Indian Motorcycle brushed up its Chieftain line for 2020 with a lean, slammed look and a choice between its proven Thunder Stroke 111 engine or 116 version. As always, the Chieftain brings classic bagger style, and of course, Indian's top-shelf infotainment system comes stock to keep it competitive against the other top baggers around the world. No matter which engine you choose, you can count on 100-plus pounds of grunt that make the Chieftains perform as well as they look.

2022 Indian Chieftain Performance and Capability

In 2020, Indian offered a choice when it came to the engine. You could run with the proven Thunder Stroke 111 or alternately opt for the punched-out 116 cubic-inch version. Both have a 113 mm stroke, but the 111 has a 101 mm bore with a 9.5-to-1 compression ratio while the 116 mics out to 103.2 mm with an 11-to-1 ratio.

Power output depends on which engine you have. The Chieftain's 111 produces 119 pound-feet of torque while the 116 churns out a stump-pulling 126 pounds o' grunt. The Thunderstroke 116 was not carried over as a choice in 2021.

As for the similarities, a single, 54 mm throttle body feeds both along with a selectable Ride Modes feature that lets you dial in the power delivery. Rear Cylinder Deactivation also makes it onto both mills to combat heat wash felt by the rider by killing the rear jug when idling at a stop.

Another constant is the old-school look afforded by the faux cooling fins on the rocker boxes and the parallel pushrod tubes. The tubes mimic the look of the old side-valve/flathead engines that were so common through the middle of the 20th century. While it certainly isn't fooling anyone, it's still a nice touch that pairs well with the other classic elements the Chieftain brings to the table.

No matter which engine you choose, you can count on a six-speed transmission to keep you in the usable rpm range. The overall gearing turns in an Indian Chieftain top speed governed at 115 mph.

Design

Indian hits all the classic design high points to make the Chieftain a true American motorcycle. It adds a number of tidbits from its own storied history to polish off the package.

The iconic war bonnet ornament on the front fender ties in all the way back to the early 20th century. The ornament rides on a full-length fender that maintains a bit of old-school swoop at the trailing edge. Unlike the old full-valence, skirted fenders, these cut-back sides leave much of the blackout front rim visible.

Chrome fork sliders and beercan fork skirts add a bit of bling for a nice contrast against all that blackout. In addition, the skirts play into the historical aspect since they've been around since the earliest hydraulic forks.

The batwing-style front fairing drops some of its bulk in favor of a sleeker look that eliminates the passing lamps and relocates the turn signals to a pair of external bullet housings. The only feature in the fairing is the cyclops headlight. One thing I'm glad to see is that the factory also abandoned the gaudy chrome trim in favor of a cleaner visage.

A pair of vents pull air from the entry and shunts it behind the power-adjustable windscreen to reduce the wearisome head-buffet effect, though in truth that's more of an issue on models with taller windshields. It does serve to freshen the air in the wind pocket behind the fairing.

Inside the fairing, the Chieftain sports an analog speedo and tach. Nestled in-between is the seven-inch, color TFT touchscreen that acts as an interface for the Ride Command infotainment feature.

The Ride Command bundles real-time weather and traffic info together with a Bluetooth that networks with your smartphone to deliver a virtual jukebox and hands-free phone calls. It also gives detailed engine information such as TPMS and remaining fuel range. A pair of speakers in the inner tips of the “wings” deliver 100 Watts of sound with a dynamic equalizer that reacts to changes in speed and the associated wind and engine noise.

The flyline strikes an old-school pose with a 5.5-gallon fuel tank and deep-scoop seat that hints at the geometry of the old hardtails and earliest swingarm frames. The slammed seat height is 25.6 inches off the ground. That will be a comfort to riders both short and tall as it provides a lot of leverage and confidence at stops and during walking-speed/parking-lot maneuvers.

Stretched, hard-side bags provide secure dry storage, and the lack of a top case leaves the rear-end clean and entirely bagger-tastic. LED lights wrap it up and ensure that you are visible to rearward traffic.

Chassis

A cast-aluminum frame sets the stage and gives the Chieftain its classic lines, though, at a wet weight of 821 pounds, I doubt it does much to reduce the overall heft.

Steering geometry provides a lithe riding experience with a 25-degree rake angle and 5.9 inches of trail over a 65.7-inch wheelbase. This allows for a lean angle of 31 degrees to either side for a balance between eagerness in the corners and solid tracking in a crosswind.

Fat, 46 mm forks float the front end on 4.7 inches of travel. The forks are plain vanilla with fixed damping and preload values.

Out back, an air-adjustable monoshock takes care of business with a wide range of air-preload adjustments but nothing in the way of damping adjustments. It allows 4.5 inches of travel, which makes for a pretty plush ride.

Cast wheels round out the rolling chassis. They're lined with Dunlop Elite hoops in a 130/60-19 up front opposite a 180/60-16 to give the wheels a custom-style size offset.

The anchors are serious business with dual four-pot calipers that bite 300 mm front discs and a twin-piston caliper that grabs another 300 mm disc out back. ABS protection comes with the stock package.

2022 Indian Chieftain Price

The 2022 Indian Chieftain costs $22,499. It includes the Ride Command system with connected services as a complimentary two-year trial. After the trial period, a monthly subscription keeps it going.

Standard Equipment

-7" Touchscreen Display

-Power Windshield

-Vinyl Rogue Seat

-Selectable Ride Modes

-Rear Cylinder Deactivation

-ABS

-Cruise Control

-Keyless Ignition

-100 Watt Audio System with AM/FM, Bluetooth, USB, Smartphone Compatible Input, and Weatherband

Competitors

While there are several marques abroad that try to mimic the American style of baggering, none of them can match a true U.S.-made machine. I feel as though I have little choice but to go to Indian's main domestic competitor, the Harley-Davidson Motor Company for my Chieftain competitor, Harley's Street Glide.

Harley-Davidson Street Glide

Like Indian, the MoCo has its own deep roots to draw from for an air of authenticity that's impossible to fake. The Street Glide with its pared-down front fairing, visually-heavy front end, and clean rear end comes complete with lockable, hard-side saddlebags. The front fender is full-length with shortened sides, much like the Chieftain's, but is completely devoid of ornamentation to leave it looking clean and trim.

Indian's adjustable windshield has no match on the H-D, so Indian gains a potential edge in comfort. Harley's infotainment system matches Indian's Ride Command system point for point across the board, and this is another example of the American builders' superiority over the imported baggers.

The front forks are non-adjustable across the board, but H-D equips the Street Glide with Showa Dual Bending Valve stems that deliver a superior ride to plain vanilla. The emulsion-type rear shocks are arguably better than air shocks as they offer greater damping performance. The brakes are a wash as both marques send their rides out with stock ABS.

As far as electronics go, it's a mixed bag. Harley doesn't offer any kind of ride-quality controls with the stock package against Indian's Rear Cylinder Deactivation and Ride Modes features. However, for $995 extra, you can add the Reflex Defensive Rider System package that bundles traction control, ride modes, and cornering ABS to swing the pendulum hard the other way.

H-D powers the Street Glide with the Milwaukee-Eight 107 plant that cranks out 111 pound-feet of torque. This leaves the MoCo at a bit of a power deficit no matter which of the available Indian engines you choose. Sure, it's a slight difference, but an advantage for Indian all the same.

Neither marque uses price as a selling point, quite the contrary actually, so it's no surprise that the Street Glide fetches $22,499. Price won't be a deciding factor either way.

He Said

“Gotta' hand it to Indian. The brand rebounded under the Polaris umbrella, and it is emerging as a very real threat to the established H-D dominance. To be fair, the factory has its work cut out for it in order to answer Harley's RDRS bundle, but I imagine that efforts are already underway on that front.”

“If I had to pick a negative on the Chieftain, I'd say it's the price tag. As far as the bike-per-buck ratio goes, the imports are putting pressure on both.”

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “The Chieftain is a beautiful bike, no doubt about it. The ride is plush and power delivery is smooth no matter which engine you choose.”

“Prior to 2020, the 116 was available as a Big-Bore kit, so it's not new new. It was just new as a production engine when Indian offered it as an option in 2020”

“For either the Chieftain or the Chieftain Dark Horse with the ThunderStroke 116, it's a nice-looking engine with gobs of torque and roll-on no matter where you are in the rev range. If you want a thrill, definitely try it in 'Sport' mode. It'll make you giggle.”

Further Reading

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