2003 Indian Chief Springfield
Whether or not It Is ~ ... lay
claim to the original Indian
Motocycle's history, the _
Indian Chief Springfield Is a
great handling big bore cruiser
that stands on its own merit.
Despite its size, the ChIef
handles admirably at
Armed with the Powerplus 100
V-twin, this Indian is for real
By SCOTT ROUSSEAU
PHOTOS By BRIAN
J.
NELSON
m
an, there's nothing quite like tryto revive a fallen motorcycle
brand, especially one that made such
a historic impact as the fabled Indian
marque did its first time around. The
only American motorcycle company
besides Harley-Davidson to survive
World War II, Indian had a reputation
for producing rugged, reliable, riders'
motorcycles, bearing such engaging
model names as Scout and Chief.
Unfortunately, its tremendous success was spoiled by bad business
decisions and a refusal to get with the
engineering times, and Indian fell by
the wayside in 1952. Now, after a
decade of legal-wrangling to determine who would earn the rights to try
to rebuild it, the Indian motorcycle is
indeed back.
Manufactured by the California
Motorcycle Company in Gilroy, California, the first modern-era Indians,
introduced in 1999, were little more
than Harley rip-offs with S&S
engines, and cruiser fans were left to
UJJ ing
54
APRIL 9. 2003'
cue
•
..
wonder if that was going to be it for
the once mighty Indian brand. Indian
officials recognized the need for a
proprietary engine, and they responded. In the 2002 model year, Powerplus 100 (the 100 denotes the number of cubic inches on tap) debuted
for use in the Indian Chief family of
motorcycles. Our Indian Chief
Springfield test unit is new for the
2003 model year.
The one thing that you'll notice
before you even get near the Indian
Chief is its sheer size; it could be mis-
taken for the box that an old Chief came
in! The new Chiefs oversized fuel tank
and massive, skirted fenders shroud the
freight-train-Iength 'softie-style stretcher
chassis. The handlebars and seat add to
the bike's epic proportions. Make no
mistake, the Indian Chief is huge.
Power plus: Indian's 100 cubic-inch
Powerplus mill delivers on its name. The
1638cc, 45-degree V-twin generates a
mountain of torque at low rpm. We dig
the motor's serated-Iook rocker covers
and the massive fins.
netIVs
