Indian Chief Vintage (2026) – Technical Review

You don’t get to celebrate your 125th birthday every year and while the current iteration of Indian might not have enjoyed the sort of unbroken history of bike production that the likes of Harley-Davidson can boast of the company is still rightly making a big deal of the fact it’s still here after a century and a quarter. The new Chief Vintage has been launched as part of Indian’s celebrations and whether you’re interested in the company’s history or not there’s no denying it’s a handsome beast that hits all the right notes to call back to the brand’s 1940s heyday.

Indian’s current lineup – whether it’s the liquid-cooled Scout, Chieftain, Challenger, Roadmaster and Pursuit or the air-cooled Chief range – is dominated by relatively modern interpretations of classic cruiser and custom shapes, but the new Chief Vintage is unapologetic in its mimicking of the deep-fendered look that became a signature of the company after it’s introduction in 1940. Even the engine, with silver-painted rocker covers and an unmachined finish, looks convincingly like the bare aluminium you’d find on the original. Can it live up to the original Chief’s reputation? Let’s find out.

Pros & Cons

2026 Indian Chief Vintage - Price & PCP Deals

If you want the classic ‘Indian Red’ – and for the real retro look it’s arguably the colour to go for – you have to pay a premium for the privilege, bringing the price to £19,455. If you’re happy to go with the metallic black version, which has a murdered-out appeal since it’s paired with those black forks and an absence of chrome, the list price of £18,955 means you save £500.

Those numbers might seem high, but they mean the Chief Vintage actually sits towards the lower end of the Chief lineup. Only the £16,355 Chief Dark Horse and £17,995 Chief Bobber Dark Horse come in below the Vintage, while the Sport Chief and Super Chief models are substantially more, all listing at over £22,000.

2026 Indian Chief Vintage - Engine & Performance

If you’re used to typical, high-revving bike engines, stepping onto any traditional pushrod V-twin takes some mental recalibration. On the face of it, the vast 1890cc capacity of the Thunderstroke 116 – more than many cars – isn’t a powerhouse. While Indian hasn’t officially confirmed the engine’s horsepower, EU homologation documents for all the other Chief models confirm that the motor makes a peak of 83.7hp.

That might be less than you’d expect from some bikes with a third the Chief’s capacity, but it’s not really the number to focus on. The important figure is the fact it arrives at just 4000rpm, and by then you’re already well past the bulging peak torque of 115 lb-ft, which comes at only 3300rpm. It’s the sort of thump-every-lamppost performance that’s rarely found in modern bikes, but well in keeping with the Chief Vintage’s appearance.

Don’t confuse the retro design – pushrods operating two valves per cylinder – with an absence of modern technology. There’s cylinder deactivation that switches off the rear pot at idle once the motor is warm, essentially turning it into a 945cc single when you’re sitting at the lights to help cut down on heat that would otherwise reach the rider, and a trio of riding modes – Tour, Standard and Sport – to alter the throttle response, courtesy of a ride-by-wire throttle.

There’s a six-speed transmission and a belt takes the drive to the rear wheel. Top speed should be around the 110mph mark, like the other Chief models, but the parachute-like riding position means you probably won’t want to get near it.

2026 Indian Chief Vintage - Handling & Suspension (inc. Weight)

Indian might have pushed the boundaries for cruisers with a variety of cast aluminium frames over the years but the new Chief Vintage lives up to its name by using the same steel tube design that features on the rest of the Chief lineup.

With a 29-degree rake and 1626mm wheelbase, the geometry is identical to other models in the Chief lineup, so don’t expect razor-sharp sports bike handling. That’s backed up by the suspension, with simple telescopic forks at the front giving 132mm of travel, and dual rear shocks, similar to the Chief Bobber’s all-enclosed units, offering preload adjustment and 75mm of wheel movement.

Brakes? A single 298mm floating front disc is tasked with hauling down the Chief Vintage’s not-insubstantial mass of 327kg wet, although at least it’s helped by a four-pot caliper tucked behind the vented section on that valanced front fender. As usual for a long-and-low cruiser, the rear brake does plenty of work as well, so it matches the front’s 298mm diameter and uses a two-piston caliper. There’s ABS, of course, but no new-fangled cornering rider assistance to found.

The wire wheels are 16 inches at both ends, with a 130/90 Metzeler Cruisetec at the front and a 150/80 at the rear.

2026 Indian Chief Vintage - Comfort & Economy

As standard, the Chief Vintage is a dedicated single-seater, with a trad-looking, tractor-style saddle floating well above the rear fender. It’s a mere 686mm off the asphalt so long legs aren’t a prerequisite, but the forward-mounted foot controls mean lanky riders won’t be cramped.

A pillion seat and even a passenger backrest are optional extras, but do you really want to sacrifice the Chief Vintage’s retro silhouette by fitting them?

If you really want to boost comfort, you’ll be dipping into the options catalogue to tailor the Chief Vintage to suit your demands, though. A quick-release windshield, for example, can add a modicum of protection, and if you buy the ‘Highway Bars’ that protect the bike from low-speed tip-overs you can also add leather-look closeout panels to deflect wind and debris away from your feet and legs.

2026 Indian Chief Vintage - Equipment

The single, circular instrument might look old-school from a distance but it’s really a 4-inch colour touchscreen, as used on some of Indian’s other offerings. In 2026 form the company says new software means startup and loading times are cut by 25%, and there’s a new ‘App Enhanced Navigation’ feature, in concert with Indian’s app, that lets you search for destinations on your phone via Google Maps, Waze or Apple Maps and then send the resulting directions to the bike’s dash.

There’s Bluetooth, of course, and all the usual connectivity for phone call and media control, with bar-mounted buttons so you don’t need to reach for the touchscreen while you’re on the move.

Once again, the options list comes to the rescue if you’re looking to carry loads, offering a pair of 19-litre vinyl saddlebags.

2026 Indian Chief Vintage - Rivals

Given its similarly-long history you might have thought Harley-Davidson would have a retro cruiser in its lineup to match – something replicating the FL Knucklehead that would have challenged the Chief back in the 40s – but there’s little like that in the MoCo’s current range.

There’s a good chance that if you’re considering an Indian, you’re open to other non-Harley options as well, bringing bikes like BMW’s R18 or Triumph’s Bonneville Bobber into contention, although each has its own appeal that’s distinct from the Indian’s retro charm.

Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic - The Heritage Classic might be more akin to a fully-optioned Chief Vintage – with screen, pillion seat and saddlebags – but its wire wheels and deep fenders give a similarly retro style, harking back to the postwar era. In performance terms, the Milwaukee-Eight 117 is within a cubic inch of the Indian Thunderstroke, matches its torque output exactly and is a fraction more powerful, while the Harley, despite its extra equipment, is 1kg lighter than the Indian.

BMW R 18 Classic - Another one with bags and a screen, the R18 Classic again hits retro cues with its wire wheels, while its oversized boxer engine is one of the few that can claim to be more eye-catching than the Indian Thunderstroke. It’s even torquier, too, with 120lb-ft at 3000rpm, and fractionally more powerful with 91hp. But at 369kg the BMW makes the Indian look positively lithe.

Triumph Bonneville Bobber - Much cheaper than the Indian, the Bobber is also a smaller machine with a less imposing engine – although at 1200cc it’s on a par with the old Indian Chief that the new Vintage model apes. At 77hp it’s only a fraction behind on power, but 78lb-ft of torque is well behind the Indian’s 115lb-ft. The payoff is less weight – at 250kg wet the Bobber is 77kg (that’s 12 stone) lighter.

Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic | Price: £24,295

Read more

Power/Torque

91bhp / 115lb-ft

Weight

326kg

BMW R18 Classic | Price: £19,540

Read more

Power/Torque

91bhp / 120lb-ft

Weight

369kg

Triumph Bonneville Bobber | Price: £13,795

Read more

Power/Torque

77bhp / 78lb-ft

Weight

250kg

2026 Indian Chief Vintage - Verdict

The Indian Chief Vintage is going to appeal to a very specific customer who’s not only looking for a cruiser but also wants a convincing vintage style and – perhaps most importantly – is prepared to look beyond the default Harley-Davidson options. But in a cruiser market where you need to be nerdishly obsessed to pick out one model from another, it stands out thanks to that vintage look, and that’s half the battle won from the outset.

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2026 Indian Chief Vintage - Technical Specification

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