Brasfield notes, “I’ve gotta say that I hate windshields that I can’t see over. While it does provide excellent protection from the elements, it’s not without its drawbacks. Like all aspects of the Indian, the windscreen is ginormous. Indian Motorcycle Displays New Accessories And Apparel You almost need a thumb with a third phalange to manipulate the cruise-control feature. The problem lies with the reach to the buttons being such a stretch for a rider’s hands. The Indian features a nicely integrated cruise control system that flawlessly works in conjunction with the bike’s R-b-W system. I know this doesn’t directly reflect the comparison here, but the difference is profound enough to note.” “The lighter bike feels heavier and the heavier bike feels more agile. “It’s funny how much a bike’s character can change with a little thing like rake, but the difference in handling between the Chief and the Chieftain is amazing,” says Brasfield. If the key requirement of your mount for the open road is a Harley badge on the tank, just shell out $18,349 ($19,079 Two-tone Color) and it’s yours. Still, as noted at the beginning of this section, Harley will probably sell more of these bikes than the other three manufacturers combined. The leather bagger class has bumped up its level of competition in recent years, and the Heritage Softail Classic is now a bit behind the curve. The Softail’s triple clamp is lower, allowing for the ape hanger look without the performance penalty of having the grips higher than they need to be. However, when compared to the Victory, the grips are at about the same height. Also, having a standard passenger backrest is a nice touch shared only with the Triumph.Īn interesting feature of the Harley’s style that Duke noticed was how the handlebar’s mounting arrangement makes it look like it is an ape hanger. With the lowest passenger footpegs of the bunch, the co-rider’s knees were bent less than on the other bikes. One area where the Softail excelled was the ergonomics for the the passenger. Returning to the MO fold, John “Bridge Burner” Burns sums the feeling up succinctly, saying that the Harley “just feels old-fashioned and slightly rickety among the others, but that’s part of the appeal for people who love them.” Additionally, cruiser manufacturers have to find a way to differentiate themselves while following a trail blazed by Harley.īeing the patriarch of the group, I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Softail feels a bit dated. The brand recognition of and loyalty to Harley-Davidson is, frankly, what the other manufacturers aspire to – which is why you will see them sponsoring events at the major rallies. Despite what we say about the comparative functionality of this quartet of Big Twins, the Heritage Softail Classic will most likely outsell them all. Triumph say the LT's wheels are shod with the world's first 'white-walled' tires.In this gathering of leather bagged cruisers, we need to begin by stating the obvious: We wouldn’t be here testing this group of motorcycles if it weren’t for this motorcycle. ABS brakes are standard with supplier Nissin providing a four-piston caliper with twin 310mm front discs, and Brembo supplying a two-piston caliper with a 310mm disc to the rear. A 47mm Showa front fork with 120mm of travel and twin Showa shocks at the rear with a 5-way preload adjustable mechanism perform the suspension duties. Suspension parts are also borrowed from the Storm. On the LT, it produces 92 hp 5,400 rpm and 150 Nm 3,550 rpm. It shares the 1,699 cc parallel-twin engine with a 270-degree crank, with the currently-selling Thunderbird Storm. The seat design is revised for more lumbar support. These introductions make the Thunderbird platform better suited for touring duties. The 2014 Triumph Thunderbird LT variant gets a windscreen, additional headlight, detachable leather saddlebags and a passenger backrest. Triumph has revealed the LT version of its Thunderbird range and the new Thunderbird Commander at the 2013 EICMA show in Milan, Italy.
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