P102
RIDE REVIEW I 2022 INDIAN CHIEF, SUPER CHIEF & CHIEF BOBBER DARK HORSE
tage, and they rock the same powerplant,
but compared to the new Chief, they're
basically polar opposites. The old Chiefs
were stripped down to a "cruiser" level
from their touring roots, while the new Chief is built
up, from a minimalist chassis, wrapping the hefty
powerplant in as little chassis as possible. In the
case of the new Super Chief, it's actually built up to
be a light tourer. Same idea, different direction.
This Chief is a fantasy retro creation. A "what
if" Indian had survived past the early 1950s and
got to do battle with "that other American brand"
for the other half of the 20th century. Remember
those Chiefs of recent history? They wore the full
fenders of the Indian Motocycle (sic) Company's
twilight. The new Chief wears looks not ever found
on a past factory Indian, with brief bobbed fenders
and sculpted seats. That said, there are fabulous
styling cues taken from Indians past and present,
like the sinuous S-curve to the frame downtube or
the tank or the slightly bulging slab-sided
tank that crosses the rounded touring
bikes and the very square Scout. Start-
ing with the base Chief, which imagines
Indian making a '70s-'80s factory custom, with
mid-mount controls, an aggressive stance, and a
19-inch front mag wheel. Going back in time, the
Chief Bobber is, frankly, a little more like a '60s
chopper with high bars but "retaining" what would
have been standard fare: laced 16-inch rims and
full-coverage "tins" on the suspension compo-
nents. Super Chief goes all the way back to the
1950s with an all-purpose motorcycle sporting full
floorboards, windshield and light luggage. The
Super Chief might be the only bike in history to
try to be both a bobber and a dresser at the same
time. While the "retroness" is a little idiosyncratic,
all the versions of the Chief are stylish, clean and
well put-together. Minimalist and elemental, like a
good cruiser should be.
The Indian Chief
offers classic, simple
and clean styling.
