THERE'S been little secret that Indian has had a new model coming under the name ‘Springfield’ – it gained emissions certificates for the bike months ago but until now it’s not been seen.
At a glance it looks pretty much like another straightforward variation on the firm’s big, air-cooled model range, and indeed the engine is exactly the same as the rest of the bikes in that line. But perhaps the reason it’s taken so long to show up is that it’s actually got a surprising number of bespoke parts that aren’t shared with other bikes in the range.
The USP of the Springfield is that while it’s a bagger in its initial form it can be converted to a naked cruiser in a matter of minutes without any tools. The screen and hard panniers simply unclip, as can the pillion seat, to convert it into a machine that looks much the same as the Chief Classic.
While something similar can be done with the existing Chief Vintage – which has a similar screen and soft leather bags – the Springfield’s chassis is different, allowing it to carry heavier loads. In fact it can lug as much as 242kg of passenger and luggage.
In keeping with the touring intentions when the luggage and screen are fitted, not to mention a price tag that’s less than an iPhone away from £20k, it’s got lots of kit as standard. Adjustable passenger footboards, anti-lock brakes, tyre pressure monitors, cruise control and front and rear crash bars are all standard.
As with the rest of the air-cooled range, the engine is the Thunder Stroke 111 (that’s 1811cc to you and me) with undisclosed power (around 95hp, but we didn’t tell you that) and 101.7lbft of torque at a mere 2,600rpm.
Indian has pulled off its normal trick of having the bike available immediately, so if you’ve got £20k burning a hole in your pocket and can’t decide between a bagger and a cruiser, you know where to head.
Source: Visordown
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