Is it a half bagger, a cruiser->ke392 or a boulevard bruiser? No one knows for sure. What I do know is the look is growing in popularity, and nearly every major manufacturer produces bikes that fall in this sort of in-between category. Indian->ke3292 and Victory->ke1801 are two such manufacturers, with the 2015 Chieftain and Cross Country models that follow the “bagger sans tour-pack with a vestigial windshield” look. Although they both are owned by Polaris Industries Incorporated->ke4818, they each retained their own identities and own ideas about bike design, and it shows. Let's take a look and see how these two bikes from their together-but-separate companies stack up.

Continue reading for my comparison of the 2015 Indian Chieftain and the 2015 Victory Cross Country.

Design

Let me start by saying I like this style. It's clean. It has the comfort of a dresser without having to push around the great big, honking tour-pack and huge windshield. What's left is a ride that isn't a drag to deal with around town, and is still quite capable of highway jaunts.

While the Chieftain puts its historical roots on full display with a full front fender complete with figurehead, batwing-esque fairing and classic lines, the Victory presents a more contemporary look with a smaller fender, a sexier flow to the lines and a fairing that looks like it would be just at home on a jet fighter somewhere. Both have hard bags -- a first for Indian -- and come stock with a pillion pad. The Indian wins out in the lighting department with a pair of pimp lights recessed in the fairing, as opposed to the Victory's single headlight, and it sports a larger windshield as well, almost too large for the low-profile look typical of this genre.

Chassis

Long and low is the order of the day, with both bikes at just over 100-inches long and an identical wheelbase of 65.7 inches. Add that to the nearly identical seat height of 26 inches on the Indian, and 26.3 on the Victory, and you have a couple of very similar profiles.

The differences are in the details. Indian went with traditional, right-side-up, 46 mm front forks while Victory went with the more modern 43 mm inverted forks. The Cross Country sports an 18-inch front wheel and a 16 in the rear, while the Chieftain has 16s front and rear. While you can get both bikes with ABS, it comes stock on the Chieftain, but is optional equipment on the Cross Country – remember that when we look at the prices later.

Drivetrain

Indian comes out on top in the “whose is bigger” contest with its 111 cubic-inch “Thunder Stroke” engine over the 106-inch mill on the Cross Country. As you would expect, the size difference shows up in the torque figures with the Thunder Stroke cranking out 119.2 pound-feet of torque versus 110.6 pound-feet from the Victory V-twin. Not a huge difference, and once you get over 100 pound-feet, does it really matter that much?

Both engines use traditional air cooling via cylinder fins plus an oil cooler for extra waste heat removal, leaving them well protected for hot weather and slow traffic. They also both run electronic fuel injection, though the Cross Countryt runs a 45 mm throttle body, while the Chieftain sports a whopping 54 mm throttle body.

The Chieftain uses a gear-type primary drive to send power through the wet clutch to the six-speed transmission, while the Cross Country uses a belt-drive primary, and its six-speed tranny comes with an overdrive ratio for what is surely low rpm at highway cruising speeds. Not much to choose from here really – OD is nice but isn't a dealbreaker for me, and the rest of the differences are just that, different, but not necessarily better.

Pricing

The price tag is where Indian takes a hit. If you head down to your local “no-dicker sticker” dealership, you will pay $22,999 for the Chieftain – $4,000 more than the Cross Country. The bikes are very similar in all the places that matter, so perhaps the Indian name plays a part in the price differential? I'm sure that's part of it, anyway.

He Said

My husband and fellow writer, TJ Hinton, says, "I gotta say that I have a special place in my heart for Indian. It's a tough, scrappy brand with a checkered history under various owners and it seems to be making a strong comeback. That aside, I prefer the classic looks of the Indian to the modern or even alien-looking Victory. While the name itself wouldn't be enough to make the deal, the name plus the looks puts me solidly in the Chieftain's camp."

She Said

"I have to agree with my husband on this one. I'm not a fan of the Cross Country styling. I much prefer the classic, iconic look of the Chieftain. Looks aside, I really like the Thunder Stroke engine. If I wasn't already an Indian fan, that engine would be a seduction."

Specifications

Specification

Indian Chieftain

Victory Cross Country

Drivetrain:

Engine:

Thunder Stroke® 111, V-Twin

Four-Stroke 50 degree V-Twin

Displacement:

111 cubic inches

106 cubic inches

Cooling System:

Air/Oil Cooler

Air/Oil Cooler

Valvetrain:

Two Valves Per Cylinder, Hydraulic Lifters

Single Overhand Camshafts with Four valves per Cylinder, Self-Adjusting Cam Chains, Hydraulic Lifters

Bore:

101 mm

101 mm

Stroke:

113 mm

108 mm

Compression Ratio

9.5 to 1

9.4 to 1

Fuel Injection System:

Electronic Closed Loop Fuel Injection with 54 mm Bore

Electronic Fuel Injection with Dual 45 mm Throttle Body

Maximum Torque:

119.2 pound-feet at 3,000 rpm

110.6 Pound-Feet

Driven Clutch:

Wet, Multi-Plate

Wet, Multi-Plate

Transmission/Primary Drive:

Gear Drive Wet Clutch

Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Belt

Exhaust System:

Split Dual Exhaust with Cross-Over

Split Dual Exhaust with Crossover

Chassis:

Suspension: Front:

Telescopic Fork, 46 mm Cartridge Forks with Dual Rate Springs

Inverted Cartridge Telescopic Fork, 43 mm Diameter

Suspension: Front Travel:

4.7 inches

5.1 Inches

Suspension: Rear:

Single Shock, Pneumatic Adjustment

Single, Mono-Tube Gas, Cast Aluminum with Constant-Rate Linkage, Air Adjustable

Suspension: Rear Travel:

4.49 inches

4.7 Inches

Brakes: Front:

Dual/ Floating Rotor/ Four-Piston Calipers Dual Front/ 300 MM with ABS

Dual 300 mm Floating Rotors with Four-Piston Calipers

Brakes: Rear:

Single/ Floating Rotor/ Two-Piston Caliper/ 300 MM with ABS

300 mm Floating Rotor with Two-Piston Caliper

Tires: Front:

Dunlop® Elite 3 130/90B16 73H

Dunlop® Elite 3 130/70R18

Tires: Rear:

Dunlop® Elite 3 180/60R16 80H

Dunlop® Elite 3 180/60R16

Wheels: Front:

Cast 16 x 3.5 inches

18 X 3.5 Inches

Wheels: Rear:

Cast 16 x 5 inches

16 X 5.0 Inches

Rake:

25 degrees

29 degrees

Trail:

5.9 inches

5.6 Inches

Dimensions:

Overall Length:

101.2 inches

104.3 inches

Overall Height:

60.2 inches

NA

Overall Width:

40.2 inches

NA

Seat Height:

26.0 inches

26.3 Inches

Wheelbase:

65.7 inches

65.7 inches

Ground Clearance:

5.6 inches

5.8 Inches

Details:

Fuel Capacity:

5.5 Gallons

5.8 Gallons

GVWR:

1,385 Pounds

1,360 Pounds

Weight - Empty Tank:

815 Pounds

-

Dry Weight:

-

760 Pounds

Price:

$22,999

$18,999