New – New motorcycles: Indian Chief Classic, Vintage and Chieftain – Used INDIAN

Posted on by admin

New motorcycles: Indian Chief Classic, Vintage and Chieftain

New - New motorcycles: Indian Chief Classic, Vintage and Chieftain - Used INDIAN

It is not one, but three new Chiefs that the American manufacturer Indian unveiled at the opening of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on Saturday August 3 (read in particular MNC of July 27, 2013): the Chief Classic and its Vintage variation, as well as an unexpected Bagger, the Chieftain.

It is not one, but three new Chiefs that the American manufacturer Indian unveiled at the opening of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on Saturday August 3 (read in particular): the Chief Classic and its Vintage version, as well as an unexpected Bagger, the Chieftain.

First good surprise when discovering these first "Chiefs" of the Polaris era: the historical aesthetic codes of this nearly a century old motorcycle are preserved (see box below).

Long (2630 mm), low (660 mm saddle height on the Classic version), the 2014 Chief adopts the traditional “skirted” mudguards, an “old-fashioned” round and chrome look surrounded by two smaller ones headlights and of course, the Native American cap on the front mudguard.

Whitewall tires and long chrome mufflers complete the classic styling, while the gaze is naturally directed to the enormous 49 ° open twin "Thunder Stroke 111" (read our).

The Indian Chief: 91 years of history …

Among the most famous motorcycles ever built by Indian (with the Scout or the Four), the first Indian Chief came out in 1922 and cubed 1000 cc. Temporarily renamed "Big Chief" following the increase of its displacement to 1200 cc the following year, it will evolve aesthetically by small touches until the end of the 20s. In 1934, it traced its plastic on the fluid and rounded lines cars of the time and adopts two-tone patterns. In 1940, the Chief exhibited for the first time its famous "skirted" mudguards and was fitted with a rear suspension in 1946.

Second World War obliges, it will not know any more major modifications until the end of the 40s. In 1950, the new owner of Indian decides to relaunch the brand via its most emblematic model: the Chief offers itself a generous cure of youth – telescopic fork, new twin-cylinder 1300 cc – and its bodywork gives pride of place to chrome. Three years later, the Chief experienced a final evolution: it was to be the last vintage produced by the historic Springfield plant (Massachussetts – USA), Indian shutting down a few months later. The Chief resurfaced in the early 2000s in the form of luxurious cruisers, when the brand rose from the ashes after multiple changes of hands..

Since 2011, Indian Motorcycles has been the property of Polaris Industries: many feared that the American giant would opt for sharing components with its own brand of customs, Victory, to develop the 2014 Chief. Fears a priori unfounded in view of the unprecedented technical characteristics unveiled on the three new Chief models.

As imposing as it is torquey (161 Nm of torque, power not communicated), this new 1810.7 cc air-cooled engine is common to the three new Chiefs unveiled by Indian: the Chief Classic, the Chief Vintage and the Chieftain.

These three new models with final belt transmission also share the same chassis and a large part of the equipment: the cast aluminum frame integrates the airbox (as on the Victory Vision), the fork is telescopic with 119 mm of travel (rear monoshock), the 300mm discs up front are pinched by 4-piston calipers (standard ABS), the wheels exhibit 60 interlocking spokes, while cruise control and a keyless start are standard equipment.

As on many customs, the instrumentation takes the form of a large dial placed on the tank of only 20.8 liters: the speed is indicated via a needle, while a digital screen provides information on the gear engaged, the daily mileage. or the fuel level.

The main differences between each version are above all aesthetic: the Vintage is a Chief Classic to which Indian has added magnificent leather upholstery, a wide windshield and removable saddlebags. Equipment that raises its weight to 379 kg, nine more than the Classic.

More than a simple variation, the Chieftain surprises: on the one hand because this bike was not expected from Indian, on the other because it is the first Bagger designed by this manufacturer born in 1901! This top-of-the-range cruiser comes with a generous fork crown, whose slender shapes are reminiscent of the lines of some Victories.

This front part with integrated LED indicators receives a generous windshield whose height can vary electrically over twelve centimeters, as well as an instrumentation articulated around two analog dials and a backlit keypad..

More complete, it is however less "Old School" than that of the Chief Classic and Chief Vintage.

Advertised for 385 kg, the Chieftain has two rigid suitcases with electric lock and comes standard with a sound system – with Bluetooth connection – whose controls are installed from the handlebars.

The arrival of these Indian Chief Classic, Chief Vintage and Chieftain is announced for the fall of 2013 in the 140 points of sale that the brand has in North America. The colors are three in number: the traditional Indian red, a black "Thunder" and a blue "Sprinfield".

Availability for the rest of the world is not yet specified, but the prices for Europe are already known: € 23,595 for the Classic, € 25,399 for the Vintage and € 26,199 for the Chieftain.

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *