Revving up a fiery Indian

For hardcore motorcyclists, the Indian brand can generate a lot of emotions. With a mention of the brand, you remember the deep red paint scheme. You remember Burt Munro and Bonneville Salt Flats. You remember the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy of 1911. You remember a massive bike with a colossal engine, and if you’ve had the opportunity to hear that engine, you remember the thundering exhaust note.

There’s a lot of nostalgia that comes with Indian Motorcycles – much like Triumph and Harley-Davidson. Polaris rekindled that fire, to resurrect Indian Motorcycles, and now the Indians are in India (at this point we’re all wishing Columbus had a better sense of navigation). Astride the Indian Chief Classic, the entry-level motorcycle from the manufacturer, we find out if these big cruisers have enough to get us Indians (we mean the people here) to write out a massive cheque.

Now when we say ‘entry-level’, the Chief Classic is by no means a small motorcycle. Quite the contrary, in fact. Everything about the motorcycle is big and ornate. It starts with massive headlamps, a big 21-litre fuel tank, gigantic skirted fenders, a big and comfy leather saddle, wide and swept-back cruiser handlebars – and just about everything that doesn’t come in leather or the signature deep red paint scheme, gets dipped in a pool of blinding chrome. No, we aren’t complaining; the Indian Chief Classic is a majestic sight.

Somehow, once you settle down in the snug saddle, the colossal cruiser doesn’t feel so big. The reach to the handlebar is pretty comfortable, and the bars feel light to move around. But when you fire up that V-twin, 111-cubic-inch Thunderstroke engine (that’s 1,811 cc), the rumble that emanates from the twin-exhaust pipes reminds you of the power that is available.

The motor produces a healthy 139Nm of peak torque, kicking in early at 2,600rpm, and that is more than enough to move all 370 kilos of the Chief Classic. The 6-speed gearbox has tall ratios, so you can ride with the first three gears inside the city, and you have three left for the freeway.

In fact, the throttle response is quite quick, and the motorcycle eagerly crosses the 140kmph mark – but without a windshield, riding the Chief Classic beyond 150kmph is an exercise in endurance. Thankfully, you can buy a screen from the company separately. The big Indian is quite agile, and with good ground clearance, it can tackle sweeping bends quite gracefully. But the big wheelbase restricts the bike from being as flexible around tight curves. Also, the suspension is on the stiffer side – going over a rough patch you remember that the Indian is in India.

The Indian Chief Classic is a motorcycle that oozes refinement, and for one of the oldest names in biking, the quality of the new cycle parts is quite impressive. It sure is a good alternative to a big Harley or Triumph, but the challenge for Polaris and Indian is to build up a brand name to sell these bikes. Because to sell a motorcycle with an ex-showroom (Delhi) tag of ₹26.50 lakh – one pricey piece of kit with some serious power on tap – brand awareness will be a big factor.

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