Indian debuts the 2013 Dark Horse
By: Dodsfall
July 30th, 2012
9:55 pm
The 2013 Indian Chief Dark Horse is following the trend of blacked-out motorcycles. Black is certainly the new black.
The Dark Horse has classic Indian design elements, such as the oversized teardrop headlight, wide and deep flared fenders, and leather fringes on the seat. What is new about the Dark Horse is, well, the darkness. Semi-gloss black paint is used on the bodywork, engine, exhaust, and forks. There is still a silver lining of bright chrome to offset the black paint.
The Dark Horse is equipped with Indian's 105 cubic-inch (1720 cc) fuel-injected engine, a six-speed transmission and a 5.5 gallon fuel tank. The solo seat is black with chrome buttons and an abundance of leather tassels on each side. The tall tires and large brake disks show a hint of the chrome laced wheels with matte black rims.
The new Chief is no lightweight. It weighs in at 746 pounds dry and is 100.5 inches long. The wide 40-inch handlebars should provide plenty of leverage to turn the motorcycle without problems.
The base price of $27,999 puts the Indian Chief Dark Horse in the luxury machine category. It also guarantees an owner will be riding a fairly unique machine.
[Indian Motorcycle]
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15 comments on "Indian debuts the 2013 Dark Horse"
July 31, 2012 at 11:35 am
Pretty, but that price puts it well out of my reach.
July 31, 2012 at 4:00 pm
It's like all other trends: You liked it the first time you saw it when it was unique. Now it is commonplace. the matte black finish has become do "standard" that any new entry just gets lost in the sean of the many similar ones out there. The dropped to the ground, stretched out and chrome dripped sportbike went through the same phase. The neon light Gold Wings as well. Tasseled and fringed cruisers had their run.
It reminds me of the old joke about tattoos: "I got it to express my individuality. besides, everyone else is doing it".
July 31, 2012 at 8:06 pm
i don't know, but I'm getting burned out on all the retro look....is it the designers cant or just to lazy to come up with new ideas...
August 1, 2012 at 8:27 am
+1 to midnight, personally I think its ugly.
August 1, 2012 at 8:34 am
That's a lot of money for an ugly bike.
August 1, 2012 at 5:52 pm
That's a lot of money for an ugly bike.
August 5, 2012 at 7:56 am
That's a lot of money for an ugly bike.
I remember reading a Cycle World article on the Indian when it came out. The bike vibed a hell of a lot worse than any Harley out there, and felt kinda slugish. I could buy a Valk or a VTX for a lot less, and get a bike that felt a lot more responsive. Or maybe I would get a larger Vulcan...
(Thats assuming I ever went with a large bike)
August 15, 2012 at 4:44 pm
I like Indians but not this, i don't like all black and the pipes are ugly
August 15, 2012 at 5:51 pm
Indian had a huge display at Sturgis this year, including the Dark horse. Not my favorite bike of thiers, but more impressive in person than in the pictures,
August 15, 2012 at 6:07 pm
i think i like the 2 tone better