Click Here to Begin Slideshow
The first Indian Motorcycles vehicle came out in 1900. Although there were times when the company was out of business, it’s one of the oldest brands in the world. It’s also one of the most beloved motorcycle brands in the United States. The Chieftain has been in production since 2014. The 2018 model is even more distinctive than previous editions.
No Indian motorcycle prior to the introduction of the Chieftain in 2014 had been equipped with a fairing. Indian had produced Cruisers before, but the Chieftain was the first with a fairing. It was also the first to have hard saddlebags. Indian had other Baggers, but none of them came stock with hard bags. Indian calls it “a bagger with aggressive styling.” The bags on the Chieftain Limited can be locked and unlocked remotely. It’s also got a sawed off front fender reminiscent of their bikes from the 1920s and 1930s.
The Thunder Stroke 111V-Twin was introduced during Daytona Bike Week in March of 2013. Fans loved it then, and it’s only gotten better with age. The 111 cubic inch (1.8 liters) engine has a bore and stroke of 3.976 inch by 4.449 inches and has a compression ratio of 9.5:1. These combine to produce 119 ft-lbs of torque at 3000 rpm through a gear drive wet clutch multi-plate transmission. The split dual exhaust with a crossover has that nice loud note we love.
Indian calls the Chieftain Limited’s new Ride Command infotainment system “the largest, most customizable infotainment system on two wheels.” The rider interface for this is a seven inch touchscreen that gives you access to more than a dozen different pieces of information, plus a 100 Watt AM/FM stereo system with Bluetooth and USB input, plus a smartphone compatible input. A few examples of what Ride Command puts at your fingertips are:
• A realtime clock
• Ambient air temperature
• Average and instantaneous fuel economy
• Moving time
• Altitude and altitude change over time
• Trouble code readouts
• Much more
Chieftain Limited is a softail, which means that it rides nice and smooth. The fairing and cruise control combine to help also make it a comfortable ride. It’s also a safe bike to ride, whether in the city or on a highway, at night or during the day. This is thanks to the chrome highway bar, ABS brakes and the bright highway lighting that it has.
Indian says, “It’s your time. Turn heads with bold bagger style.” This bike does just that.
