Indian Motorcycle introduced the new Indian Sport Chief for its 2023 cruiser lineup. This new addition fits neatly among the Indian Chief, Chief Bobber, and Super Chief and bears a styling described by the brand as “the most aggressive” design to date.
This new aggressive design language comes courtesy of a stance focused more on providing handling for the otherwise cruiser motorcycle. While it shares the same single-tube steel frame with an aluminum subframe as the Chief Dark Horse, the Indian Sport Chief has an extended wheelbase and one-inch higher seat height.
The 2023 Indian Sport Chief’s aggressive styling and handling capability are partly thanks to its new mid-mounted foot controls, mono-style handlebars, and longer shocks. The bike’s tailored stance is further achieved with a 43mm KYB inverted fork angled at 28 degrees and 4.4 inches of trail. Suspension is handled by a set of rear piggyback preload adjustable Fox shocks said to increase the Sport Chief’s travel by an inch. Braking is tasked to Brembo with dual discs at the front and a single 300mm disc at the rear and both 19/16-inch wheels are wrapped in Pirelli Night Dragon tires.
The 2023 Indian Sport Chief heartbeat dwells from its 1,890cc Thunderstroke 116 engine. This air-cooled engine produces a healthy 120 lb.-ft of torque. Standard features include LED lighting, keyless ignition, cruise control, rear-cylinder deactivation, and throttle-by-wire. In addition to a four-inch touchscreen display providing turn-by-turn navigation and access to the Indian Sport Chief’s three riding modes: Sport, Standard, and Tour.
The new 2023 Indian Sport Chief arrives at local US and Canada dealers by March of this year, wearing one of four available colors: Black Smoke, Ruby Smoke, Stealth Gray, and Spirit Blue Smoke.
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