While Streeter resisted putting either Harley-Davidson or Indian ahead of the other brand, Mark Vaughn of Autoweek compared Harley’s Road Glide Limited to the Indian Dark Horse Pursuit (shown above) and did not hesitate to declare a favorite. Although he found the Road Glide sufficiently comfortable and torquey, he noted that its V-twin engine produced a leg-roasting amount of heat. He measured the temperature of the Harley’s exhaust pipe to be almost 200 degrees hotter than the Indian’s.
Vaughn found the Indian to be more responsive to twists of the throttle than the Harley, but felt the Road Glide offered a marginally better riding posture. ” You lean just a little farther forward on the Indian,” he wrote.” Both are entirely comfortable seating positions, just a bit more so on the Harley.” In the end, he declared the Dark Horse the winner in this head-to-head competition based on its crisp performance and cooler exhaust, but admitted the two brands ran wheel-to-wheel in most respects.
Whether you choose an Indian or Harley-Davidson for your next ride will be more a matter of personal preference than any vast difference between the two brands. They both offer proud traditions, robust dealer support, and a broad selection of bikes. The biggest distinction is the jagged lineage of Indian in comparison to the relatively stable history of Harley-Davidson. Harley has been cranking out bikes steadily since the early 20th Century, while Indian has existed that long in name only and now lives on only under the Polaris umbrella.
