America's oldest motorcycle manufacturer rolls into model-year 2022 with a new platform that pulls double duty as a celebration of the Chief's 100th anniversary; the Indian Super Chief. Old-school bagger style and homegrown custom details join to set this new machine apart from the pack. Available with and without ABS, the Super Chief is powered by the proven Thunder Stroke 111 plant. It comes shot in monochromatic paint schemes on the sheet metal with liberal blackout treatment everywhere else. The Super Chief is a rolling history lesson, and class is in.

2022 Indian Super Chief Design

The Indian Chief first saw light of day way back in the early 1920s and would go on to become one of the most significant models for the factory. It pays homage to the post WWI custom culture that was borne of returning vets who were exposed to the two-wheelers during the Great War, a culture that would be refreshed after nearly every modern war and for the same reasons.

“We wanted to capture a timeless look that never goes out of style, and looks beautiful whether naked or fully dressed,” says Ola Stenegard, Director, Industrial Design for Indian Motorcycle. “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.”} It’s a pure riding machine.”}

Toward that end the Super Chief puts its classic roots on blast with a heavily bobbed front fender between blackout fork sliders. The front end comes complete with beer can skirts, headlight housing, and windshield mullions in an equally dark finish that spreads throughout the front end, engine and nearly all points aft. Since the windshield is of the quick-connect variety, it can easily be removed or installed as you please.

The earliest baggers were home-custom machines with soft saddlebags and a windshield, and that's exactly what the Super Chief brings to the table. This is the essential tourbike with no wasted weight on fairings or any of that, just the minimal equipment. A stock pillion pad and flip-up footpegs accommodate a passenger so you can share the fun with a friend.

The factory did a good job of balancing the blackout with lots of chrome highlights that accentuate the build. Even the engine contributes with its faux cooling fins on the rocker box covers that imitates the look of the old flathead/sidevalve engines, which fits right in with its targeted era cooling fins on the rocker box covers that imitates the look of the old flathead/sidevalve engines, which fits right in with its targeted era}}. A bobbed rear fender finishes out the sheet metal and sports an LED lightbar for the taillight with a side-mount tagholder for one final custom touch.

2022 Indian Super Chief Chassis

In keeping with its dated style, the Super Chief comes built around a double-downtube/double-cradle frame that completely cups and supports the lump rather than using it as a stressed member. Welded steel tubing makes up the main frame section while the tail section is lightweight aluminum instead.

Another nod to the custom culture is found in the steering head that sets a relatively long rake angle of 29 degrees. As for the trail metric it measures in at 5.2-degrees once the 16-inch front hoop is factored in for rock-solid tracking in crosswinds, even at speed. The front forks are rather beefy with their 46 mm diameter and are made beefier yet with beer can fork skirts, and in this case, the black is not very slimming. Of course, the fat 130/90 front hoop contributes to the visual weight up front, as does the blackout rim with a 180/65 to round out the rolling chassis.

The rims, hubs, and spoke nuts are all black for a nice bit of contrast with the shiny spokes that lace them together. I gotta' say I'm surprised by the brakes, or the lackthereof as it were. A 739-pound wet weight is a lot of heft to control so the factory's decision to run a single front brake is definitely a point of contention. Sure, it has 300 mm discs front and back with a four-piston caliper ahead of a twin-pot anchor and ABS that will help you safely get the most out of the brakes, but it also comes in a non-ABS model that should be reserved for experienced riders. Even then, I wouldn't mind seeing a second binder up front. Just sayin'.

The only adjustment in the suspension is found in the obligatory variable preload feature out back along with three inches of suspension travel that'll tolerate fairly civilized roads but fall short when things get really rough.

2022 Indian Super Chief Drivetrain

Power comes from Indian's air-cooled Thunder Stroke 111 engine to the tune of 108 pound-feet of torque at a low 3,200 rpm. This helps the Super Chief jump out of the hole and gives it a solid roll-on just about anywhere in the rev range. The blackout treatment makes most of the mill fairly inconspicuous, but it also sets off the shiny bits at the polished cooling-fin edges and parallel pushrod tubes for a little low-key bling that accentuates its old-school looks.

A 101 mm bore and 113 mm stroke give it a displacement of 1,811 cc with a mild 9.5-to-1 compression ratio that may tolerate 87 octane fuel, but personally I'd run 89 octane just to be safe, especially if you plan on flogging it on the interstate. Induction control falls to a single 54 mm throttle body and the base Super Chief rolls with a Ride Modes feature that lets you dial in the power delivery to suit conditions and/or preference.

Power flows through a gear-type primary drive, a standard wet clutch, and a six-speed transmixxer before it heads to the rear wheel via a carbon-reinforced belt drive. The final drive ratio turns in a top speed of 115 mph at the redline in sixth gear.

2022 Indian Super Chief Price

The price varies depending on color and the optional ABS feature. At the bottom of the list is the non-ABS Super Chief in Black Metallic for $18,499. Next up the food chain is the Black Metallic package with ABS for $19,299, and at the top is the Pearl White sheet metal with ABS for $19,799.

2022 Indian Super Chief Competitors

Predictable as it may be, the most likely competition for any Indian model comes from the other domestic heavy, the Harley-Davidson Motor Company and its Heritage Classic.

Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic

As a Softail model, the frame geometry itself reaches back in time with its faux-rigid configuration and concurrent slope in the frames backbone. Fat laced wheels and generous blackout treatment are constants across the board, as is the old-school bagger look that's defined by the black baggage and large detachable windscreen complete with blackout bottom.

In a departure from the bobbed look of the Super Chief, the Heritage Classic carries full-size fenders complete with chrome piping and a scripted model badge for another historical connection to its own deep roots. H-D doesn't offer its entry in a non-ABS model, so you are obliged to ride with that particular safety net whether you need it or not. However, the MoCo lets you choose between its Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine with its 109 pound-feet of torque and the M8 114 that bumps the grunt up to 119 pounds, both of which max out at 3,000 rpm.

The Super Chief's paint is monochromatic across the board for its debut year, but ever the King of Paint, H-D has half-a-dozen packages from which to choose, and they all look damn good with prices from $18,999 through $19,749 depending on the package.

Read our full review of the Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic.

He Said

“This is an interesting model, and I would legit ride it like I stole it. The historical elements and custom touches come together to make the Super Chief worthy of its name and a suitable anniversary model, to be sure. I find it interesting that Indian is expanding its cruiser lineup at a time when H-D is shrinking their Softails and Sportster lines, and I can hardly wait to see how it all pans out for each marque.”

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “I love this look. The big cyclops headlight, windshield, bags, and no fairing is my cup o' tea. It's right up there with the Road King and the Moto Guzzi California Touring 1400. You expect cruising is effortless and the ride surprisingly nimble. I mean, it's Indian. They know how to make an elegant ride.”

2022 Indian Super Chief Specifications

Further Reading

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