FLSTC
Well-known member
The Bonneville is the best of that bunch for 2-up.
Indian Scout, Victory Octane, Harley Roadster, Triumph T120 Bonnie
- Thread starter DECIMIS
- Start date
We're just shoveling out opinions here, right?
For me it would probably have to be the Scout. I love how they tried to imagine would a modern Indian would look like instead of going full retro, and I love how they didn't try to hide the water-cooled motor and still made it look good. The Octane is less interesting to me, because it looks like someone took that gorgeous bike and rattle canned it black. The Harley still looks like a Sportster to me (very familiar, I mean, it doesn't look new or interesting in my eyes) and the Bonneville is probably the functionally superior choice out of the four, but it just doesn't look as good as the Scout. Plus I really, really want the Scout to succeed. Everybody buy a Scout!
I forget, can you add 2up to the Scout? Not that it would be a hypothetical big deal for me, I've had a pillion maybe once in the last decade
For me it would probably have to be the Scout. I love how they tried to imagine would a modern Indian would look like instead of going full retro, and I love how they didn't try to hide the water-cooled motor and still made it look good. The Octane is less interesting to me, because it looks like someone took that gorgeous bike and rattle canned it black. The Harley still looks like a Sportster to me (very familiar, I mean, it doesn't look new or interesting in my eyes) and the Bonneville is probably the functionally superior choice out of the four, but it just doesn't look as good as the Scout. Plus I really, really want the Scout to succeed. Everybody buy a Scout!
I forget, can you add 2up to the Scout? Not that it would be a hypothetical big deal for me, I've had a pillion maybe once in the last decade
Can you play that card if you're a Sportster guy? I might be confusing you with someone else
Maybe, maybe not. I'm not here to point fingers. "Just the facts Ma'am" TV cop
In my garage you will find my FJRs, obviously, but you will also find a Harley. My Harley is a 1200cc fun machine, has oil cooled heads, aluminium swing arm, big upside forks, and proper wheels which are mated up with proper "sport bike " rubber. It's a XR1200X, it's a ton of fun to ride up here in the Moraine/Escarpment where I hide out. Why Harley quit making them is a puzzle, actually we all know the reason, the "pirate" crowd just didn't get a bike that actually went like hell, turned and stopped like a proper bike, they seem to prefer agricultural equipment like handling and unparalleled noise making capabilities. But now Harley trots out the Roadster, which seems to want to be a XR but doesn't want to go all the way there. I really don't understand the thinking behind this model, it's just a Sporster that has low bars, you will still drag all kinds of stuff in a tight corner and it can't really generate much in the way of power. I am hopeful that the Octane is just the first offering of a V-Twin engine in a ever more sporting package. I would happily trade my FJR for a Motus like bike powered by a liquid cooled V-Twin, which went, handled, and stopped like my FJR, and oh yeah, had detachable hard bags.
Well there is the V-Rod/Night Rod. Just the same though I would love to see HD do some more liquid cooled motors. It is the future with increasingly stringent EPA/emission regs. Victory/Indian have done a nice job making a modern, liquid cooled motor which still looks cool, makes good power, and won't bake your leg off in stop and go traffic. Ditto for Triumph which has been able to remake their modern classics with a new liquid cooled mill making more power than the old air cooled engine.
A Sportster made to compete against the Victory Octane and/or Indian Scout with a new liquid cooled engine would be sweet to see. From all accounts the engine in the 750 street is a good one so it is not like they are unable to engineer a good, modern engine.
