2022 Indian Super Chief Limited vs 2021 Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic 114

Today’s article is about the comparison review of 2022 Indian Super Chief Limited vs 2021 Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic 114. As a kid, I rode my bike later and passed by my neighbor a few times if he worked on his motorcycle in the garage. I would sneak peek at the bike parked under the center light and try to understand my attraction to it. On Saturday mornings, he lit a fire and rode a saddlebag and windscreen to work. More bikes would gather outside on Sundays, he would pull down the driveway on his beautiful striped machine, and they would all go for a ride.

It was business and pleasure, equal parts show and go. Like the 2022 Indian Motorcycle Super Chief Limited and 2021 Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic 114, two motorcycles designed to offer the best in both worlds, each manufacturer’s heavyweight cruiser platform in its highest term; the result of the competition is more than that.

Editor-at-Large Andrew Cherney and I have a distance of 30 feet and 25 years, traveling along the Southern California highways to Mount Laguna in East San Diego County. There are many different kinds of music playing in our helmets, but we can quickly agree on Heritage and Super. Chief These bikes offer all the styles and most of the convenience of rugged bag touring machines built around every manufacturer’s large engine, but lighter, more agile, and more affordable.

Significantly identical in every measurement, these two motorcycles were designed to accomplish the same essential task: to walk the American highways and light the candle of freedom that older twins have always symbolized. Their job – and Americans like to define themselves by their work – is to represent the decades-old history of their respective companies while also using the latest technology and typically more than $20,000 of today’s machines. Work at the expected level.

2022 Indian Super Chief Limited vs 2021 Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic 114 – Comparison Review

Head to Head Engine Comparison

The first significant similarities in both performance and shape are the engines, the two large displacement V-Twins with pushrod-activated valves. The Milwaukee-Eight 114 is air and oil-cooled, has four valves per cylinder, and works with a slightly shorter bore and longer strokes, while the Indian Air Cold Thunder stroke 116 has half a point more compression (11.0: 1).

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It runs with but only two valves per cylinder. They are unique roads to the same destination, solid and visual but better, moving with muffled pops in vain and smooth as reviews grow. Putting the dinosaur charts on top of each other, we can say that they are as similar as we have ever seen from two different manufacturers.

Clutch and throttle failure

The torque curve of each engine powerfully removes itself from the idle and from about 1,300 rpm, where we begin to measure it on our dinosaur, reaches a peak of 107 lb-ft at about 3,000 rpm, then slowly descends. Tilts as the engines return to the red line.

Because touring riders spend their time on the lower reeves with less vibration and a slight beat from the engine, the desire for higher performance on higher reeves is greater than the need for comfort and immediate pulling. So these bikes were designed to deliver power to the bottom end, where most consumers want it and that’s where the first big difference comes in.

The sense of the communicative clutch lever also tells you exactly when Heritage’s friction zone is connecting the gearbox. Still, the chief’s lever is shiny and opaque, making it challenging to stay smooth and consistent. It leads to smoother launches with Harley.

With time and experience, Chief Riders will undoubtedly learn the engagement point of the clutch and explore the intricacies of how the throttle responds. Still, the modulation of these controls is more than feedback and a sense of motorcycle movement and engine. It will be based on sound. A sense of belonging to the machinery is an integral part of cruiser motorcycles, and Harley has it at speeds.

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The quarter-mile time was within a tenth of a second, Harley finished at 100.93 mph in 13.28 seconds, and the Indian came in at 98.58 mph after 13.37 seconds. The speed from zero to 60 was almost the same in 4.45 and 4.47 seconds, although slightly faster than the Indian line, reaching 30 miles per hour in 1.68 seconds compared to Harley’s 1.9. All the times recorded are the best of many runs at our Test facility.

Fit and finished

In cruisers, fit and finish are just as important as the rider’s sense of belonging to his motorcycle. Harley-Davidson gets a lot of credit for raising the bar here and has continued its excellent work with this Heritage Classic. As always, superior attention has been paid to routing wires, positioning clamps, and other necessary but ugly features to ensure that the focus is on the shape of the bike. Design Brad Richards’ H-D VP called it “cable hygiene” in a recent interview.

The Super Chief looks excellent from a distance of a few feet; his metallic blue paint is deep and vibrant. But put it ahead of the legacy and its shortcomings are apparent. Near the steering head hangs a large wiring loom, a barrier to the view of a tubular frame designed to be seen clearly. The chrome was stuck to the gas tank with Indian badge foam that was spilling on both sides. At $ 20,849 for Heritage and $ 21,499 for Super Chief, these motorcycles are luxury vehicles. Exactly how the seeds are stored on the tank is a conversation we don’t need.

Along the same lines, small accents such as chrome edges on fenders, a chrome wheel hub cover, chromed top triple tree, riser clamps, and black protruding studs on the seat and tank bibs give Heritage a high-quality feel. Despite the models being labeled as limited, there are traditionally more chrome-soaked versions in India; the Super Chief Limited lacks the same level of decoration. Exhaust pipes, engine cores, intakes, and tanks are in bib chrome, but most other functional parts are silent with black finishes.

Electronics and Technology

Because the Big Twins are deeply rooted in traditional styling, gadgets and tech aren’t what we’ve been hoping for in recent years. Using a 4-inch touch screen gauge system Indian calls “Ride Command” to show all the vehicle information, Bluetooth connection, GPS, and more, Super Chief does it very well. It does all of it while maintaining a simple round shape that doesn’t look any different than any other bar-mounted gauge when viewed on the bike.

The gauge on Heritage is simple: an analog speedometer with a small digital readout in the middle with range, clock, travel or overall mileage, fuel level, alerts, and cycling between tachometers with the push of a button. ) Is displayed. It looks old-fashioned and ahead of the Indians; a significant part of the modern luxury touring machine is missing in the motorcycle. However, the management keeps things nice and clean on the handlebars.

There are three Power Maps, Sport, Standard, and Tour, available at SuperChief Limited, which can be selected via Ride Command System. Tour mode is lightweight, smooths the initial throttle application and is intended to support long mile fuel economy. Sport mode is the most aggressive of the maps, with rapid throttle input increasing rapidly. While it’s fun to burn some tires here, it only exaggerates the feeling of being disconnected from the throttle and clutch. Standard mode is what testers prefer, as it allows for highly linear and precise application.

Handling and Chassis

Despite the 14-pound weight difference in favor of the lightweight H-D, these two motorcycles feel pretty different from the moment you lift them from their side stand. The Indian feels overweight and seems to carry more weight, even though Harley has one gallon more fuel. Heritage just feels more agile and manageable. Turning on the winding mountain roads around our base at Lagna Mountain Lodge, Heritage steering was quicker to respond to inputs. It would catch a cornering line without a fight, part of which was a long and well-positioned handlebar.

The reason was the narrow Dunlop D401F rear tire. Due to the rear tire of the Super Chief’s 180 mm wide Pirelli Night Dragon, the rear brake or throttle will want to keep the bike upright while giving input, which will sometimes hold a lean angle and maintain the desired line. It becomes difficult. Heritage is still a big and heavy motorcycle, but in direct competition, its handling felt light and neutral.

While retaining a lean angle through a turn, the Heritage Classic hinged floorboards have several degrees, which makes the rider feel that when they start to scratch, they indicate that touching the bottom of the frame, A little learner was available before. Super Chief Limited has some space outside its floorboards, but not so much, which means it picks up complex parts faster when moved beyond the initial “soft” touchpoint.

At high speeds, when the lean angle is appreciated, the Indians bend as if the front and rear of the motorcycle were out of stroke, which is often due to the damping of the soft suspension. Pairing the road with floorboards with a small margin between feeling and scratching complex parts means that the super chief felt unstable while pushing hard, losing the rider’s confidence and telling his limits.

While Harley was exemplary in his comfort zone, the superhero had to get around. However, to carry the same speed through the turn, the rider only needs to choose the right line to limit the narrow-angle and keep the complex parts away from the tarmac.

Suspension and Brakes

Whether you’re hitting such valleys for a few hours or going out for long miles, suspension touring can make or break a motorcycle. Both bikes are equipped with a telescopic fork, although the H-D’s more extensive, 49mm dual-bend valve seat made from Showa is better calibrated for quick hits and minor collisions.

It controls and composes the bike. India’s 46mm damper tube fork made of ZF provides reasonably low-speed damping while smoothing the bend roads and loading the division to enter the bend. Still, the suspension mechanism is easily overturned at highway speeds and it feels tough.

Comfort and Ergonomics

The ergonomic package of any motorcycle is designed to be versatile and comfortable for long journeys with the handlebar and long floorboard keeping the rider in a comfortable position. Both bikes achieve this goal, but behind the scenes, minor differences decide.

Heritage floorboards sit flat, with mini epi hangers providing a good balance of height and pullback. We both preferred this setup, notably considering the height difference between my 6-foot-4 and the manager’s 5-foot-7. Super Chief’s floorboards are more angled, with heels down and feet up and slightly higher than the ground.

Its handlebars are more petite and broader, and even with their pullbacks, the manager’s reach was much more significant. Reaching the lower bars of the chief was not a problem for me, but the upper floorboards meant that I had to remove the knee from the way of the handlebars to try to use the full steering lock to pinch-hit with the gas tank can go.

Accessories

Removable windshields and saddlebags are the two main components of every motorcycle tested here, adding to the extended cruise capability of the base cruiser platform. The Indian windshield is taller and straighter than the Harley, providing better protection during the ride. Heritage bags are wrapped in leather with black protruding studs, a top with a hinged lid and locking latch, and a stiff plastic inner frame to help maintain their shape.

The Super Chief’s bags are made of soft leather with some structural pieces of plastic sealed with adjustable cloth straps and plastic clips under the decorative leather straps on either side. The lack of internal support on Indian saddlebags seems more traditional to them, but they are also less convenient, less secure, and do not match the high feel of the motorcycle. Harley also has the bonus of fog lights, which greatly enhance the rider’s field of vision at night.

2022 Indian Super Chief Limited vs 2021 Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic 114 – Technical Specifications

Price

Engine

Chassis

Dimension and Weight