Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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2019 INDIAN CHIEFTAIN DARK HORSE FIRST IMPRESSION P88 Higher set bars adorn this 116 Stage 3 equipped Dark Horse. It was easily Rennie's favorite of the test bikes. boards easily if you go throw- ing it into corners with the kind of abandon afforded by lighter bikes. Progressive steering is the name of the game, and once in the corner and on-line the Dark Horse tracked beautifully, especially in the dry. Braking force is not great, but good. There's plenty to haul you up but there's not a great deal of feel at the front brake lever. Con- versely, there's a decent amount of halting force from the rear, but that seems to be the case for baggers in general, not just the Dark Horse. A better front brake setup would be more befitting of a motorcycle costing some $26,000-plus. My biggest gripe with cruis- ers is always, always the way the seat curves my lower spine. I've got a crap back with busted discs and slouching is my worst enemy (I use a stand-up desk as a result), but the Dark Horse's re-profiled pew gave me two whole days of pain-free cruis- ing—something I've not said for many a big bike. The ride posi- tion is excellent for a taller rider, as you have plenty of room on the floorboards to move around and keep the comfort level high. On that comfort topic, I rode most of the second half of day one with the Mid-Rise Handlebar Kit fitted, where the rider's arms are stretched in line with the top of the dash. For a taller guy like me, the Mid-Ride kit was an ab- solute winner, and allowed me to hold myself up a touch more and keep the weight off my lower back. It also opened my chest up for better cooling and made me look like a badass, so it was a win for everyone. On a serious note my two days of riding through the Pacific Northwest on the 2019 Dark Horse was a genuinely brilliant experience. This is a bike that works exceptionally well for its intended purpose, and if Indian puts better brakes and tires on the Dark Horse, it'll be very hard to beat in the bagger stakes. The engine is a sweet little number (even better in 116 c.i guise), comfort is good, cornering stability and turn-in is very good for a bike this size and weight, and the styling changes make for a bike more appealing to the younger set, which is probably guys my age (36) and up to 50. Indian's done a good job on the Dark Horse, but as the crew at Polaris tells, me, this is only the beginning. CN