Indian Chief Roadmaster
Model Chief Roadmaster made by Indian got 2 consumer complains as well as 5 service bulletins. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to steering and structure. Technical service bulletines regarding engine and engine cooling and equipment.
Model 2009
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| SB-040901 | 07/01/2009 | 10030064 | Indian motorcycle: engine oil level check. no model or model years listed. *pe | 07/29/2009 | |
| EQUIPMENT - OTHER - OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL | |||||
| SB-040901 | 07/01/2009 | 10030064 | Indian motorcycle: engine oil level check. no model or model years listed. *pe | 07/29/2009 | |
| TSB-040902 | 07/22/2009 | 10030026 | Indian motorcycle: transmission oil level check. model and model years not listed. *pe | 07/22/2009 | |
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION - LUBRICANT | |||||
| TSB-040902 | 07/22/2009 | 10030026 | Indian motorcycle: transmission oil level check. model and model years not listed. *pe | 07/22/2009 | |
| SUSPENSION - REAR - SHOCK ABSORBER | |||||
| TSB-040903 | 07/22/2009 | 10030025 | Indian motorcycle: the rear shock absorber on the motorcycle can be adjusted for the weight the motorcycle is carrying. to adjust the shock absorber spring, you will need an appropriate spanner wrench. no model or model years listed. * | 07/22/2009 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 07/17/2009 | 8700 | 1 | |
| Weld failure on the fork stops on a 2009 indian motorcycle. caused the motorcycle to lose control on numerous occasions and resulted in a rider losing control and crashing the motorcycle. the weld on the fork down tube that prevents the handle bars from turning too far broke off and caused a rider to crash. upon inspection of the weld after the crash it is clearly visible that the weld is not sufficient to hold the fork stop in place. review of the call out sheets for the assembly of the bikes calls for a 1/4 inch weld all the way around the fork stop lug. this lug has a 1/16th tack weld on 3 sides. it appears to be a tack weld that was put on to hold the lug in place prior to final weld. the problem encountered is that when the weld breaks it allows the bars to be turned too far resulting in an ability to oversteer the motorcycle. i had this over steer happen to me on 3 occasions and couldn't figure out what had happened. the owner of the bike was not so lucky. it caused him to crash in a low speed turn. i know of 1 other incident where a rider went down in a low speed turn while on a demo ride in the north east area of the united states. i can provide pictures of the lug and welds and i can provide call out sheets for the weld from an earlier version of the frame that was assembled in gilroy, california. please feel free to contact me with any questions. this issue really concerns me as there is no way to tell when the lug might break. in the wrong circumstances the over steer can result in serious potential for bodily injury. i have contacted mr. chris bernauer the general manager of indian motorcycle on numerous occasions about this incident and he refuses to discuss it with me. i can also tell you indian motorcycle company bought the motorcycle back from the owner mr. john white and now has it in their kings mountain facility. i suspect part of the buy back agreement was an nda. i am not bound by any nda and rode the machine 8700 mile. *tr | |||
| STRUCTURE | |||
| 07/17/2009 | 8700 | 1 | |
| Weld failure on the fork stops on a 2009 indian motorcycle. caused the motorcycle to lose control on numerous occasions and resulted in a rider losing control and crashing the motorcycle. the weld on the fork down tube that prevents the handle bars from turning too far broke off and caused a rider to crash. upon inspection of the weld after the crash it is clearly visible that the weld is not sufficient to hold the fork stop in place. review of the call out sheets for the assembly of the bikes calls for a 1/4 inch weld all the way around the fork stop lug. this lug has a 1/16th tack weld on 3 sides. it appears to be a tack weld that was put on to hold the lug in place prior to final weld. the problem encountered is that when the weld breaks it allows the bars to be turned too far resulting in an ability to oversteer the motorcycle. i had this over steer happen to me on 3 occasions and couldn't figure out what had happened. the owner of the bike was not so lucky. it caused him to crash in a low speed turn. i know of 1 other incident where a rider went down in a low speed turn while on a demo ride in the north east area of the united states. i can provide pictures of the lug and welds and i can provide call out sheets for the weld from an earlier version of the frame that was assembled in gilroy, california. please feel free to contact me with any questions. this issue really concerns me as there is no way to tell when the lug might break. in the wrong circumstances the over steer can result in serious potential for bodily injury. i have contacted mr. chris bernauer the general manager of indian motorcycle on numerous occasions about this incident and he refuses to discuss it with me. i can also tell you indian motorcycle company bought the motorcycle back from the owner mr. john white and now has it in their kings mountain facility. i suspect part of the buy back agreement was an nda. i am not bound by any nda and rode the machine 8700 mile. *tr | |||