First Ride: On the Road With the Iconic Indian Chief Vintage

The Indian Chief Vintage at Rs 29.00 Lakhs is the most desirable cruiser in India. Here’s why.

It’s not every day that one gets to meet a legend.

And when that legend is the Indian Chief Vintage – chrome-laden, leather-bound, war veteran extraordinaire – you ought to be left dazed.

Once the ride begins, it’s nothing like you’ve ever got your hands on.

The Vintage is the perfect mix of old world charm, and everything a seasoned rider can dream of – this motorcycle is not for the faint hearted.

At the heart of the Vintage is what Indian Motorcycles calls the Thunder Stroke 111 engine.

And this V-Twin beauty, fed by electronic fuel injection, puts out 161Nm of peak torque, giving you an average of around 20 km/litre. That’s definitely not bad considering the fact that the Vintage has a dry weight of around 364 kg.

The Chief Vintage is a ‘soft bagger’ motorcycle.

And those beautifully elegant fenders have been an Indian Motorcycles trademark since the 1940s. The same goes for the legendary ‘Indian’ badging on the 20.8 litre fuel tank.

But after Polaris took over the company, Indian Motorcycles has turned around. The old world charm and the legacy has, of course, been retained, but nuanced technological upgrades have been brought in to keep up with the times.

So, in a balanced blend of modern technology and traditional styling, the Vintage now gets key-less entry as a safety feature, classically designed instrumentation – a large, easy-to-read analogue speedometer on the tank-mounted console – and a digital display screen that provides a wealth of useful ride and fuel data.

When you look at the Indian Chief Vintage from the front, you can’t miss the legendary ‘War Bonnet’. But despite all that chrome, the Vintage comes equipped with a dual exhaust, ABS and cruise control.

And the genuine leather saddlebags provide ample space to store supplies for long distance runs; you can take everything from your neighbour’s spaniel to food, and even fuel.

There’s also the removable windshield which, in case you want to feel the breeze, can be removed using a deftly designed quick release button.

The Indian Chief Vintage comes with a hefty price tag of Rs. 29,50,000 (ex-showroom). So if you have the capacity to spend that kind of money to just ride into the sunset, we suggest you pick one up soon.