Indian Motorcycle Roadmaster Road Test Review: Heavy Metal

The Indian Roadmaster is like the Airbus A380 of the motorcycle world. No matter how much of an atheist you are, you have got to say a short prayer before riding this motorcycle.

The bike looks mighty and handsome with its two-up seat, lots of chrome and the valanced front fender with the ubiquitous Indian head marker light and a chrome luggage rack at the back, mounted on the trunk..

The 2566mm long, 1000mm wide and 1491mm high Indian Roadmaster is powered by Indian Motorcycle’s proven Thunder stroke 111 engine family. The air cooled 1811cc engine (with integrated oil cooler) generates a peak torque of 138.9Nm @2600rpm and enough power (the company has not given the power output figures) to propel the massive frame forward. Getting on to the saddle is the first thing you need to do carefully, lest you trip and go sliding down with the motorcycle. One must remember, the bike weights around 630 kilos, hence it’s not easy handling and picking the Heavy Metal once it tilts to one side.

The bike comes with a keyless feature. Starting the bike (the key can be tucked away safely in your jacket) with the aid of a power button that is mounted on to the petrol tank and pressing the switch on the right handle bar, is perhaps the easiest task. Once the gear is shifted upwards, the Roadmaster makes its way like a turbocharged elephant. The engine is mated to a six-speed transmission. On hitting the highway, there is no stopping this big machine as it confidently eats up the road at a rapid pace. One can also rely on ABS with single, 300mm floating rotor , 2 piston caliper front brakes and the rear dual, 300mm floating rotor, 4 piston caliper brakes to bring the machine to a halt. The motorcycle rides on 16 inches Dunlop tyres. The machine has a ground clearance 140 mm

Being a tourer, the Indian Roadmaster comes with a fuel tank capacity of 20.8 litres and loads of storage space, approximately 142 litres in total. There is storage space in the saddle bags, in the trunk and around the front fairings. LED technology comes with all its lights that include the headlight, fog lights, turn signals, tail light trunk, tail light, trunk interior light, and war bonnet fender light. The fairing mounted instrument cluster features electronic speedometer, tachometer, and fuel gauge with odometer, dual trip meters with distance and time, instantaneous and average fuel economy; fuel range; real-time clock; compass; ambient air temperature; gear position display; front and rear tyre pressure; engine hours of operation; engine oil life percentage; average speed; battery voltage; radio information display; vehicle trouble code readout; and 15 LED telltale indicators.

Features like cruise control come handy when you take the motorcycle on some very long highways with sparse traffic. The windshield height can be adjusted electronically with a switch near the left handle grip. There is also a 200Watt stereo that can play your radio music and also integrate you smart phone through Bluetooth. A high point of this motorcycle is the generous space for the pillion rider. The pillion rider has the comfort of a large seat with neat hand rests. With adjustable foot boards to boot, the pillion rider can actually go off to sleep and still be assured that he or she will not fall of the moving bike!

The Indian Roadmaster has been built with one and only one purpose--- to ride on the highway to nowhere. Yes, this bike may be frustratingly difficult to handle on narrow roads and tight corners. But give it a broad road and enough shoulder space; it can bring the thrill to your riding. Inter-state travelling can be best on this bike. It has enough power and torque to stay abreast with all kinds of traffic and even when trucks and buses travel along its side you need not get intimidated because the bike with is mammoth size is well planted on the road. But there was a major drawback to the motorcycle we tested. The heat generated by the engine and the subsequent heating up of the exhaust at the mouth of the engine was unbearable. Apart from this heat issue, everything else about the bike is exciting. Ideally best to ride on a winter day, this tourer has all the right attributes to make your long journey very fulfilling!