Indian Motorcycle unveils two new Chieftain cruisers

Two new iterations of Indian Chieftain unveiled. Both share the underpinnings of the Chieftain range but sport some cosmetic changes and feature updates

Indian Motorcycle has taken the wraps of two new iterations of the Chieftain range – Chieftain Elite and Chieftain Limited. Unlike what the name suggests, the Chieftain Limited is a mass production offering while the Chieftain Elite will be limited to just 350 units globally.

These two machines differentiate themselves more in terms of cosmetics than mechanicals. The Chieftain Elite as well as the Chieftain Limited feature larger 19-inch wheels up front with new 10-spoke alloy wheels. At the back, they continue to sit on 16-wheels, of course with a matching alloy wheel design. The front fender has been chopped which now exposes the dual floating 300mm callipers giving it a much more muscular appeal. The saddle has been made narrower too.

Unlike the regular Chieftain, the limited-edition Chieftain Elite sets itself apart with the beautiful Fireglow Red Candy colour with marble accents. This paint job is done by hand at Indian Motorcycle’s paint facility in Spearfish, South Dakota. The American Cruiser manufacturer says each bike takes more than 25 hours just to be painted and considering that they aren’t machine painted, no two bikes are the same. Aside from the elegant paint job, the Chief Elite also comes fitted with LED lighting and machined chrome floorboards, something that the Chief Limited misses out on. The Chief Elite also comes standard with a clear flare powered windshield and a 200 Watt stereo system. The Chief Limited makes do with a standard 100 Watt unit.

At the heart, both these motorcycles continue to sport the same Thunderstroke 111 V-twin that displaces 1,811cc that makes max torque of 161Nm at 3,000rpm. This engine comes mated to a 6-speed transmission. Braking duties are performed by dual 300mm floating rotors with a 4-piston calliper up front and a single 300mm floating rotor with a 2-piston calliper.

In the global market the Indian Cheftain Elite has been priced at $ 31,499 Rs 20.46 lakhs) while the Chief Limited carries a price tag of $24,499 (Rs 5.91 lakhs).