The Indian Roadmaster and Dark Horse are two very different cruiser motorcycles that share the same Chief platform underneath.
Indian Motorcycles is an iconic name in the American motorcycle industry with a glorious past and the company’s recent foray in the Indian market has certainly gone down well for its fans that look up to the retro-styled cruisers with modern underpinnings. Expanding its base in the country, the brand opened its third dealership in Bangalore today and also unveiled two new cruisers for the Indian market namely the Roadmaster and Dark Horse that are targeted at two completely different set of riders while sharing the same underpinnings.
Starting with the 2015 Indian Roadmaster, the luxury cruiser is not new to the world and is rather a resurrected name finding its roots back to the 1940s. It isn’t a completely new motorcycle either and essentially based on the Chief platform wearing a large fairing up front along with huge saddle bags and a trunk at the rear. The design though proudly speaks of the Indian heritage with the supremely finished leather seat and a shiny chrome induced engine. The attention to detail needs to special mention.
Like the Chief range, the Roadmaster spoils its rider with a host of luxurious features including electrically adjustable windshield, keyless ignition, remote locking storage, full LED lighting, sound system with Bluetooth and AUX connectivity, cruise control, ABS among other tech on offer. The 2015 Indian Roadmaster has been priced at Rs. 34.95 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi) and comes with a long list of accessories on offer.
The other and more affordable offering of the two unveiled today is the 2015 Indian Dark Horse cruiser that too is built on the Chief platform and shares its underpinnings with the Chief Classic. Unlike the Roadmaster though, the Dark Horse has been stripped off several parts including the pillion seat, oil cooler, analog fuel gauge and driving lights making it lighter than the Chief range.
Unlike its usual list of offerings, Indian has restrained the use of chrome to a minimal on the Dark Horse and doing justice to the name, the cruiser comes in a single matte black colour option “Black Smoke” that extends from the war bonnet to the rear fender and is nothing short of mystifyingly beautiful. In addition to the retro looks, the cruiser comes with a host of modern day tech including remote ignition, MID, cruise control, ABS, heated grips (optional) and much more. The 2015 Indian Dark Horse has been priced at Rs. 21.99 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi).
Coming to the powertrain, both the cruisers draw power from the specially designed 1811cc Thunderstroke 111, 49-degree, V-Twin engine that produces 139 Nm of torque at 2600 RPM (100 PS of power est.) and is paired to a 6-speed gearbox. The telescopic forks at the front and the adjustable monoshock unit at the rear perform suspension duties. The bikes ride on cast wheels wrapped in Dunlop Elite rubber. Indian Motorcycles will be bringing in both the offerings via the CBU route from its US-based facility and plans to bring its other offerings to the country as well in the future.
