2017 Indian Roadmaster Classic Review: First Ride

First introduced by Indian in 2015, the Roadmaster built on the Chieftain platform, adding additional touring and luxury features. Now, the company is releasing a Roadmaster variant, the 2017 Indian Roadmaster Classic. If the Roadmaster was a Chieftain with a trunk, the Classic is a Roadmaster for fans of leather.

Full-grain American leather is what the Classic is all about. The Roadmaster’s seat already had it as a defining attribute, but the Classic has new hard bags that are covered with the fade-resistant skin. Adding to the vintage look, the saddlebags also feature fringe on their lower, outboard seams. The closures, though they look like traditional metal buckles, feature easy-to-unhook plastic buckles hidden underneath the leather straps. This serves two purposes. First, the straps are easy to undo and make opening the three on each saddlebag much less fiddly. Also, since the metal buckles never get unclasped, the exterior finish on the straps will age much more gracefully. The stiff, plastic inner lining of the bags helps them to maintain their shape regardless of the amount of cargo contained within them.

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