Harley vs. Indian: Which One Is Best for a Cross-Country Cruise?

• Harley and Indian have been competitors for almost 120 years, each bringing distinct offerings to the table. But they're more the same than they are different.

• The Harley Road Glide Limited is 932 pounds of heavy fun, the Indian 912.

• But we picked a winner, which may surprise you.

Harley fans are pretty diehard motorcycle enthusiasts. They love the motorcycle lifestyle as much as the motorcycle: the culture, the vests, the chaps, and the code of the road that has come with every Harley-Davidson ever made since the company was founded in 1903. Indian was founded in 1901 but had a few “interruptions” in production since then. There may have even been some bankruptcies. Hey, nobody’s perfect.

But since Indian’s purchase by Polaris and Harley’s new management, both companies appear to be strong and ready for the future. And both are American motorcycle icons, their rivalry as much a part of the fabric of the country as Ford vs. Chevy, Yankees vs. Mets, Coke vs. Pepsi, deep-dish-square vs. thin-crust-round. We’ll never agree.

But we can all go down to our local Indian or Harley dealers and take a test ride and decide for ourselves. I did. Actually, I borrowed a couple of big bikes, one from each brand. The biggest, most comfortable of each. And I rode.

From Harley I chose the Road Glide Limited, the bike you’d want if you were planning a cross-country road stomp with your significant other riding on the back. The Road Glide Limited launched in 2019, replacing the Road Glide Ultra, which itself was new in 2011. The new bike’s mighty Milwaukee-Eight 114 air-cooled V-Twin makes a muscular 122 lb-ft of torque and 93 hp across a wide, very useable, very fun band. It has to, since the big brute weighs 932 pounds wet—about twice what your favorite sport bike weighs. If you want more power than that, there’s Harley’s Screaming Eagle catalog chock full of power upgrades for your engine. The Road Glide Limited starts at $28,729.

From Indian, I chose the Pursuit Dark Horse, a close competitor to the Harley Road Glide Limited. It starts at a whopping $30,999. The Indian’s PowerPlus Liquid-Cooled 108 cubic-inch V-Twin makes 122 hp and 128 lb-ft, which is 29 hp more than the Harley. But there are numerous configurations of both models that range from the mid-20s to the mid-30s, depending on how you load them up.

Both test bikes came with impressive audio systems, blasting tunes from speakers front and rear. Both have loads of lockable storage space, too. The Indian lists 5.6 cubic feet of remote locking storage while the Harley has 4.7 cubic feet. Both have top cases that will hold two full-face helmets. Both have six-gallon gas tanks. Harley lists 43 mpg for the Road Glide but Indian doesn’t show a mileage figure—published numbers range from 34 mpg to 37. So the Harley has a range of 258 miles and the Indian perhaps less, maybe 204 to 222 miles.

For a week I rode both of them back-to-back. Let me tell you how that went.

Both these bikes are big and, as I said, heavy. The Indian is 912 pounds full of fuel to the Harley’s 932. These are not good bikes for beginners. They are both solidly in the big American V-Twin cruiser category, where curb weight is more like kinetic energy waiting to be aimed somewhere. Aim them down the road and, like any objects in motion, they will tend to stay in motion until acted upon by a major force of nature. Or their brakes. Both bikes have good brakes, twin discs in front and a single disc rear—the Harley with 300 mm f/r and the Indian 320s front and 298 rear. Both have ABS standard. I took both up Angeles Crest Highway and went into the corners with verve and never wanted for more braking power, nor did I feel any fade on either bike. Granted, neither ever felt like a sport tourer on ACH (although the BMW K1600 GT did), but buyers aren’t expecting that from these two cross country cruisers.

To remain upright in more normal riding, especially in slow-motion parking maneuvers where everyone is watching, these big, heavy bikes are most easily controlled by their torque. Twist the throttle and you get gobs of it instantly. You must trust in the torque, Luke. Master its subtle application and you will master these beasts, both of them. The same goes for twisty mountain roads. Easing out of corners is best done with just a minimal application of throttle from low engine speeds. The torque is there, waiting for you like a reliable friend, ready to lift you up from your lean and send you on your way.

Let’s look at the Harley. Right out of the parking space that mountain of torque announced itself, all 122 lb-ft. It made maneuvering easy, as long as you trust it. Stop trusting it, put a foot down, and then you might find yourself in trouble. The riding position is big-butt comfortable. Likewise, the handlebars are raised up a bit and pulled back to where you can easily reach them. You will be more comfortable in this riding position than maybe on just about any other bike.