AMERICANRIDER. COM MARCH 2026 | 29
The buckhorn handlebar, solo seat, and footboards create a laidback riding position.
HELMET
: ARAI CLASSIC-V JACKET: HIGHWAY 21 PRIMER AIRBAG VEST: ALPINESTARS TECH-AIR 5 PLASMA GLOVES: HIGHWAY 21 JAB PERFORATED PANTS: CORTECH AA DYNEEMA JEANS BOOTS: INDIAN SPIRIT LAKE X RED WING
Stenegärd said that his team had this new Vintage in mind when they redesigned the Chief. They wanted to move away from the previous model’ s heavy use of chrome and do away with its whitewall tires and brown leather two- up seat and saddlebags accented with fringe and conchos. In Stenegärd’ s words, they wanted it to be“ less retro and more classic.”
Rather than just slapping some valanced fenders on the standard Chief
and calling it day, Stenegärd and his team put a lot of work into getting the stance and proportions right. Even in the current era of computer- aided design and rapid prototyping, that meant long hours in the studio shaping the fenders using modeling clay, a technique that has been around since the 1930s and is preferred when dealing with complex, organic curves. In terms of proportions, the standard Chief has a 180mm rear tire, but it didn’ t look right on the Chief Vintage. The designers went with a narrower 150mm rear, which allowed the rear fender to be narrower, reducing its visual mass and hewing closer to the period aesthetic.
Other classic touches abound. Fender tips. Footboards. An illuminated headdress ornament. Covers on the forks and rear shocks. A vintage- style pullback handlebar. A solo seat. Black finishes on the engine with silver- painted pushrod tubes and cylinder heads, the latter resembling the aluminum heads used on early Chiefs. Although I would have loved to see the Chief Vintage offered in Tangerine like the 1953 Chief, color options are limited to Black Metallic and Indian Motorcycle Red.
It was a cool but sunny morning when our eclectic group of journalists, YouTubers, and influencers filed out of the hotel to find a line of Chief Vintages
Black Metallic in stock trim and Indian Motorcycle Red shown with accessories.