This Chief Dons A Cowl Of Sportiness

The cruiser segment is witnessing a paradigm shift, wherein the segment is no longer about cruising and chilled-out riding. And embracing this change is the Indian Sport Chief – the newest member of the American cruiser giant and the sportiest avatar of its Chief lineup.

What makes the Indian Sport Chief’s intentions clear is the new headlight cowl with vents on either side and a smoked visor. And though this is the biggest factor that sets it apart from the standard Chief, the real changes are behind the cowl.

Firstly, to give the rider a more commanding posture, Indian Motorcycle has now used a flatter handlebar that now rests on six-inch risers. And complemented the new handlebar setup is the upgraded suspension components, which include 43mm KYB USD fork with 130mm travel and Fox dual shocks with 100mm travel. For reference, the standard Chief gets a telescopic fork with the same amount of travel as the Sport; however, the Fox shocks get 25mm more travel.

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And completing the sporty package is the new Brembo brake setup, with twin 320mm discs up front and a single 300mm disc at the rear. The 19/16-inch wheel setup remains the same as the standard Chief model.

The Indian Sport Chief packs the same 1890cc, air-cooled, v-twin engine from the other Chief models. And though Indian Motorcycle has not revealed the performance figures, the Sport is 7kg heavier than the standard Chief, tipping the scales at 311kg.

Indian Motorcycle has priced the Indian Sport Chief at USD 18,999, which translates to roughly Rs 15.72 lakh. But is it coming to India? We don’t think so. But if you are on a lookout for a sporty cruiser, the Harley-Davidson Sportster fits the bill perfectly.