CHASING A FEELING
CW COMPARISON
2017 Harley-Davidson Street Bob VS. 2017 Indian Scout VS. 2017 Triumph Bonneville Bobber
SOFT SCIENCE OF HARD PARTS: THREE TAKES ON THE CLASSIC TWIN.
Sean MacDonald
There’s something beautiful about the simpler things in life. Maybe it’s because they offer respite from the rest of our complex world, or maybe it’s just because being lazy feels nice. But the older I get the more I learn to love the simple things and the way they clear the clutter from moments of my life.
It was in that spirit that, when a weekend freed up unexpectedly, I reached out to the fellas about a little cruise to the desert. My fellow editor Bradley Adams was quick to join, as was my friend Aaron Guardado, and we talked Preston Burroughs into coming along to shoot some pictures in return for as many tacos as he could eat. Bradley, per usual, tried to turn it into cruiser camping because that’s what he does; but Aaron and I convinced him we could get into more trouble in the desert city of Palm Springs.
Aaron is half of Suicide Machine Company, a custom fabrication shop in Long Beach, California, that specializes in customizing cruisers to really perform. If you want to add carbon wheels, Ohlins, Brembos, and a blower to your Harley, they’re the guys to do it. On top of that, Aaron races a Harley in the Super Hooligan flat-track series and is building a Scout tracker, so I was curious to get his thoughts on the current crop of showroom-stock cruisers.
Even though Triumph doesn’t call its new i,200cc liquidcooled parallel-twinpowered Bonneville Bobber a cruiser, my first experience riding one showed me that not only was it a cruiser, but it was proof that cruisers could be really good. We snagged Indian’s i,i33cc liquid-cooled V-twin Scout, another bike that’s been a favorite of ours since its release (or re-release if you count the one from last century) for making cruisers great again. And anyone considering either of these two wouldn’t dare overlook The Motor Company, so we snagged a Street Bob, which, while on the bigger side with a 103a (i,688cc) air-cooled V-twin, is more true to the feeling and performance of the other bikes here than a Sportster.
We set our sights on Palm Springs, the tidy simplicity of the place making it a favorite weekend getaway for Southern California folk since the 1950s. With little more to do than eat and lie by a pool and little more to see than sunbathing retirees and 10,834-foot Mount San Jacinto, it’s a cruiser in destination form. Nothing moves very fast, little is asked of you, and it’s all about the vibe.
The first thing we learned about our cruisers is that they didn’t take well to cruising—at least not when speeds reached the Southern California freeway normal 80 mph or so. I was on the Triumph, which threw the first low-fuel light somewhere just shy of 80 miles, and I felt bad about being the “little tank” guy for the next 10 miles until we found a station. Or at least I did feel bad until everyone popped their helmets off and I could see we were all ready for a break.
“I’m a sail on the freeway!” Bradley exclaimed after getting off the Indian. “It’s like one giant lower-ab workout trying to hold on.” Aaron was happier than Bradley but still had a host of things he’d change. “The seat on the Harley sorta puts you on your tailbone, and the higher bars really need a fairing; they turn hanging on into a shoulder workout.” The Bobber’s more tucked-in position made it the comfiest of the three, though I can’t say I wasn’t just as ready for a break, mostly from the jarring highway ride provided by the single, nonadjustable shock.
We refueled and made our way to Bombay Beach along Salton Sea for lunch. Salton Sea, or “Salton Riviera” as it was once known, was one of the most popular vacation spots for celebrities like The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, and Sonny Bono until the runoff from half a million acres of agricultural land turned the water toxic and covered the beaches in dead fish. It was abandoned by the 1970s and today is little more than a ghost town.
In other words, it’s the perfect place to grab a burger and get into a little mischief. This also makes it a popular place for both motorcyclists and, with the dilapidated structures, photographers. Today we had both, and our bikes drew the attention of everybody entering the city. One group, riding south to Baja for El Diablo Run, went straight for the Harley-Davidson, while most others were drawn to my “custom” Triumph or the Indian. Each bike evoked its own strong response, and, despite the other motorcycles in the lot, these three drew the most attention and excitement.
We were on a tight schedule (we had relaxing and tequila to get to), so after a little ripping on the beach and a burnout or two inside a half-destroyed house, we set our sights on the ACE Hotel in Palm Springs. Even though we wanted to make it to our destination quickly, we opted for the back way instead of more freeway.
Riding around Palm Springs put the bikes back into their groove. The relaxed pace, stop-and-go traffic, and snaking roads trailing along the bottom of the mountain suited the upright riding positions and torquey engines. There’s something about being in a group of cruisers that makes the experience feel more communal than when riding a different group of bikes. Maybe it’s the slower pace or the more relaxed dress, and maybe it’s just that it’s more about taking in the sights and feeling the attitude, but I’ve never enjoyed cruisers more than on this ride and in this way. The Triumph's light steering exhibits slight twitchiness at low speeds, while the Harley has the opposite characteristic of high steering effort; both are issues you adjust to quickly. The Scout struck a nice balance.
It was karaoke night in the hotel bar, which, while usually a destination for young locals, was packed with little old ladies with short, white hair singing '40s love songs. Aaron got the crowd going with a rousing rendition of “Tennessee Whiskey,” managing to flirt with every old lady in the front row.
One joined us at our table, curious as to why this group of guys who most definitely didn’t fit in had made this our place for the night. Marsha, as we would come to know her, told stories that got wilder and wilder as her whiskey gingers disappeared. Somewhere around the time she said she was a stand-in for Cybill Shepherd on the old TV show Moonlighting and loved to give massages, we realized it had gotten late and made a plan to ditch Bradley in the bar with her—only somehow it backfired and everyone escaped but Preston (who’d just finished singing Creed’s “With Arms Wide Open”). At that point, it’s every man for himself.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET BOB
$13,849
INDIAN SCOUT
$11,299
TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE BOBBER
$11,900
The next morning I woke up thankful I’d declined the last tequila and roused the boys for breakfast tacos and to plan routes. One night isn’t much of a getaway, but with a little forethought it can feel like one. The temperatures were already rising at g a.m., and we decided to ride over the mountain through Idyllwild after I remembered hearing about an incredible burger on top of the hill.
We caught Highway 74, known as Palms to Pines highway, in Palm Desert where it snakes up the mountain toward Lake Hemet with beautiful desert views. Smooth pavement and sweeping corners make it the perfect place to push even laid-back cruisers.
UPS
DOWNS
HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET BOB I
• Dynamic Dyna rubbermount feel and slick trans •American cruiser at its most classic • Comfy ergonomics
Heaviest and hardest to maneuver in town The Harley kickstand: Love it or hate it. • ABS is $795 option
INDIAN SCOUT
• Easiest to ride • Sweet engine • Best for power-sliding in dirt
• Some of the finishes feel cheap • Uncomfortable at freeway speeds • ABS is $1,000 option
TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE BOBBER
•Traction control and ABS as standard • Varied riding modes • Bestfit and finish
• Riding position not great for bigger riders • Nice fake carbs are still fake • People will ask when you bobbed it
The Triumph really shined, with power across more of its rev range and suspension and a riding position most adept at riding leaned over. But, while the Bobber was the best when things got competitive, I also really enjoyed my turn on the well-balanced Scout when our pace slowed from “who can go the fastest” to “I want to feel the pace.” Aaron wasn’t so quick to agree. “With the bars so swept back, it makes it feel like the front end is more raked out than it is. That, combined with the forward pegs, make it feel unsure to me. I do like how the Harley chassis feels though,” he said.
Bradley added, “The Harley is fun, but its high bars and low hard parts really limit cornering. The engine, actually all the engines, are really nice though.” After lunch, we went west toward the beach. The weekend wasn’t done giving yet, and halfway down the hill I saw two large containers filled with soil that perfectly matched the colors of the Triumph. A quick photo stop turned into seeing who could drift through the sand-covered lot the best, a contest that Bradley’s riding talent easily won on the snappy Scout.
After a couple days of riding, the Triumph emerged as our favorite. The engine delivered the broadest power and sounded great. While the rear suspension was a bit punishing on the freeway, overall handling was superb, and fit and finish and styling details are top-notch. It also felt the lightest and somehow the simplest. This all made the bike, as an overall package, the most appealing and fun to ride. The Harley works well, its Dyna platform giving good handling and its 103-inch engine delivering big on torque. And with its classic American bobber-inspired styling, it definitely made me feel the coolest—as both the Triumph and Indian sometimes seem to be trying too hard stylistically. The Indian’s neutral steering was the most natural feeling in town and we appreciated the smooth, snappy engine. But in a class that so emphasizes style and finishes, it could use a boost in the latter. Hard to imagine a buyer being disappointed in any of the bikes though.
We hit civilization just as the sun set, flashing a burst of pink and orange light. It had only been 48 hours, some gasoline, tequila, and a whole lot of tacos and burgers since we’d put all this suburban sprawl in our rearview mirrors, but a lot of times it’s the simple things that bring the most joy, and the Triumph manages to capture this feeling best.
