Quick: Think of the most badass city in America. You thought of Salt Lake City, Utah, right? So did Indian Motorcycle. That’s where it chose to do beauty shots for the video promoting its Sport Chief RT model ─ one of a handful of “new” models unveiled last week.
To call all of those models new is a massive stretch, even within the context of an American cruiser company. The Sport Chief RT is exactly the same as the Sport Chief that’s existed for a few years, but for the presence of an uglier seat and panniers that appear to be only just big enough to hold a shirt (You think I’m kidding, but I’m not). That’s worth a £1,200 mark-up, right?
But let’s not get grumpy at Polaris for doing a thing that Polaris has done for decades. Instead, let’s focus on the thing that is new: the thing that I very accurately predicted. That’s the new Indian Chieftain PowerPlus.
“I would expect a boost in peak power and torque,” I wrote earlier this month.
Yup, we got that. Indian’s liquid-cooled PowerPlus V-twin engine has been boosted to 1835 cc. With that, Indian’s claimed peak power output increases to 126 horsepower, and claimed peak torque jumps to a colossal 133 lb-ft.
“One thing that seems obvious to me would be a model that uses fork-mounted fairing,” I also wrote. “So, deliver a PowerPlus version of a Chieftain.”
Yup. That’s exactly what we got. As well as a new PowerPlus-driven Roadmaster model, which makes a lot of sense; all-bells-and-whistles touring rigs like the Roadmaster can get pretty warm thanks to their excellent weather protection.
“These new PowerPlus fork-mounted fairing models combine a classic muscular American V-Twin style with rider assist technologies never before offered in an American V-Twin motorcycle,” declares an Indian Motorcycle press release. “The new PowerPlus 112 engine expands on the unparalleled performance of its… predecessor – going beyond the power limitations of traditional V-Twin motors.”
Along with an updated powerplant, the new models serve as the presentation stage for a host of additional technowhizzbangery, including blindspot warnings, lean-sensitive traction control and ABS, and a seemingly pointless Tailgate Warning that “alerts riders when a vehicle is traveling too close for comfort behind the rider.”
I have never had difficulty identifying when someone was too close.
Indian says “riders will be notified via the Ride Command screen,” referring to the brand’s infotainment and bike management system. What do you suppose that notification is?
“EXTEND MIDDLE FINGER TOWARD VEHICLE AT REAR”
Or, in red states: “ANGRILY WAVE FIREARM NOW.”
Here in Not America, we won’t be getting the standard Chieftain PowerPlus and Roadmaster PowerPlus. Instead, we get more expensive variations on the theme: the Chieftain Powerplus Limited (starting at £26,895), Chieftain PowerPlus Dark Horse (starting at £27,895), Roadmaster PowerPlus Limited (starting at £29,495), and Roadmaster PowerPlus Dark Horse (starting at £30,495).
Imagine being able to afford paying almost £31,000 for a motorcycle…
I’ll be interested to see what now happens to the air-cooled versions of these bikes. Probably the best thing to do would be to scrap them. Polaris, Indian’s parent company, has been in serious trouble in recent years, with each quarter worse than the one before it. The company’s full 2024 results are due later this month, but in Q3 of last year, its overall sales were down 23 percent from the year before.
Things are bad across the board for the company, but sales in its “on road” segment, which includes Indian and Slingshot, were down 13 percent in Q3 2024. If you’re looking for a reason as to why Indian still hasn’t produced an adventure bike, that’s probably your answer. Putting existing fairing on an existing model is one thing; creating a new chassis and bodywork for the FTR engine would be something else entirely.
Ah well, at least the bikes look cool.
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