In 2016, Indian Motorcycles and Jack Daniels, two legendary American brands joined forces to commemorate JD’s 150th anniversary of the Jack Daniel Distillery, which was registered in 1866. This occasion led to Indian Motorcycles building a very limited number of the Jack Daniel’s Indian Chief Vintage, and the Scout motorcycle models, all of which were sold barely under 8 hours within the launch.

For 2020, the same stalwarts came together again to produce yet another limited edition of the iconic spin-off of the sumptuousness Indian Springfield Dark Horse. Limited to 177 examples, this Springfield gets reworked by Klock Werks Kustom Cycles and is themed after JD’s high- baller, the Jack Daniel’s Single Bar Select.

STYLING

The Indian Springfield Dark Horse was already a heavily kitted version of its stablemate, the Chief Dark Horse. It still carries the Hiawatha headlamp and nacelle born in the 1960s', a time when chrome ruled the streets. Except there isn’t any chrome there now. What you get is a dark themed warrior, now even more special with the custom paintjob.

An extraordinary Heavy Metal Crystal & Thunder Black Vivid Crystal paint job sees a Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select logo with engraved rider and passenger floorboards. The saddlebag hinges and the tank badge gets a wood grain finish. Apart from this, there are is a place on the front fender that reads Jack Daniel’s “Bottles and Throttles Don’t Mix” mantra. A one-of-a-kind Montana Silversmith badge engraved with each bike's unique number (#001-#177) is slapped on the side. The paintjob boasts premium gloss black finishes on the engine’s primary, valve, and cam covers, push-rod tubes, as well as on the exhaust and saddlebag hinges.

At the front, the fenders expose the custom machined 19” wheels, which offer a nod to the Indian’s open fenders of the 20s’ and 30s’ era. These are some of the fanciest set of wheels I’ve seen tethered onto a dresser ever. This custom job also includes a premium leather gunfighter seat, tank strap, 12” ape-hanger handlebar, quick release tinted flare windscreen, and more.

Flanked at the front are the black fog lamps to match the humongous Hiawatha. This time, the machine will also receive remote-locking saddlebags, keyless ignition, and tire pressure monitoring as standard. The dash includes a central analog-digital unit along with a smaller analog fuel meter. The instrumentation also gets a black treatment along with the fuel cap. The saddlebags themselves will carry 22 lbs each and can be unmounted with a quick-release lever.

POWERTRAIN

Indian has kept the old-school charm for this engine layout with its valvetrain geometry, head construction, and valve-cover design. But don’t get fooled because the inside story is an out-and-out modern mill.

Designed from the ground up, the Thunder Stroke 116 engine does the job with its 1900cc 490 V-Twin capable of belting out 82 hp of power and 126 lb.ft of torque. Enough torque to tear apart the tarmac and accelerate without breaking a sweat in every situation. It is both oil and air-cooled and operates pretty smooth compared to the heavy throbbers around.

Indian has equipped this motor with Rear Cylinder Deactivation. This technology automatically deactivates the rear cylinder when the bike is at a standstill, resulting in less engine heat for improved comfort in slow-moving or stopped traffic. The rear cylinder instantly reactivates when the throttle is applied for a seamless transition to full power.

The engine breathes through a 54 mm throttle body and transmits power to a 6-speed gearbox through throttle-by-wire and a cable-actuated clutch having a relatively light pull. Power, like in all Indians, is always on tap and is delivered to the rear wheel via a belt-driven system. The forward foot controls are available on floorboard operations like the Springfield.

The transmission is set on the right-hand side of the right cam cover and multi-directional finned valve covers. You can even notice the downward-firing exhaust outlets of the Six-Shooter that makes the Dark Horse roar like the God of Thunder.

Engine Specification

RIDE AND HANDLING

Known for cruising comforts, the Springfield gets a well-supported premium genuine leather solo saddle, which will give you enough cushioning to ride on forever and not break your back. The seat is also positioned lower than many cruisers to accommodate shorter riders and make them feel like stars. The floorboard will provide you with enough room to rest your feet the way you like to. The low slung stance can call for scraping the underbelly every time though.

The Dark Horse just falls into easy turns, but hairpins and u-turns can be quite tricky for those not used to the bike’s size or weight. 790 lbs of meat this one. The steering geometry of a 25-degree rake is engineered into a way to deliver responsive handling in any situation. The cast aluminum frame is lightweight yet exceptionally strong and provides the rider with excellent low-speed handling and confidence-inspiring stability on the highways.

Suspension leverages are carried out by large 46 mm forks float the front end having 119 mm of travel, and the single rear pneumatic shock can be adjusted for load or preference with 114 mm of travel. To halt this 790 lbs monster, you need heavy performers, and hence dual four-pot calipers bind the front 300mm brake discs, and a twin-pot caliper binds the rear 300mm disc. ABS will come as standard, knowing which you can brake under control in any situation.

Cruise control comes as a standard feature too. New features include three ride modes (Tour, Standard or Sport) – selectable on the fly.

Chassis Specifications

PRICE

Every buyer gets a wooden Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel bottle display unit made out of the same oak barrels used to age Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select, padded with the same genuine leather as the motorcycle's seat. Each gift will be custom made and engraved with the owner’s name, motorcycle number (#001-#177), and VIN.

All of this for a price tag of $36,999. They come with a two-year unlimited mileage factory warranty and free membership in the Indian Motorcycle Riders Group for one year. Unfortunately, however, all 177 units have been sold.

COMPETITION

Coming from the same country once habited by the Red Indians is another touring brand, Harley Davidson. Synonymous with the Classic is the Road King. It is the ultimate retro-vintage bagger, turning heads with its classic styling and iconic panache. Whitewalls, spoked wheels, train-ish headlights, and leather-bound saddlebag inserts. This is not a new meaning for ‘retro’, but it is very much the retro.

Harley-Davidson Road King

Longtime fans of the brand will recognize the influence of the old Duo-Glide circa 1958 and the FLH models that came after. The Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine boasts of 94 bhp @ 5000 rpm of peak power and 111.4 pound-feet of torque at 3,250 rpm of torque enough to get you to a 60 mph faster than ever before.

With the launch of the new Milwaukee Eight, Harley equipped their machines with a totally new re-engineered dual bending valve with beefy Showa Dual Bending Valve front forks front and rear suspension with easily-adjustable emulsion shocks. The rear abandons the air-adjustment shocks for the conventional spring-loaded, which can be adjusted with just a turn of a knob, and bigger pins will give improved damping performance. Braking duties are given to Reflex linked brakes with ABS that turns a locked-up front wheel or a rear wheel skid into a relic from riding’s history.

FINAL THOUGHTS

America’s first motorcycle company and America’s first registered distillery have once again teamed up to bring us a legendary makeover to a bike that is a beautiful factory custom dresser packed between two wheels. This is a celebration of American craftsmanship that expresses the mutual commitment to independence, originality, and ingenuity of both the brands.

In a world where the likes of the Harley brand have domination of the custom bagger arena, this Springfield Dark Horse exudes quality, and as a result, poses the most serious threat and comes out as a winner of a battle.

This swagger of a machine is for Horsemen, who ride solo without any inhibitions. The motorcycle, although designed to be a reminder of a compelling spiritual presence of a vintage era, takes on the vile of hell and gets high on it. The decidedly retro looks will seamlessly fit into the lookout of a niche clientele wanting to splurge on something of a personified saga.