Over the last few years, under the support of parent company Polaris, the Indian Motorcycle Company has bounced back from total collapse and is now striving to become a legitimate threat to Harley Davidson’s dominance.
Enter Indian’s latest creation… The Dark Horse.
Earlier this week at a PR event in Chicago, Indian unveiled the monstrous “Dark Horse” to much critical acclaim, especially from hard core cruiser fans.
Built off of the classic Chief design, the Dark Horse is a lighter, more efficient model, weighing in at a slim 751 pounds. That’s 27 pounds lighter than the Chief! The Dark Horse does this by sacrificing the bike’s second seat and utilizing lighter cast wheels.
Fans of the Chief design shouldn’t worry too much, though. The Dark Horse has decided to stay true to form when it comes to the engine, still featuring the lauded Thunder Stroke 111 engine.
As far as styling goes, well, the Dark Horse was all about incorporating an even meaner image. The new bike features a blacked out design with spots of chrome, invoking the spirit of the Caped Crusader himself.
In a statement that accompanied the release of the bike, Indian said, “It is understated with only a flash of chrome and adds a healthy dose of matte black paint to create one of the most confident silhouettes on the market.”
“By all but eliminating chrome from the motorcycle and swapping to cast wheels, the Dark Horse conveys an aggressive pose, and being the lightest in the series, is the quickest model in the Chief family.”
Priced at $17,000, the bike isn’t the cheapest on the lot, especially when comparing it to Harley’s new Iron 883— which is going for just over 8 grand.
But, what do you think? Is the Dark Horse worth the money? And even more important, is it the type of bike that can give a Harley a run for its money?
4Wheel Online Blog - Automotive News 