What Would Life Be like Without Harley-Davidson?
The Gold Wing
You’d have to be crazy to suggest Harley guys would start riding Honda Shadows, but some touring riders have begrudgingly accepted the Gold Wing as a worthy Harley alternative for decades. Sure the big Honda looks like a jet ski that transforms into a robot, but there isn’t much better for eating up miles. The jury is still out on the recently introduced cut down Gold Wing ‘bagger,’ but the availability of an automatic transmission makes them one of the easiest big bikes out there for older riders. Unfortunately, the success of Honda’s car brand means Gold Wing production has moved back to Japan. So they are no longer made in Ohio as they were before 2009.
It is hard to argue with 120 hp, more torque than you’ll ever need, and enough handling to take to a track day. But then, some people just won’t be able to get past the looks of the thing.
With all the same tech and power (and a slightly better look) there is always the latest big BMW K1600 bagger as an option too.
Triumph
Probably the closest thing you can get to the look and feel of a Harley-Davidson big twin cruiser or Sportster would be the Modern Classics from Triumph. The Bonneville Speedmaster and Bobber are actually great to look at and ride. Both have plenty of chrome and motor showing, plus a hardtail look with a hidden shock, just like the Softail. The parallel twin may not have quite the low end grunt or character of a V-twin, but it is a far cry from a high revving, sewing machine-sounding, smooth inline four.
For those that want or need more power, there is always the insane Rocket III. If you are not familiar with this cruiser it is an inline three, laid in the frame front to back with a shaft drive. The look is almost like a modern interpretation of an Indian Four. Even with the new Milwaukee Eight 117, the Rocket III packs the biggest motor in a production bike, with 2.3 liters, or 140 cubic inches! At just 2,750 rpm, this monster mill is making more than 160 ft-lbs of torque. A motor like that might be enough to make me start waving the Union Jack again and drinking my beer at room temperature.
Triumph has a rich history dating back to 1902, a year before the first Harley-Davidson rolled out of the shed. True, there was that awkward period when they stopped making bikes all together, but you might be surprised at how short that hiatus was. In 1983 when the original company shut down, businessman John Bloor bought the right to the name. After only a few months Les Harris restarted production with the old tooling and made 1,300 Bonnevilles until 1988, when his license to build them was not extended. New Hinckley Triumphs were finally introduced in 1991, so there was really only about three Triumph-free years.
We’re inclined to look past that blip since their new bikes are so good.
Indian
Indian is the only other real American option if Harley-Davidson were to go toe up. Somehow, despite having the same team behind them that Victory did, the Polaris Indians manage to break out of the gawkiness to look and perform properly. However, how much of that is just the image we all have in our heads when someone mentions Indian Motorcycle?
The Scout line of modern water cooled performance cruisers can’t be touched by anything Harley makes on the track or a twisty road, and they are faster in a straight line too. The performance of the Indian Wrecking Crew on a brand new Scout based flat track bike sent the Harley team back to Milwaukee with their tail between their legs. But if a traditional look is most important to you, this bike is not going to cut it.
For those looking for the traditional V-twin, the Indian Chief cruiser and Chieftain bagger/tourer should be right up your alley. Honestly, with the new 2018 Softails yet to grow on us, we’d say the Chief is better looking than any of the new Harley lineup. It appears the only thing Indian lacks is a full boat touring bike with a frame mounted fairing, though the Roadmaster with its version of the batwing is pretty nice. At least they haven’t tried to do a retro reboot of the Victory Vision. We would put money that an Indian with a frame mounted fairing will coming out in the next model year or so. Until then you could always try the Yamaha Star Venture Transcontinental.
The only real problem with Indian is that lack of authenticity, since they stopped making bikes in 1953. There is no through line connecting Polaris and the current Indian to the original. Polaris didn’t even make their first snowmobiles until 1954, and their bike division only dates back to the 1990s. But that business model of diversified powersports products is what will keep Polaris afloat even if the big cruiser market were to crater by 50%, which is almost what it did in 2007, and not recover.
If American-made is more important to you than authentic history, Indian could be the way to go.
Continued….
