Take a look at this bike, or any other American-built touring motorcycle, and you’ll undoubtedly think that it has been designed and built to cruise the cliched American highways – die straight and with a 55mph speed limit. Aside from the fact that the majority of roads in the USA aren’t straight, and that the 55mph speed limit was consigned to history many years ago, you could still be surprised by the fact that the Indian you see here wasn’t built with those cliches in mind.
Contrast that thought with the area in which we got to ride the new Pursuit – amidst the stunning Alpine peaks of Switzerland and France, on twisting and turning switchback roads far, far removed from the billiard-table flat dual lane highways of ‘the American dream’. It might seem to be counterintuitive, but there’s logic for the launch being in this location. Indian wanted its new tourer to not only appeal to those who wanted the ability to cruise through expansive scenery in a straight line directly into the setting sun, but also those of us who wanted a little more variation in our terrain. Specifically, European touring riders. So, they built the bike to suit a rather specific test route that the Indian test riders had laid out. And it was this very same test route that we rode on the European launch of the Pursuit.
The hills are alive Leaving the ski resort of Chamonix, we headed deep into the mountains, experiencing all that the region has to offer in terms of panoramic views and tortuous, twisting Tarmac. It was, in brief, like being on the set of The Sound of Music. Truly stunning, and a fantastic playground in which to test any kind of motorcycle, especially one that may not be perceived as being ideal for this kind of terrain.
Denne historien er fra September 2022-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
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Denne historien er fra September 2022-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now
BMW R 12 nineT
Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff
Portuguese Perambulations
Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored
Highway to Heaven
Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...
Battlaxes at the ready!
We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet
Ducati Riding Experience
When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...
Four pot flyer
Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...
Eastern adventurer
With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry
First Time Lucky?
It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.
