Road Test Review: Indian Chief Dark Horse – The Darker Side of Cruisers

The Pros: Classy and elegant looks, good ergonomics, quick and agile. The ride quality is enhanced by Dunlop Elite 16-inch tyres.

The Cons: Maneuvering through city is quite tricky.

The Crux: The bike performs well and offers smooth and comfortable ride quality. If price is not an issue and you like high-end cruiser, then it is meant for you.

It is rarely witnessed that the new member of the family carries the bloodline forward, with the same hostility, rage, appearance and classiness. When a member of the family carries an opulent background behind the name then all the efforts becomes very simple, something that work as a free pass everywhere, something that will open the ways outright precisely when on the road, and viewers can’t lose the eye contact until it disappears in the deep mob of wheels. It is added to the divine trinity of “Tall, Dark and Handsome” with a dash of chrome along with a power of barrage and it is simply clear that you found the correct method for creating a history, which won’t look out of place in a family that comes to an end soon after the World War II, and then arise again to become huge and powerful.

This motorcycle is a new member from the Indian family, which we are speaking about and even though the motorcycle wasn’t a revived Indian model when it first came out years ago, the bike doesn’t seem out of the place, when you look into the family photographs. Still, if you haven’t judged it yet, we are enunciating about the Chief Dark Horse indeed.

The name belongs to whom, who isn’t supposed to win the race but comes out of the blue from back to the top spot. Indian Dark Horse is really an Indian Chief Classic – in the absence of the overload of chrome and overuse of black on it. The bike appears pretty, as pretty as you see any human in shades of black, it is stylish and exceptionally classy. The stable use of chrome makes it exquisite lady to the party who has grown up wisely and mature over the years. This bike can create the chances of accidents on the road, just because it snatch too much of awareness, not only the way it sounds but the way it looks. 

Design and Features: The Indian Chief Dark Horse comes with all the features that provides the Chief Classic its characteristics, i.e., both huge fenders, front and rear that almost covered the wheels of the Dark Horse. The headlamp, the handlebar mounts and the front fork mounts are hidden under the front cowl. They're matte finished huge tank features the instrument cluster, and one faux fuel lid along with one genuine one on the other side. It has a leather seat which is well-padded and offers you a high-level of comfortness during the longest of the journeys which is supported by the huge 20.8 litres fuel tank. The wide seat of the motorcycle with horizontal and  big hassock offers you a comfortable riding position as soon as you are in control of the bike.

It is offered with a contactless key which works very well when you are in a range of 10 feet from the bike. This heavyweight bike comes to action with a shout when you press the start button on the switchgear. The beat which it creates are high and can be very well eminent from the sounds of the locality. With the total body, the bike comes to an action with low vibrations and the Indian sign sitting proudly on the front mudguard shine with joy and honour.

Engine and Performance: It has a 1811 cc Thunder Stroke engine with two cylinders which are angled to each other at 49-degree. The huge pumps of the starter motor followed by engine sigh out of exhaust is something to witness. It is furnished with a huge body and has a kerb weight of 375 kg which is not able to hold the bike to going so fast. It develops a peak torque of 138.9 Nm at 3000 rpm and just shoots forward like a freefall from space.

It has a big engine that comes linked to a 6-speed gearbox which throws the power to the rear wheel by final belt drive. Its engine is pretty relaxed all the time and it can cruise at 160 km/h easily, I achieved as 196 km/h which is the top speed. Maneuvering via city traffic can be little tricky during first few days of riding. It takes a lots of planning and energy to duck the potholes, the bike loves to go on straight in line, making a change in the direction like requesting a rock to change its place. It completes your request, but you have to put all of your energy to make this happen.

Ride and Handling: The ride quality of the bike is improved by Dunlop Elite 16-inch tyres that does their job very well. It is equipped with cruise control characteristics, which makes it work well during the never ending stretches. Some information on the cluster such as the gear position, fuel average, trip meter, tachometer can be converted on the small LCD with a simply press of the button on the switchgear. It also features a telescopic fork in the front and single rear shock absorber which is unseen somewhere behind the fender.

The braking duties are carried by a dual disc of 300mm in the front with four piston calliper and single disc in the rear of same size and double piston caliper. Giants like this do not stop easily, but the ABS makes it less scary during sudden braking conditions.

Verdict: At the end, the Indian Chief Dark Horse is a cruiser machine with a different stance and personality. It provides you all acknowledgement that you're looking for. It is priced at Rs. 21.99 lac ex-showroom, Delhi. This is not a cheap amount but it is the cheapest price of the Indian Chief line-up. Good things do come at a price and this is no different!