THE BAD BOY BAGGER IN INDIAN'S LINEUP IS
GETTING A FEW TOUCHES FOR NEXT YEAR,
ALL IN THE NAME OF DEMOCRACY
By Rennie Scaysbrook • Photography by Barry Hathaway
Leaner, sleeker, meaner. That—in a nutshell—is
what the 2019 Indian Chieftain Dark Horse is
all about.
Part of a four-strong lineup including the stan-
dard Chieftain, Chieftain Limited and Chieftain
Classic, the Dark Horse represents the gateway
to a younger audience, one that Indian hopes to
capture and keep for a lifetime.
"Over the last five years we've been engaging
with both existing Chieftain customers as well as
potential customers, asking them for feedback on
what it is they like and don't like about the range,"
states Indian Motorcycle Product Manager,
Josh Katt. "What we've heard repeatedly is this
platform is incredibly capable, it handles like a
dream, etc. But there was a decent-sized market
out there that just didn't like the classic styling.
They described it as beautiful, retro, art deco—but
it just wasn't them.
"They wanted something that was a little mean-
er, more aggressive, with harder and sharper
lines. We gave that feedback to our design team,
and sent them a challenge of creating a Dark
Horse that keeps the Indian DNA but also some-
thing that's mean and sleek."
In creating this new Dark Horse, Indian hasn't
strayed too far from their winning formula.
It's primarily a design update, as the 111 c.i
(1811cc) air-cooled V-twin and is largely un-
changed, as is the chassis with a slightly stiffer
Fox shock in place for the '19 model.
Starting at the front, the fender is still the
same open unit launched last year with the
brake calipers and discs exposed, although
the '19's headdress is about 20 percent
smaller. The front fairing has been slightly
worked over, with more than a hint of Victory
Cross Country style about it (which shouldn't
be surprising, considering the same company
made both bikes). The fairing wraps around
the seven-inch LED headlight, hiding behind
it an adjustable windscreen that gives a
surprisingly large amount of wind deflection
for how high it rises.
