Indian Motorcycle Celebrates With the 2021 Chieftain Elite

You cannot talk about the American motorcycle experience and not mention Indian Motorcycle. Sure, Harley-Davidson gets all the play, but Indian claims an earlier launch date, and until the middle of the 20th century, it was the brand to which to aspire.

On Wednesday, it marked its 120th anniversary with the launch of the ultra-exclusive 2021 Indian Chieftain Elite. Conceived specifically to mark the milestone, only 120 Chieftain Elites will be built for the global market. The bike is bedecked with special, Chieftain Elite-only styling touches, more power, and the intangible quality of knowing you’re not likely to ever see someone on the same bike.

The Chieftain Elite rolls off the line with 126 pound-feet torque under your right wrist. It also comes stock with Indian’s version of parent company Polaris’ 7-inch Ride Command infotainment screen. That means you get Apple CarPlay powering a 400-watt PowerBand audio system.

Getting your hands on one won’t be inexpensive, but the price isn’t out of line with other baggers on the market at $34,999, or $42,999 CAD, to start. Styling cues include special Black Vivid Crystal over Carbon Crystal paint, set off with color-matched badging. The Thunderstroke 116 V-twin gets a special Slate Smoke finish to round out the livery.

That paint job isn’t some machine-applied palette either. Indian says each bike’s paint process takes more than 24 hours to finish. The Chieftain Elite’s special bodywork is wrapped around lowered suspension, and a special, 19-inch forged front wheel carries on the custom theme.

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Matching the go with the show, Indian will sell you Stage 1 and Stage 2 performance accessories to deepen the V-twin’s engine note and make it faster. Stage 1 accessories include exhaust header pipes and a muffler, as well as two options to open up the intake. With Stage 1 intake and exhaust mods, you could see as much as an 8 percent power gain. Stage 2 takes that further, opening the engine to add performance cams to the mix.

If you’re happy with the Thunderstroke’s stock output, Indian has developed a laundry list of bags, sissy bars, handlebars, backrests, and a color-matched remote-locking trunk to give your Chieftain Elite its own style.