The big Indian has ridiculously
good rear suspension, it is
plush while still being very
stable and accurate
With 1800cc of V-twin power under the tank,
the bike is swift without having race-worthy
credentials off the line, although such notions
were dispelled as 100km often came and went
disarmingly quickly. The big Indian sound
really lets you know that you are sitting on
top of controlled explosions too. Great, fat,
thrumping beats. Woof!!
We rolled out of Auckland together and
I opted for a series of tight twisties over
Ridge Road past Paremoremo and on into
Riverhead. On the open road the bike really
comes into it’s own, and I re-discovered the
fun of big-bike riding. Cruising.
The big Indian has ridiculously good rear
suspension, it is plush while still being very
stable and accurate, and that’s an astonishing
combo. A Harley rider of many year’s standing
was infuriated that thousands spent getting
his Bill and Artie to handle, was bested straight
out of the box by the big Springfield.
Over the next few days I had occasion to
use the bike as my commuter, and slowly I
weened myself off the naked street responses,
and found myself being much more deliberate
62 KIWI RIDER
and focused in my riding. There’s a weight
to the bike that raises the stakes of riding;
where small adjustments are easily made
on a Streetie, the Springer needs time and
deliberate action. I got slower. I had the same
pace on the road but I found that the big bike
was changing my internal riding metabolism.
I became a different rider, I morphed into a
slower but much more deliberate and single-
focused clear rhythm. If I changed lanes I took
the time to check everything around me, three
lanes of traffic, not just the one I was entering.
I actually took in a bigger mental picture of
what I was going to do, and how I was going
to do it. I slowed, internally not externally, but
improved my seriousness of intent. Apologies,
dear reader, but this is my somewhat
muddled attempt to impart what a cruiser
does to a rider; I re’learnt that corners become
sweeps, hills cease to matter, uphill is as easy
as down, and engine braking is enormous
and steady. One starts to use much more of
the whole road, and become aware that most
cars are about the same size. I found I had
switched into Cruiser mode.