Indian Roadmaster

I have always been intrigued by Indian motorcycles since I was a kid.  My dad always talked about a friend that had an Indian and how amazing the motorcycle was.  He would tell me the "Indian's" were majestic and big and everyone would look at them with envy.  I only saw them in photos and had never seen one until I came to the USA.
Indian motorcycles were originally produced from 1901 to 1953 in Springfield, Massachusetts and the last model came out long before I was born when the company went bankrupt in 1953.  The first one I saw was an oldie but still gracefull model.  Over the years I saw a lot of old models including the large collection at the Motorcyclepedia Museum in Newburgh, New York.  These are some of the models on display.

In 2011 Polaris Industries purchased Indian Motorcycles and in 2013 unveiled their new 111 cubic inches (1.82 L) "Thunder Stroke" engine and three new models.  The Indian Roadmaster is the new standard of comfort in long distance cruising and the most expensive Indian with an MSPR of $27,999.

At the 2014 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Indian introduced their new model Scout, a cruiser with a 1,133 cc liquid-cooled, double overhead camshaft, four valves V-twin engine.  The Scout engine produces 86 hp at 7,730 rpm and 64 pound-feet of torque at 3,320 rpm.  The model has the lines and proportions of the 1928 Scout but designed to work in the modern world with all the latest in engine technology.  The Scout is currently their most affordable model at $11,299.

I would love to do a cross country trip on an Indian Roadmaster with my wife.  I am sure I would enjoy the motorcycle and she would love the comfort of the the back seat and would probably be more into motorcycle touring after experiencing the Indian legend.

Indian Motorcycle company, how about letting me do a long term review of the Indian Roadmaster Indian Red?

Indian Motorcycles

2 Weeks

Two weeks to go, the bike is ready and since this will be the cleanest the bike will ever be I decided to take a few pictures.  The roads in the Yukon and Alaska are going to make a mess out of the bike and the salt used  in Alaska during winter is very corrosive to aluminum.

Heidenau K60 Scout tires have been ordered and will be mounted in Cameron,Wisconsin.  Why Cameron? Because that was the only place I found a dealer that sells the Heidenau's and it's on my route.  There is a dealer in Milwaukee and Cedarburg, Wisconsin but they would be out of the way.  There's a  BMW dealer in Omaha but that would be too far west.
I am planning on skirting Chicago and head north towards Cameron.  After I have the new tires I will head west passing Fargo and then in Jamestown start heading north crossing the border in Portal, North Dakota.

I bought a MadStad (link) adjustable windshield mount with a Crossbar to mount the GPS and radar detector.  I painted a portion of my windshield so I can mount and hide the EZPass toll tag used in most of the eastern states.  The vertical sides match perfectly with the adjustable windshield bracket.  I don't like to see the damn tag behind the windshield where most riders mount it.  Once it's mounted no one will even know I have one.  Now the ADV sticker stands out even more.

Hanging out back is Darth Vader.  My daughter gave me the little Vader as a present last Christmas, she knows I love everything Star Wars, since my bike is all black and I wear a black jacket and helmet, she says he complements the bike perfectly, I agree.

This coming week I will be working on what I will need to take with me and where to pack everything for my long trip.  I will be camping and cooking my own meals as much as possible.  There are lots of electronic devices to carry, laptop, cameras, chargers, compressor, things that take up lots of valuable space, it's always a trade-off when deciding what to take.