Well, that didn’t take long.
In a few days, the Indian Chief Dark Horse went from being a rumored model spotted in a CARB document, to officially announced in an upcoming ride (this week), to having spy shots released early.
Those photos, which ran on Asphalt & Rubber (thanks to good guy Jensen Beeler for letting us run them), show what we all expected – a blacked-out cruiser that follows the pattern set by so many other motorcycle manufacturers in recent years. We reckon the reason for the gratuitous coating of black paint is to keep costs down, but maybe some people actually like this look.
Although Polaris subsidiary Indian had first come to market with bikes featuring throwback lines and classic paint and styling, this model is the first sign of a more realistic vision: Not every rider wants tasseled leather and whitewall tires. Also, no custom builder feels like paying top dollar for retro geegaws and then having to throw them away.
So, the Dark Horse might not have the same impact as Indian’s first releases. However, it is a sign of things to come – it seems Indian will be around a while, and models like this will be an important part of their lineup.
And maybe, much like the Yamaha Bolt and Kawasaki VulcanS, there will be a big accessory catalogue to go with ?
And don’t forget the T-shirts. What self-respecting person buys a motorcycle without buying the accompanying T-shirt?
Really, though, it’s not quite fair to make fun of these bikes. Accessory catalogues have been around almost as long as motorcycles, I reckon. I have some old bike mags from the 60s and the stuff available then was much more wild than the stuff you see now!