Indian Motorcycle Introduces New Sport Chief V-Twin Cruiser

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The Sport Chief is equipped with Indian’s blacked-out Thunderstroke 116 power plant. (Photo courtesy of Polaris.)

America’s First Motorcycle Company is expanding its iconic Indian Chief cruiser lineup with the 2023 Sport Chief. Indian Motorcycle calls the Sport Chief the “most aggressive iteration” of its Indian Chief given the addition of components like KYB inverted front forks, Brembo radial-mounted brakes, and Fox piggyback rear shocks.

“In 2021, we celebrated the 100-year anniversary of Indian Chief with a lineup that pays homage to the glory days of American motorcycling,” says Indian Motorcycle Director, Industrial Design, Ola Stenegard. “With Sport Chief, we wanted to maintain the same carefree attitude and American muscle but elevate it even further with componentry that not only delivers a style and attitude that exudes performance but raises the bar entirely for performance cruisers.”

Performance Parts

The 2023 Sport Chief is built on the same simplistic steel-tube frame that serves as the backbone for all Indian Chief models, and has a mechanical style that gives it a classic appearance. But there’s nothing basic about the Sport Chief’s components.

“With KYB inverted front forks, also featured on Indian Challenger models, Sport Chief offers superior handling and ride performance,” says Stenegard. “The Sport Chief’s dual-disc, four-piston, semi-floating caliper, radial-mounted Brembo brakes deliver confidence-inspiring stopping power, while piggyback rear Fox shocks increase travel to 4 inches and increases lean angle to 29.5 degrees, compared to other Indian Chief models. The result is an Indian Chief that begs for more aggressive riding and provides the confidence and capability to take the riding experience to another level.”

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Indian says the Sport Chief’s performance-oriented components “take the riding experience to the next level.” (Photo courtesy of Polaris.)

Thunderstroke Power

Indian equips the Sport Chief with the 1,890-cc Thunderstroke 116 power plant, which generates 120 pounds-foot (162 newton-meters) of peak torque. Speed and other information, such as turn-by-turn navigation, is easily accessible from the cruiser’s 4-inch touchscreen with Ride Command. The Sport Chief offers Sport, Standard, and Tour selectable ride modes to let riders quickly configure the motorcycle to their preference.

The cruiser’s performance-oriented riding position, highlighted by mid-mount foot controls and a solo “gunfighter-style” seat, lets riders take full advantage of the Sport Chief’s engine and high-end components. The Sport Chief also offers moto-style bars with machined triple clamps and 6-in. (15.2-centimeter) risers, additions that further differentiate the motorcycle from the rest of the Indian Chief lineup.

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Source: Polaris