2019 Indian Motorcycle range
Ahead of their arrival later this year, Indian Motorcycle have released details on their Australian-release range for 2019. The families of Chief (including Springfield and Roadmaster), Chieftain and Scout (including Scout Bobber) remain, with the blackout ‘Dark Horse’ variants also carrying over for the coming year.
New colour options have been applied across the board, but the more interesting inclusions for 2019 are some clever tech and engineering changes on the Chief and Chieftain families. Pricing and actual release dates had not been revealed at press time, but the MY19 range is likely to be on show at the Melbourne Moto Expo this November. Watch this space for updates.
2019 Chief (incl. Springfield and Roadmaster)
- NEW Selectable Ride Modes
- NEW Rear Cylinder Deactivation
- Enhanced Audio Systems
- Improved Airflow (Roadmaster)
- NEW gloss black trim parts (Chief Dark Horse, Springfield Dark Horse)
- NEW front guard, 19-inch wheel (Springfield Dark Horse)
- NEW White Smoke paint (Springfield Dark Horse)
Updates and additions to the MY19 Chief range were implemented as a direct result of rider feedback, according to Indian. "These enhancements showcase our commitment to listening to riders and continuously improving their experience with our products," said Steve Menneto, President, Indian Motorcycle. "We are laser-focused on delivering a best-in-class riding experience, and these new technologies represent a focus on quality that will continue long into the future of Indian Motorcycle."
Selectable ride modes lead the new additions, with ‘Tour’, ‘Standard’ and ‘Sport’ options adjusting the throttle response to suit different riding requirements. Tour is described as delivering a smooth throttle response for relaxed cruising. Standard mode features a crisper throttle response and what Indian says is “well-balanced power delivery for responsive passing power and predictable, slow-speed handling”.
The Sport mode, as the name suggests, provides instant throttle response and aggressive power delivery for “head-snapping acceleration”; something that would be interesting to experience on any big 111ci cruiser, but probably best enjoyed on the Springfield Dark Horse. The cleverest - and perhaps the most welcome - Indian innovation for 2019 is rear cylinder deactivation.
Applied to all 2019 Indians equipped with the Thunder Stroke 111 v-twin, the feature is designed to improve rider comfort when stationary by deactivating firing on the rear cylinder via a series of temperature-dependant triggers. Rear cylinder deactivation only operates in a certain temperature range and only when the bike is at a standstill – it won’t activate when the bike’s in motion.
When the engine reaches operating temperature and the ambient temperature exceeds 15 degrees Celsius, the rear cylinder automatically deactivates when the bike is at a standstill. When throttle is applied, the rear cylinder reactivates instantly for what’s said to be a seamless transition to full power.
The obvious benefit of this feature is reduced engine heat for improved rider comfort in slow-moving or stopped traffic. It should be a welcome addition here, especially in the warmer months. Moving on to the cruising bike’s 100-watt audio systems, sound quality is said to be significantly improved for 2019.
Changes to the system include separating the tweeters from the mid-range speakers to optimise sound output and clarity. Secondly, a fully-customisable dynamic equaliser adjusts specific frequencies at different speeds to provide what Indian says is peak system performance at all times.
As road speed increases, the equaliser automatically adjusts each frequency to the optimal level to compensate for road, wind and engine noise. Indian says this innovation delivers crystal clear, premium audio quality at all speeds.
The final change of note applies to the Roadmaster model, which has had its lower front fairing redesigned and optimised to provide what’s been described as “significantly more airflow” to the rider. The redesigned airflow vent can be adjusted from fully open for maximum airflow to fully closed for total weather protection. Best of all, these new lowers can be retrofitted to older model Roadmasters with the addition of new highway bars.
On the aesthetic front, MY19 Chief Dark Horse and Springfield Dark Horse models add new trim parts and new colour choices. Both variants now feature premium gloss black detailing on the engine, including the primary and cam covers, heads and push-rod tubes. The exhaust gets a ceramic satin black finish to complete the dark look to the powerplant, while gloss black trim has been added to the saddlebag hinges.
The Springfield Dark Horse deletes the front highway bars and windshield for 2019 but adds the iconic Indian headdress on the front mudguard and a 19-inch contrast-cut front wheel. A new colour choice on this model is ‘White Smoke’, a matte-finish paint that’s optional to the existing ‘Thunder Black Smoke’.
Colour options on the MY19 Chief Vintage and Roadmaster for Australia have yet to be confirmed. Additionally, the standard Springfield, currently not offered here, has not been confirmed for inclusion in the locally-available range for 2019. Indian Motorcycle says new additions to the accessory range to suit the Chief, Springfield and Roadmaster are coming, too, but specifics have yet to be revealed.
2019 Chieftain (incl. Chieftain Limited and Chieftain Classic)
- NEW Selectable Ride Modes
- NEW Rear Cylinder Deactivation
- Enhanced Audio Systems
- NEW optional PowerBand Audio
- Restyled fairing
- Restyled saddlebags
- NEW front and rear indicators
- NEW ‘Rogue’ gunfighter seat
- ‘Open’ front guard, 19-inch wheel
- NEW gloss black trim parts (Chief Dark Horse, Springfield Dark Horse)
- NEW White Smoke, Bronze Smoke paint (Chieftain Dark Horse)
The MY19 Chieftain will arrive with most of the same technical upgrades as the Chief family, as well as some of the same trim and paint options, but Indian’s factory bagger gets some new touches of its own. “As we continue to evolve the Indian Motorcycle brand, we want to expand our lineup with more aggressive style options, while still maintaining the availability of our more classic style options,” said Reid Wilson, Senior Director for Indian Motorcycle.
“What’s most important to us is developing motorcycles that meet a wide variety of customer style preferences, and Chieftain’s new look does just that.” That “new look” mainly centres around the redesigned front fairing and panniers on the Chieftain, Chieftain Dark Horse and Chieftain Limited. Sharper lines and harder edges define the new panniers’ appearance, combining with colour-matched rear mudguard closeouts to provide the Chieftain with what Indian says is a commanding presence and more streamlined look.
The fork-mounted fairing has been “trimmed and slimmed” and also paired with full LED lighting and new fork guards for a more streamlined front-end package that complements the pannier tweaks.
Completing the new look to the front and back end are new indicators that are described as sleeker and more modern. There’s also new badging on the tank and saddlebags, the iconic Indian headdress on the front mudguard and the addition of a new ‘Rogue’ gunfighter solo seat designed to enhance the Chieftain’s sleeker profile.
The restyled fairing and adoption of an open front guard and 19-inch contrast-cut front wheel (introduced with the Chieftain Elite last year) hasn’t been applied across the board, though. The traditional fairing and a valanced front guard remain standard fitment on the Chieftain Classic.
New Chieftain paint choices for 2019 include White Smoke and Bronze Smoke for the Chieftain Dark Horse, while Thunder Black Smoke carries over from 2018. All three matte-finish colours are matched to the same range of gloss black engine trim parts and the blackout ceramic exhaust system offered on the 2019 Chief Dark Horse.
The Chieftain range also gets the rear cylinder deactivation, selectable riding modes and upgraded audio system already covered in the Chief preview, but the Chieftain can also be optioned up with ‘PowerBand Audio’. Described as Indian’s loudest audio system to date, PowerBand Audio allows riders to choose audio configurations that are up to 50 per cent louder than stock systems.
Engineered with an integrated amp-on-speaker that does not require additional amps, PowerBand Audio is also fully integrated with Indian Motorcycle’s Ride Command technology, so that when PowerBand Audio speakers are installed, Ride Command automatically recognises the upgrade and takes the equaliser from five bands to nine bands with additional pre-set options and volume control.
Three kits are available: PowerBand Audio (fairing upgrade); PowerBand Audio Plus (fairing and pannier upgrade); and PowerBand Audio Plus with accessory trunk (fairing, pannier and accessory top box upgrade).
The PowerBand Audio package is one of several Chieftain accessories available for 2019, with others including the Stage 1, 2 and 3 engine upgrades (exhaust, air intakes, cams and 116 ci big bore kit), a quick-release top box and modified seats and handlebars. Like the Chief range, MY19 Chieftain pricing will be revealed closer to local launch.
2019 Scout (incl. Scout Bobber)
- NEW dash-mounted USB charge port
- NEW Deep Water Metallic, Metallic Jade and Indian Motorcycle Red over Thunder Black paint (Scout)
- NEW White Smoke paint (Scout Bobber)
The least-changed of the 2019 range, the only new engineering addition on the Scout is a handy USB charging port. Located near the speedo, it allows for on-the-go charging of phones, GPS units and other personal electronic devices.
For owners of older Scouts (MY15-MY18), the USB charge port is available as an upgrade kit.“The iconic Indian Scout family is a favourite amongst riders across the globe,” said Reid Wilson, Senior Director for Indian Motorcycle.
“Since the addition of the Scout Bobber in July 2017, we’ve continued to evolve our Scout offering to meet the tastes of various riders. The refinements we’ve made for 2019 and the new paint options accentuate the wide appeal of the Scout line.”
On the regular Scout, the new paint options for 2019 are Deep Water Metallic (blue), Metallic Jade (green) and two-tone Indian Motorcycle Red over Thunder Black. The existing Thunder Black and Willow Green over Ivory Cream carry over, but Burgundy Metallic and Brilliant Blue over White have been deleted.
On the Scout Bobber, its aggressive styling is unchanged, but this stripped-down and toughened-up variant adds a new colour choice in matte-finish White Smoke. Thunder Black, Thunder Black Smoke and Bronze Smoke carry over, but Star Silver Smoke and Indian Motorcycle Red have been discontinued.
Add-ons from the Indian Motorcycle Accessories range remain, including slip-on mufflers, custom air intakes and Fox suspension upgrades, as well as seat, handlebar and peg/pedal options. Like the rest on the 2019 range, pricing for the new Scout and Scout Bobber will be revealed closer to local launch.
Photos: Indian Motorcycle
