First Look At the 2023 ​Indian Sport Chief Motorcycle - Video Review Included

On this sporty cruiser, handling, power, and styling come together.
The 2023 Sport Chief from Indian boasts a powerful engine, a fantastic stance, and a comfortable riding position.

The West Coast Trend, which was itself influenced by the resurgence of the Harley FXR in custom circles, is currently being embraced by sporty, well-handling cruisers like Harley-Low Davidson's Rider S. Indian has now entered the battle with the all-new Sport Chief, a motorcycle that is designed to push the recently revived Chief family into entirely new riding dynamics and handling realms.

Indian Motorcycle appears to have established itself in the market in a distinctive position. Indian is committed to preserving a split model line, with air-cooled bikes like the Chief models coexisting with liquid-cooled peers like the Scout, Challenger, and FTR, even though manufacturers are being compelled by current emissions laws, such Euro 5, to adopt liquid-cooled engines. The 49-degree 111ci and 116ci V-twin engines that drive the Chief lineup are thus largely unchanged from updates made a few years ago, but the Sport Chief, a new member of the family with a strong focus on handling and braking performance, fills the gap in the lineup (to compete with the Low Rider S).
On a metropolitan street, 2023 Indian Motorcycle Sport Chief motorcycles are parked side by side.
The Sport Chief has attractive style, but the intricacies are more amazing.

When you see the Sport in person, a few features immediately stick out. The stance, which is noticeable below the bobbed rear fender and has an inch more more rear suspension travel, must come first. A pair of Fox piggyback shocks that now provide 4 inches of rear-wheel travel are the offenders in this case, as you can see if you look a little closer. As you look at the front of the bike, you'll probably see a pair of four-piston Brembo brakes mounted radially and a pair of sizable 320mm rotors covering the 19-inch front wheel. Yet a closer look reveals that the inverted KYB fork was designed to combine with the rear suspension to provide better handling and greater lean-angle clearance than the other Chief models.

In addition to being quite comfortable, the saddle's height is set at 27 inches.


While a 6-inch handlebar riser and quarter fairing give the Sport that West Coast look we alluded to earlier and provide benefits that eventually pay off after you've been in the saddle for a while, mid-mount foot controls really help the rider utilize the Sport's newfound agility and put the rider in a pretty sweet riding position.
A excellent chassis and mid-mount foot controls work together to deliver lively handling and riding qualities.

The 4-inch TFT display, which is covered by a spherical analog-shaped shell and has key-less ignition as standard, illuminates when you turn on the bike. The Standard ride mode was chosen from the three available choices (there are also Sport and Tour settings) to get a feel for the bike.

Before leaving for the countryside, we slithered through Austin's downtown streets, which, like many cities, are littered with potholes and bad pavement. The Sport's extra rear travel begins to pay off right immediately, preventing a spine-tingling shock when the back end eventually encounters those urban craters.

The only way to cruise with sports intents is on a mid-mount-control cruiser, and it takes some practice to learn where to put your feet when you stop moving. The combination of the seat, handlebar, and foot-pegs, as well as how they relate to one another, makes for a very comfortable riding position. My legs bent almost exactly 90 degrees at the mid-mount controls, and a tiny forward lean was caused by the handlebars. My lower back was pleased and joyful even after spending a long day on the saddle doing a range of different types of riding. Simply said, feet-forward cruisers don't offer the same level of comfort.
Indian Motorcycle Sport Chief speeding up on a mountain highway in 2023
The normal height windscreen offers excellent wind protection when driving on the highway.

The stock height quarter fairing offers just the proper amount of wind protection for my 5-foot, 11-inch frame once I'm on the interstate and open roads. The air passed over my helmet without any discernible buffeting and removed any airflow from my upper body, thus reducing the exhaustion that is so typical of unfair cruisers. Prior to entering the curves, it was clear that the Sport's new geometry, which has a degree less rake at 28 compared to the Dark Horse and barely an inch less trail with 4.4 inches, is a nice compromise between agility and stability. This is true even though the Sport has a slightly longer 64.6-inch wheelbase than the Dark Horse's 64.0-inch wheelbase. Details of the Indian Motorcycle Sport

The bike's stated 29.5 degrees of lean seems appropriate for a cruiser, but you undoubtedly wish for a little bit more. You can get a little bit more by letting the peg fold up an additional inch or so while letting go of your foot, but be aware that you are reaching the limit.  Fox piggyback shocks offer a comfortable ride, but we'd really want to try the optional, fully adjustable ones.

The optional Fox accessory units offer rebound and compression damping in addition to preload, as the pair of Fox rear shocks provide a really plush ride. The shock was only partially able to keep the rear composed while striking G-outs in the road when we increased the speed to a more un-cruiser like level, allowing the rear to pump and bounce a little bit too much. The fork, on the other hand, seemed to be handling the chassis very admirably. Even while the Sport's chassis might need more dampening, it is still very composed and never looks afraid when the pace picks up, so it is disappointing when the foot-pegs are rapidly etching arc-shaped perforations into the pavement.
On an upside-down KYB fork, top-tier Brembo radial-mount brakes with massive 320mm rotors are mounted.


The Brembo brakes are another component of the chassis that completely performs. They provided solid stopping power and dependable feel throughout the day. They may not have the same sport bike Brembo feel at the lever as, say, a Ducati, but given that they are responsible for slowing down a 685-pound Harley being driven by a jackass who believes it is a naked bike or sport bike, they are pretty difficult to criticize.

The rolling stock, which consists of 19 by 3.5-inch front and 16 by 5.0-inch rear contrast-cut wheels covered in Pirelli Night Dragon rubber in 130/60-19 and 180/65-16 sizes, also aids in the handling of the Sport. As previously said, the rear isn't too broad to limit the bike's agility, allowing the bike to feel quite neutral in terms of turn-in and mid-corner stability. At a sports pace, grip was never in doubt.
Indian Motorcycle Sport Chief's left corner is cocked on a steep road in 2023.
The handling of the Sport is helped by the high caliber of the rolling stock. The 19-inch front and 16-inch rear contrast-cut wheels are mounted with Pirelli Night Dragon tires that are calibrated to the chassis.

It was a good chance to test out the optional 10-inch handlebar risers, a few different windscreen options, and bikes with various air-filter/intake kits as we had some accessorized bikes available. Regarding the 4-inch-taller riser, it significantly changes how the seating position feels but, fortunately, doesn't significantly alter how the bike behaves. The only thing that did change was how the rider's hands felt the engine's vibrations being increased. The engine's vibrations, which seem to start accumulating around 2,800 rpm and last until 3,500 rpm when traveling at regular cruising speeds in fourth or fifth gears, are not overly bothersome when using the usual 6-inch riser. They are perceptible but not overpowering. That was much more noticeable with the higher configuration, necessitating another up-shift to get it out of that rpm zone. The styling may be worth the fine for certain people, but that's truly up for debate.

The typical bar and windscreen setup is stylish and, in all honesty, positioned at the perfect height for comfort. It's wonderful that there is a taller windscreen installed to cover the additional 4 inches of riser, but the standard-height unit already offers excellent protection; there is also a shorter version, so it really depends on the rider's desire.
Riding an Indian Motorcycle Sport Chief on a steep road in 2023
The small windscreen and auxiliary intake kit were features of this customized bike.


We've gotten fairly far into this review without really discussing the engine, so let's do that now.

The Sport Chief's engine is a carryover, and the chassis is unquestionably its main selling point. The Sport Chief comes standard with the enormous 116ci (1,890cc) air-cooled four-valve 49-degree V-twin, while the base model Chief and the Chief Bobber must make do with the 111ci Thunderstroke. It is nothing to laugh at that Indian states the engine's max torque is 120 lb.-ft. The Thunderstroke 116 offers tremendous bottom-end torque for driving around town and pulling away from stops, enabling you to short-shift for an ultra-relaxing ride. It takes a little patience to avoid feeling chucky and industrial while shifting through the six-speed gearbox, but overall it has a smooth and predictable clutch feel. As previously indicated, the engine does experience some vibration if you keep it running at 3,000 rpm or above, but otherwise it offers a lot of character and accessible torque across a wide range of rpm.
Details of the 2023 Indian Motorcycle Sport Chief's right side engine
The 116ci Thunderstroke V-twin from Indian is the Sport Chief's standard engine. Peak torque of 120 lb-ft is the claimed output.

The Chief engines from Indian offer ride-by-wire throttle control and provide excellent fueling over the entire range. The three aforementioned ride modes as well as cruise control are included with that throttle control.

The right side exhaust headers can become fairly hot when you're not moving, so adding another heat source under your butt would only make the problem worse. Hence, turning into a "single" at pauses, which is represented by a symbol at the bottom of the TFT, seemed to significantly reduce the heat.
Details of the 2023 Indian Motorcycle Sport Chief 4 inch TFT display
A 4-inch TFT display powered by Ride Command is concealed behind a spherical vintage-styled gauge.


The TFT display's interaction is well thought out, with reasonable menu navigation to access the majority of bike-related settings such modes and a few various viewpoints the rider can select for the information being displayed while they are moving. Ride Command, which offers turn-by-turn directions as well as numerous weather and traffic overlays, is included with the Sport. It takes some time to get used to the little screen and slightly slow processing while entering navigational information, but it works once you do. There is also a USB outlet for charging your smartphone, and Bluetooth connectivity with the bike allows for phone and audio connectivity (for helmet-mounted devices). The Sport has full LED lighting, including the headlight and combined taillight/turn signals, even though we were unable to ride at night.
2023 Indian Motorcycle Sport Chief turning right on a mountain road with a lean
Brake and turn signal combination lights are added to an LED headlamp.


It's puzzling why bikes like the Sport Chief didn't gain widespread acceptance decades ago. It's challenging to criticize the handling, power delivery, and aesthetics of this bike. When considering lightweight cruisers without baggage, it's genuinely pleasurable in a variety of circumstances. Also, unless you buy in the used market, if you prefer air-cooled engines in your cruisers, your options are getting fewer and farther between. In the short term, at least, it appears that Indian is committed to the Thunderstroke platform.

The Sport Chief is offered in four colors: Black Smoke ($18,999), Ruby Smoke ($19,499), Stealth Gray Icon ($19,499), and Spirit Blue Smoke ($19,999). It will begin to appear at dealerships in March.

The Sport Chief significantly expands the area in which the rider is willing to roam, whereas the majority of normal cruisers are actually one-trick ponies that don't relish leaving the home stable. The variety of roads that cruisers can enjoyably travel on is also expanded upon. The sporty and neutral riding position makes doing so all day easy and pleasant. A well-handling chassis welcomes you to take curves at a lively pace.