Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128208
(Above) The massive alrbox Is an unfortunate necessity to beat emissions laws. It Interferes with the rider's lett leg. While the carbureted Chief runs great, we're ready for EFl. Aside from that, though, the Chief's art deco styling is spot-on, evoking the Indian era of the late'40s and early '50s, the zenith years for the original. Perhaps the coolest detail is also one of the smallest - the redskin face and headdress perched proudly atop the Chief's front fender. A quick thumbing of the electric start button will have you wondering if the massive 45-degree Powerplus 100 V-twin is even going to start, as there is an uncomfortable delay from the time that the solenoid kicks in until the pistons actually start swinging - it kinda sounds like a car with a dying battery. But then the carbureted Powerplus 100 does roar to life and, when cold, requires surprisingly little time on the choke before it is ready for action. Roll into it, and no matter what else you might think of the new Indian, there's no denying that the Powerplus 100 is a real torque monster. You'll instantaneously find yourself buried deep in the Chief's seat padding as the monster machine surges forward like it was shot out of a catapult. We're talking about a stump ripper here, with more than enough torque to get the 700+ pounds (wet) of Chief moving quickly. By what we'd guess to be about 5000 rpm (the Chief has no tachometer, and we didn't dyno it), the Powerplus is pretty much all done, but grabbing another gear brings lots more joy. This is one torquey motor! Throttle response is also excellent, making this arguably the best-running carbureted V-twins ever. The Indian's five-speed tranny is pretty decent when it comes to making rapid gear changes. Like the rest of the bike, the shift lever is massive, so it's hard to say whether or not that mechanical advantage bears any influence on the Chief's shifting prowess, but the end result is the same: precise upshifts and downshifts. Neutral is a little tougher to find, however. While the Chief's clutch pull is not the easiest you'll ever experience, the action is quite good, with lots of feel, and lots of progression to help you keep moving at snail speeds when necessary. The biggest gripe that you're likely to have about the Powerplus powertrain is that it vibrates excessively. To be fair, the offensive quake is not unlike that of an Evolution-era Harley-Davidson, but even when the Evo motor was around, it was too much of a shaker. Like the Evo, the Chief's vibes remain barely tolerable until you get up around 75 mph, and then things become downright uncomfortable through the bars and seat, and even more offensive through the floorboards. Ergonomically speaking, the big Chief must favor taller riders, because those of abbreviated inseam will definitely find the beach cruiser-style bars a touch too high and the floorboards way too far forward. The massive airbox that covers the 42mm Mikuni carb is also a pain in the left leg. At least the Chief's skirted seat is nicely contoured, without too much dish, so that you can make the long haul in relative comfort. It's more of a sit-on than sitin shape. What's more, the dreaded cruiser mainsail effect is lessened by the Chiefs chromed fork and headlight assembly, which we have to admit is pretty gorgeous. All the switches are easy to operate, and the tank-mounted speedometer is easy to read. The LCD, switchable odometer/tripmeter isn't as easy to read, though. Unrefined as the Chief may be in some areas, Indian has done an excellent job of getting the behemoth to handle. When the going got twisty, we quickly came to appreciate the solidly planted feel telegraphed by the front end, and we marveled at the way we were able to arc the Chief through tight canyon sweepers. Ground clearance actually borders on being incredible. We rarely managed to scrape a floorboard when leaning the Chief into a turn, which is more than could be said for the Heritage Softail Classic we had along for the ride (read all about it elsewhere in this issue). About the only gripe we had was that the bike felt a little undersprung no surprise there - and when the pace was pushed, the Chief would start to pogo, quickly replacing our confidence with terror - although we never (Above) Girthy shift lever taps Into the excellent rIVe-speed transmission. Shifting Is pretty crisp for an American cruiser. did get to the point that we thought the Chief was going to want to break trail on its own. For such a big bike, though, the Chief can be hustled right along... except when making aU-tum. Those are a bummer. Of course, it almost goes without saying that the 68.4-inch wheelbase creates a stable platform when touring the highways and byways of America. In a straight line, the thing is a two-wheeled land yacht, albeit one that is willing to change direction without requiring a phone call. The Chief could use a little more anchor, though. Braking power from the front-mounted four-piston Brembo isn't all that spectacular, the biggest issue being that the lever required a lot of effort in order to effect more bite. Out back, the rear brake does a fine job of locking up the tire, which is not a good thing on such a girthy bike. Despite that the 5.5-gallon tank offers plenty of range (we expected the Powerplus 100 to be even more thirsty than it was), we managed to run out of gas. That was our fault, but it would be nice to have a warning light, if not an outright fuel gauge, to keep the rider aware of just how much go-juice is left in the jug. Thankfully, the Chief is still carbureted and thus sports a reserve on the petcock. We switched over, fired it back up and got going again. g@@~ (Above) Proud head: With careful planning, a litUe more R&D and Just a touch of luck, the proud redskin may ride on the front fender of the new Indian for quite some time to come. We Just think its neat because it lights up when the headlight Is turned on. All in all, despite our initial hesitations, the Indian Chief Springfield turned out to be a really good cruiser on its own merit, although at over 20 grand, it may appeal only to those truly looking for something different or those fascinated by the Indian mystique. That alone may be worth the price of admission because, as far as we're concerned, the Indian Chief is legit regardless of whether or not it can lay claim to the Indian legend. The Chief is a good motorcycle. Good as it is, though, the Indian Chief is still, technologically speaking, behind the eight-ball when compared to a contemporary HarleyDavidson. To our way of thinking, it's about 10 years behind the times. If Indian can add EFI, quell the vibration and improve the braking on the Chief while not significantly adding to its pricetag, the Chief might be ready to make war with Milwaukee's finest. You certainly wouldn't be able to count it out. Like we said, bringing back a legendary marque is no picnic. It's a lofty challenge, but with the Chief, the new Indian Motorcycle Company is clearly on the right track. And Indian lovers, take heart: Such a seemingly impossible task has been done before. They're called Triumphs. eN Indian Chief S ield UST PRICE $21,495 DISPLACEMENT 163&c ENGINE TYPE Air-<:ooled, 45-degree V-twin BORE x STROKE ..................•.••••..•...........96.875 x 106.25mm COMPRESSION RATIO .....•....••••••.•••••........................N{A CARBURETION , •••.••••.•..............Mikuni HSR 42mm flat-slide IGNITION , Electronic TRANSMISSION Five-speed STARTING SYSTEM , Electric FUEL CAPACITY .....•...............................5.5 gal. (1.2 gal. res.) 68.4 in. WHEELBASE ..........••.••..•..•....•••••• RAKE/TRAlL 34°/148mm SEAT HEIGHT .....•••...••••••••••..............................28.5 in. , 130/90-16 FRONT TIRE REAR TIRE , , , •.................................. 130/90-16 5.1 In. FRONT·WHEEL TRAVEL ....• , •..••••.•..••.•............... , REAR·WHEEL TRAVEL .....•••••••••• , •..••.••........••......... .4.25 in. FRONT BRAKE ............•.•..••••..•...•........................Disc REAR BRAKE .............••••••.•••••••••••................... , Disc Belt FINAL DRIVE ClAIMED DRY WEIGHT " ....•.•..•.••••••............687 pounds cue I e n e _ S • APRIL 9, 2003 55