AMERICANRIDER. COM MARCH 2026 | 31 on and off the power as needed to negotiate the curves and slippery surfaces.
After some photo passes, we made our way to the Pacific Coast Highway and cruised north. With my boots on the footboards and my gloves gripping the pullback handlebar, I felt at ease, almost graceful, as we rumbled along the wide boulevard. The ride quality was good, the air was salty and clean, and all felt right with the world.
Turning onto Encinal Canyon Road, known for its fast, sweeping corners, the lead rider’ s pace quickened, and we gave chase. As the old saying goes, one bike is a ride, two bikes is a race. Hitting big dips bounced me out of the seat a few times, limited cornering clearance necessitated wide lines through corners, and hard braking put the single front caliper to the test, but our fast- moving train of Chief Vintages would have put a smile on the face of old Gene Thompson( Contributing Editor Eric Trow’ s grandfather, who used to race Indians).
America’ s Big Two motorcycle brands – Indian and Harley- Davidson – do their best to outdo each other in terms of heritage and history, racing and red- blooded authenticity. Indian was founded first and grew to become the largest motorcycle company in
A narrow rear tire was key to getting the Chief Vintage’ s proportions right.
the world but faltered after World War II. Harley- Davidson was founded a couple of years after Indian and survived throughout the 20th century and into the 21st, but not without its struggles and stumbles. Both are forging new paths into the future while trying to stay true to the past. With the Chief Vintage, Indian is paying homage to its glory days, when the Wigwam was going strong and its engineers created one of the most iconic silhouettes in all of motorcycling. It’ s a pleasure to look at and a pleasure to ride.
Riding the Chief Vintage is like taking a trip back in time, minus the headaches of owning and operating a classic Chief. Cruising down the coast at sunset never felt so good.