AMERICANRIDER. COM
MARCH 2026 | 27
By GREG DREVENSTEDT Photos by GARTH MILAN
Indian goes back to the future with its 2026 Chief Vintage, which draws inspiration from 1940s-era Chiefs. Nearly all of the trim is black, and it’ s powered by the air-cooled Thunderstroke 116.
Few motorcycles are as instantly identifiable as a classic Indian Chief. From a block away or up close, you know exactly what you’ re looking at. Although Chiefs were built from 1922 until the Springfield, Massachusetts- based manufacturer ceased production in 1953, it’ s the 1940 Chief that introduced the skirted fenders that are so iconic and recognizable.
Revivals of Indian, including motorcycles built in Gilroy, California, from 1999- 2003 and Kings Mountain, North Carolina, from 2006- 2011, leaned heavily on traditional Chief styling: skirted fenders, an illuminated Indian headdress ornament on the front fender, spoked wheels, and liberal uses of leather fringe, chrome conchos, and Indian script badging.
The third and most significant revival of Indian started in 2011, when Minnesota- based Polaris Inc. bought the rights to the brand. When Indian Motorcycle was relaunched at the Sturgis Rally in August 2013, three models were unveiled: Chief Classic, Chief Vintage, and Chieftain. All were powered by the air- cooled Thunderstroke 111, which had been shown at Daytona Bike Week earlier that year, and all shared a styling throughline that went back to the 1940 Chief.
Fast forward to the present. Indian Motorcycle is kicking off 2026 – the 125th anniversary of the brand – under new ownership and with a new CEO. Over the past 13 years, Indian has expanded its lineup from those first three Chiefs to more than two dozen models across its Cruiser, Bagger, and Touring families. It has also moved away from the traditional styling that defined earlier iterations of the brand. To better compete head- to- head with Harley- Davidson, Indian has adopted design language that is more modern, muscular, and inspired by the custom scene.