the design out there and ask the public there views

the pics that robcig has put up looks heaps better I like them

LOVE IT !

I think they are similar to the old Chiefs but the extra Frame gusseting tends to fill them in to much.
The Nacelle round the headlight looks too Boulevarde ish.
Other then that, thats what an Indian looks like.
Never liked the looks my self.

Guys, went to the Indian store in Hashfield today...the bikes look friggin awesome!! Certainly better in the flesh than any photo I've seen. The overall fit and finish is impeccable, with quality evident on all models of the Chief. The Vintage with the trimmings is my pick and the tourer is an acquired taste I think. I have to mention...bloody expensive!!! Yes they have 100 hp and 115 foot pounds straight out of the box, and a lot of farkles, but geez they are dear. The stage one can only be performed by the dealer, no need for a tuner, all reflashed by them. BTW, any aftermarket parts including slip on pipes will void the warranty...

only just clicked over to 12xxx might be coming along.

I agree, it looks sus....

Well fuck them - I like to tinker, and if I am paying top dollar for my bike, and I want to play with - that's my business.

Also - They can't stand behind the claim that ANYTHING will void your warranty - Obviously the dickhead that you spoke to, does not know the law. You can do whatever you like to your machine, and the onus is on them to prove what you did broke it. If not - they pay!

I don't think it's about not wanting to stand behind the product, it's more about control. They want you to take your bike to them for services and upgrades. I've done all the stage one upgrades on my bike and am not overly concerned about my warranty!! Anyhow, I'll say it again, love my Road King, but I will be test riding and seriously considering Indian as an alternative in a couple of years...let them put some miles on the machines first, iron out the bugs, and build some reputation for reliability and durabilty...let the flaming begin!!!

Here's one uncovered, and looking at the rear frame section it's no wonder they had to cover it with so many plastic looking panels, they just didn't design a good looking frame from the start...

thats one ugly modern jap looking frame,
offers no real options for customizing,
also read putting a decent exhaust on voids warranty.

Yeah Madoga, it would be a bitch to try and hardtail it

Strip a Road Star Warrior and it looks a lot like that.

AMCN has a ride review on the new bikes in the latest edition, gave the bike a wrap. Hopefully ithey look better in the flesh than in the photos.

I agree Pauly. Who cares what the frame is made from. If it's lighter and more durable, that's a good thing.

I've seen them in the flesh...looks good. I know you'll also be pleased to hear 100 hp and 119 foot pounds of torque straight out of the box!

I like the look of the frame on my softail. The handling I'm not a big fan of but that's no reason to say that for 30k I'd still like both. Given the Indian is supposedly a brand new bike from scratch, I would have expected more with both good handling, performance and looks all round. If they wanted to take some decent market share off hd i thought indian would have wanted to "nail it"

Fair comment, as two of the things you mentioned, handling and performance have been tested and given the thumbs up by a ex champion roadracer now bike jurno and the third being looks being a totally subjective opinion i think they have done quiet well first up. As for the looks i am not a big fan . As for market share keep your eyes open for the new Truimph tourer, its a direct knock off of a Ultra.