The 2023 Indian Sport Chief Cruiser Is Coming After Harley-Davidson – Robb Report

The civil war that has raged between America’s two best-known motorcycle manufacturers for over a century has received some fuel with Indian Motorcycle’s newest Sport Chief. Indian has publicly stated that the bike in its crosshairs is the Harley-Davidson Low Rider S, a 117-cubic-inch, air/oil-cooled V-twin that has carved a nice slice of the performance cruiser pie in the last 12 months.

To live up to its intention to target the Harley model, Indian has given the latest iteration of its Chief line a 116-cubic-inch, 49-degree, air-cooled V-twin that produces 108 ft-lbs of torque at 3,200 rpm pumped. Indian will also make an aftermarket version available that boosts torque to 120 ft-lbs at 2,900 rpm.

The engine features rear cylinder deactivation so your legs don’t get warm at traffic lights, but it’s more the suspension that’s the talking point. The Sport Chief’s design brief was to be the sportiest cruiser out there, so Indian teamed up with Fox Shocks to deliver preload-only adjustable rear shocks with a massive (by cruiser standards) four inches of travel, which over a inch more than a standard chief. That might not sound like much, but the extra travel will make the rear tire that much easier to accelerate and through corners. It should also offer a more comfortable ride, as the suspension won’t tumble through the stroke as easily and, conversely, send shock waves back up the rider’s spine.

Fox also has upgraded shocks that offer compression and rebound adjustment if you want to refine your ride even further. The new suspension works in conjunction with the revised frame geometry, which features a steeper 28-degree lean angle and 4.4 inches of trail, compared to the standard Chief’s 29-degree lean and 5.2 inches of trail. And the non-adjustable 43mm KYB forks now sit in triple clamps that have 14mm more offset. This is all in one package with a 64.6-inch wheelbase that’s two inches longer than the standard Chief.

The larger Indian Challenger’s parts bin was scoured for the Sport Chief’s brakes, which are now Brembo’s four-piston monobloc calipers clamping to 320mm discs with ABS.

In terms of riding position, Indian has given some choices in the mid-mounted controls that connect to the handlebars on 6-inch risers. There is the option of a 4″ or 10″ riser, depending on preference, with windshields in the form of a 6″ windshield and quarter fairing, although larger and shorter windshields are also available.

However, if you wish to carry a passenger you will need to purchase the aftermarket passenger seat and footpegs as they are not standard on the Sport Chief.

What does come standard, however, is the Indian Ride Command Suite, accessed via a 4-inch TFT display with turn-by-turn navigation. And the latter can be operated by touch (with gloves) or via the switches on the left handlebar.

The 2023 Indian Sport Chief is available in Black Smoke for $18,999, Ruby Smoke for $19,499, Stealth Gray for $19,499 and Spirit Blue Smoke for $19,999. The Sport Chief will be in dealerships starting this month.

Click here for more photos of the 2023 Indian Sport Chief.