Howdie Lindie,
As the product of a bicycle racer and an engineer who designed some of the first velodrome pace cycles the ride is not bad at all. Indians, even to the end, had a more communicative as-a-unit feeling chassis than that other American m/c, electing to use castings and less componentry to accomplish the same task, than bent steel plate and bracketry. It's just that their powerplants got woefully behind primarily due to mismanagement and subsequent lack of R&D dollars.
Now, a Four is on another plane compared to a Chief, which though not nimble like a Scout, is tossable..but albeit with that v-twin, a bit vibratory in certain ranges in the 80ci version. A four on 18's feels a bit top heavy, and with a very heavy leaf pack up high in front, wants to fall into a turn. Unlike a /2 BMW, rotating mass inline with the chassis is minimal in relation to "gross" weight and final drive is by chain rather than shaft so there is no torque jacking. First year 1940 rear springs are lighter and more suited to 4.50 x 18's then fitted than subsequent stylish 5.00 x 16's, thus there is no pogo'g in back even though the only dampening is bushing friction of the sliders. Attention to air pressure in front can minimize that, but with the arrival of the 41's, that all changes. Heavier rear springs to accomodate side cars coupled with smaller diameter but fatter tires completely out of phase with spring rates results in (frequent) situations I like to refer in context with loss of sanity as "coming unglued" ...primarily occuring on washboard surfaces in off camber turns. I have had someone do a low-side drop in the road on a Four in front of me and my dirt bike trained reaction to avoid same was to drop my body low and stand the machine up momentarily to square it off to the road where it seems best equiped to deal with such predicaments. Having no baffles in their mufflers whatsoever, with 4lbs shaved off their heavy flywheels, a touch more compression, electronic ignition and a good carb (float) they sound deliciously crisp at speed - somewhere between an old Massey Ferguson, WWII army jeep and a V 12 Merlin.
I love mine, but readily acknowledge....they ain't no Vin.