Harley Davidson Road Glide Vs. Indian Chieftain

Touring bikes are the most comfortable motorcycles for long-distance rides due to their built-in storage, large fuel tank capacities, powerful and torquey engines, and windshields. Despite being bulky, touring motorcycles are fitted with large displacement engines to ensure better cruising and touring performance. Any motorcycle can be transformed into a touring bike by adding aftermarket parts, but factory-made touring bikes are quite popular these days.

Harley Davidson and Indian are popular American motorcycle brands known for their high-quality cruisers, baggers, and touring bikes. The Harley Davidson Road Glide and the Indian Chieftain are among the best touring motorcycles. Both touring bikes are fitted with stock fairings, hard saddlebags, and an infotainment system with a display screen and speakers for a better touring experience. This article provides a detailed comparison between the Harley Davidson Road Glide and the Indian Chieftain.

The Harley Davidson Road Glide is one of the most comfortable and stylish touring bikes in the Harley Grand American Touring lineup. It has both a modern and classic look with its aggressive shark-nose fairing design and chrome finishing. The Harley Road Glide has a wide, heavy front end due to being fitted with crash bars, two Stylish LED headlamps, and frame-mounted fairing that stays fixed in place even while turning the handlebars. Two of the analog gauges are handlebar-mounted and two small analog gauges are mounted to the fairing, along with a display screen, two speakers, and a small windshield. The chrome side mirrors are attached to mid-mounted, pulled-back handlebars. The Harley Road Glide is also fitted with a narrow, chopped front mudguard and a wide, full-sized rear mudguard with a small tail/stop light, rear turn signals, license plate holder, and saddlebag brackets. It comes with a single-piece rider and passenger saddle capable of two-up riding.

The Indian Chieftain is a modern bagger-style motorbike with chrome and blacked-out parts. It is fitted with a round headlamp enclosed in a streamlined, fork-mounted fairing with a small windscreen. The fairing is wide enough to cover the handlebars’ grips, able to also function as hand guards. The Indian Chieftain also comes with a flat, step-up seat capable of two-up riding. It comes with vintage-styled front and rear mudguards. The Indian Chieftain also comes with an infotainment system powered by Ride Command, including a seven-inch touchscreen, analog gauges, and two high-output speakers. The chrome side mirrors are mounted to the low-mounted, swept-back handlebars.

The Harley Davidson Road Glide is powered by a 1,753 cc air-cooled, Milwaukee-Eight® 107 engine capable of a torque of 93 hp at 5,020 rpm and a horsepower of 150.5 Nm at 3,250 rpm. The Milwaukee-Eight® 107 V-Twin engine has a compression ratio of 10:1 and provides smooth torque and power delivery. However, due to being a heavyweight motorbike, the Harley Road Glide does not have a quick throttle response. It is fitted with a six-speed transmission and a mechanically actuated clutch with assist and slipper functions for smooth gear shifts and clutch operation.

For reliable braking, the Harley Road Glide comes with 300 mm dual front discs and a single 300 mm rear disc brake with four-piston front and rear calipers. However, the ABS is an optional feature and can be installed for $819. To improve rider safety, the Harley Road Glide comes with Electronically Linked Braking (ELB) that prevents the wheels from locking when the brakes are applied suddenly to ensure the rider maintains balance. It also comes with standard cruise control for a better cruising experience on highways and open roads.

The Indian Chieftain is equipped with a larger and more powerful engine than the Harley Road Glide. The 1,811 cc air-cooled, Thunderstroke 111 engine is capable of a torque of 161.34 Nm at 3,000 rpm. The Indian Chieftain is also fitted with a six-speed gearbox that drives the rear wheel via a belt drive. The Thunderstroke 111 engine ensures refined and smooth power delivery due to its improved piston design.

The Indian Chieftain received major updates in 2019, including a lighter overall weight, smaller overall size, three switchable riding modes, and a rear cylinder deactivation system. The rider is assured a relaxed cruising experience with a slow throttle response when switched to tour mode. For a fast riding experience with quick throttle response, the rider can switch to sport mode and standard mode for normal riding conditions. The rear cylinder deactivation system helps shut down the rear cylinder as soon as the motorcycle stops to maintain engine temperature while riding through slow-moving traffic. The rear cylinder restarts as soon as the motorcycle starts to accelerate.

The Indian Chieftain is fitted with dual 300 mm front discs and a single 300 mm rear disc with four-piston front and two-piston rear calipers, along with standard ABS and cruise control features.

The Harley Davidson Road Glide has comfortable riding ergonomics due to its mid-mounted pulled-back handlebars within the comfortable reach of the rider. The rider can comfortably rest their feet on forward-mounted floorboards. The pulled-back handlebars position, a low seat height of 25.9 inches, and forward-mounted floorboards ensure a relaxed riding position on long-distance rides. The Harley Road Glide’s adequate legroom and handlebars position are ideal for both taller and shorter riders. However, it has a wet weight of 855 lbs due to being built with heavy metallic parts and a bulky front end which makes handling tough for beginners. It is not a beginner-friendly touring bike due to being difficult to maneuver at low speeds.

The Indian Chieftain and the Harley Road Glide have almost similar riding styles and ergonomics. The Indian Chieftain is fitted with mid-mounted, swept-back handlebars within comfortable reach of the rider. It has a low seat height of 25.6 inches and also comes with forward-mounted floorboards. The swept-back handlebars, low seat height, and forward-mounted floorboards ensure adequate legroom and a relaxed riding position. The Indian Chieftain comes with better-performing, longer-wheel travel suspensions, ensuring comfortable rides on smooth and bumpy roads. However, it has a low ground clearance of 5.1 inches which makes it difficult to go over big bumps. The Indian Chieftain is 32 lbs lighter than the Harley Road Glide due to being built with a lightweight aluminum frame.

Both the Harley Davidson Road Glide and the Indian Chieftain have comfortable ergonomics and are ideal touring bikes. Both motorcycles are fitted with swept-back handlebars, forward-mounted floorboards, and have low seat heights ensuring an upright riding position and relaxed ergonomics. Both motorcycles can be comfortably ridden by taller and shorter riders. However, the Indian Chieftain is more comfortable and easier to handle due to being 32 lbs lighter than the Harley Road Glide. It is also more fun and well-rounded bike with a stock seven-inch touchscreen, a standard ABS, cruise control, rear cylinder deactivation system, and three switchable riding modes.

The Harley Davidson Road Glide and the Indian Chieftain are aesthetically appealing, bagger-style motorcycles designed to provide excellent cruising and touring experiences. Both motorcycles come with a stock infotainment system with dual speakers, an interactive display screen, multiple gauges, a USB connection, and keyless ignition. For a comfortable touring experience, both motorcycles are fitted with stock hard saddlebags, floorboards, and fairings. The Harley Davidson Road Glide only has electronically linked braking and cruise control as standard features. Meanwhile, the Indian Chieftain is equipped with several standard ride-assist features, including an ABS, three switchable riding modes, cruise control, and a rear-cylinder deactivation system. However, Harley Road Glide is the more popular touring bike due to its being more reliable. It can be transformed into an ideal touring bike by installing a few aftermarket parts, including a large windscreen, rider and passenger’s backrests, luggage racks, and sissy bars.