Indian is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the original Chief’s debut with a new 21st-century version of the iconic V-twin.One look tells you most of the story—they have stripped down the Chief to its essentials while leaving the superb motor and chassis as-is. Let’s go over the six iterations in the 2022 Indian Chief lineup.1. There are three basic Chief models with a Thunderstroke 111 motor, and each has an upgraded version with the bigger-bore Thunderstroke 116 powerplant. The 2022 Indian Chief and Indian Chief Bobber are matched with Dark Horse editions, while the light-touring Super Chief is paired with the Super Chief Limited. The Dark Horses have a four-inch round TFT display that links to the Ride Command app on your smartphone—it’s also customizable. The standard models use a traditional analog speedometer. ABS is standard on the higher-end versions of each Chief, and an option on the standard examples.
Chief2. The standard 2022 Chief and Chief Dark Horse are the most modern of the new lineup. The features cast aluminum wheels in a 16-/19-inch combination. Like all six Chiefs, they get Pirelli Night Dragon rubber. The fork tubes are out on display, as are the shocks. Plus, there’s less chrome, and the footpegs are mid-position. Also, the Chief Dark Horse stands out thanks to the premium blacked-out finishes.3. The 2022 Chief Bobber and Chief Bobber Dark Horse add chrome and a chunky front Pirelli. The Bobbers get wire-spoked wheels, with a 16-inch hoop in the front. Mini-apes and fully forward foot controls give the pilot a riding position made for profiling. The fork tubes and shocks are covered, and the header pipes on the standard Bobber get some chrome. The Chief Bobber Dark Horse gets the serious blacked-out finish. Expect to pay a $1500 premium for moving up to the Bobber from the standard.Chief Bobber Dark Horse4. Bagger fans will love both versions of the Super Chief, which is based on the Bobber. Ready for weekend touring—or more, if you’re so inclined—the Super Chief and Super Chief limited have a quick-detach windshield, saddlebags, a mid-rise handlebar, floorboards, and the exhaust system is all-chrome. You don’t have to go it alone on the Super Chiefs, as a passenger seat and footpegs are standard. While the Dark Horse premium models are extra-black, the Super Chief Limited has extra chrome and metallic paint.5. Here’s what Ola Stenegard, Director, Industrial Design for Indian has to say about the new Chiefs: “We wanted to capture a timeless look that never goes out of style, and looks beautiful whether naked or fully dressed. We also wanted to keep it simple enough to allow riders’ imaginations to take flight with personalization options and possibilities. Ultimately, this is a bike that evokes emotion with simple mechanical styling and raw American muscle. It’s a pure riding machine.”Super Chief Limited6. The least expensive 2022 Chief is the standard Chief at $14,449 with Black Metallic paint. At the top of the Chief food chain is the 2020 Indian Super Chief sporting a price tag of $21,499 with either Maroon Metallic or Blue Slate Metallic paint.
Hello everyone and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly Podcast—Motos and Friends.
My name is Arthur Coldwells.
This week’s Podcast is brought to you by Yamaha motorcycles. Discover how the YZF-R7 provides the perfect balance of rider comfort and true supersport performance by checking it out at YamahaMotorsports.com, or see it for yourself at your local dealer.
This week’s episode features Senior Editor Nic de Sena’s impressions of the beautiful new Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST that is loosely based around the original FXRT Sport Glide from the 1980s. Hailing from The Golden State, these cult-status performance machines became known as West Coast style, with sportier suspension, increased horsepower, and niceties including creature comforts such as a tidy fairing and sporty luggage.
In past episodes you might have heard us mention my best friend, Daniel Schoenewald, and in the second segment I chat with him about some of the really special machines in his 170 or so—and growing—motorcycle collection. He’s always said to me that he doesn’t consider himself the owner, merely the curator of the motorcycles for the next generation.
Yet Daniel is not just a collector, but I can attest a really skilled rider. His bikes are not trailer queens, they’re ridden, and they’re ridden pretty hard. Actually, we have had many, many memorable rides on pretty much all of the machines in the collection at one time or another.
From all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!
