High plains shifter

Forgetting that Indian's first bikes were famous for their sporting achievements, prior to, the First World War,

- Chris Moss

Before becoming a journo, if a bike didn't look racy, have lots of power, and speed across the earth at lightning pace, I wouldn't acknowledge it. Quite naturally, as soon as I started to ride bikes to earn a crust, that narrow-minded viewpoint had to change. Rather pleasantly, I soon discovered a lot of the stuff that hadn't previously featured on my radar of approval was in fact worthy of praise. Before long, the transformational enlightenment had me feeling more than content riding stuff like grand tourers, maxi-scoots and adventure bikes. I even learned to love the Niken, the very radical Yamaha three-wheeler!

However, there's one sector of the market I still struggle with a little, and that's cruisers. I approve of some of them, and appreciate why they're liked, or even adored by some. But I am not a big fan of the chromed, raked-out, feet-forward machines, and can't ever imagine myself owning one. Even so, I'd still like to think I can realistically get into the riding boots of a prospective buyer, confident I'm able to assess the performance and appeal of a cruiser fairly and credibly and, as a result, write an appropriate test. Experience gained from riding plenty of them over the years helps me know what to expect and how they should perform.

Bearing all this in mind, when the invite came to ride Indian's new Sport Chief in the hills around Girona, north of Barcelona, it was only my professional side which gladly accepted the offer. I didn't expect the experience would be especially enjoyable, though I still boarded the plane with an open mind. It's a good job I did, as riding the Indian was quite a mind-changer.