In 2017, the Indian Motorcycle brand made its triumphant return to American Flat Track racing, hopping back into the series after an extended hiatus. This factory-backed effort not only lead to Indian utterly dominating the top-level twins class, claiming every single championship title since its return, but it also prompted America’s oldest moto marque to release a flat track racer-inspired production model with the FTR. Now, the presence of the brand’s bikes in the King Of The Baggers and Super Hooligan National Championship Road Race series, has prompted the company to unleash yet another new model that takes things in a more performance-focused direction for the American manufacturer with the Indian Sport Chief.
Penned by renowned moto designer Ola Stenegärd, the bike is constructed around the existing Chief’s tubular steel chassis and cast aluminum subframe. The aptly-named Sport Chief features a myriad of visual alterations and performance upgrades. This includes mid-mounted foot controls, narrower moto-style bars set on 6” risers, and an all-new quarter fairing design. A superbike-esque 43mm inverted KYB fork slotted at a steeper 28° angle and longer dual piggyback reservoir Fox shocks together afford the Sport-spec Chief markedly better performance — especially in the corners. Also upgraded is the Sport Chief’s braking hardware, which now consists of dual four-pot semi-floating Brembo calipers up in front and a single caliper in the rear.
Indian has also bestowed the Sport Chief with bobbed fenders, a stacked dual exhaust setup, and a cast 19”/16” wheel-set shod in Pirelli Night Dragon rubber. Powering the bike is Indian’s 1,890cc Thunderstroke 116 motor — a 49° V-Twin that’s mated to a six-speed gearbox and good for around 80hp and 120ft-lbs of torque. In total, Indian’s Sport Chief tips the scales at 665lbs fully-fueled and ready to ride, too. Offered with a wide array of optional factory accessories, the Sport Chief also comes loaded with cruise control, a ride-by-wire throttle, rear-cylinder deactivation, ABS, all-LED lighting, a keyless ignition, and a circular 4” Ride COMMAND TFT display with smartphone connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation — all as standard amenities.
Produced in four paint options, the 2023 Indian Motorcycle Sport Chief is available now, with pricing starting at $18,999.
