Some bikes you have to warm up to. You spend a few days with them, find your rhythm, start to appreciate what they're doing. And then there are bikes that just click the moment you throw a leg over them. For me, the Indian Sport Chief RT is very much the latter. I had it for a week before Tegan got her hands on it, used it as a daily commuter around Sydney, and by the end of day one I already knew this was my kind of machine.
What Is It?
The Sport Chief RT is Indian's take on a performance cruiser that's actually ready to tour. Built around the legendary air-cooled Thunderstroke 116 V-Twin, 1,890cc, 156Nm of torque at 3,300rpm, it’s a big bike in every sense. But Indian haven't just dropped a massive engine into a chassis and called it done. The Sport Chief RT adds locking rigid saddlebags with 37+ litres of storage, a two-up high bolster seat, and adjustable 23-click piggyback shocks over the standard Sport Chief. It's a bike purpose-built from the factory to perform and to travel.
Pricing sits at $35,995 ride away, which puts it firmly in premium cruiser territory. Spend five minutes with it and you understand where the money went.
The Engine
Let's start here, because the Thunderstroke 116 is the heart of this whole thing and it deserves proper attention.
This engine has character in a way that very few modern motors do. It's thumpy, it's lumpy, it vibrates in all the right ways, and it sounds like something that was built to make noise rather than suppress it. There's heaps of power, more than enough for anything you'd realistically ask of it on the road, but it's not just the outright performance that gets you. It's the way it delivers it. Torque everywhere, all the time, in all six gears. You're never hunting for the right gear. You're never caught short. It just pulls.
I've now ridden a few bikes from the Indian range and the consistency is remarkable. Every single one has more than enough power to spare, and every single one feels ready to go the moment you crack the throttle. The Thunderstroke 116 takes that and layers on an old-school charm that I find genuinely hard to resist. It's got character, it's got charm, it feels like a proper old-school V-twin. Grumpy, thumpy, and completely loveable.
On the Road
I took the Sport Chief RT down the South Coast with Tegan, she was on the Chief Darkhorse, borrowed from Bruce at Zen Motorcycles for the day. Having both bikes on the same road on the same day made for an interesting comparison. More on that in a video soon.
The Sport Chief RT handles well for what it is. It's not a Scout 101, don’t go in expecting that flickable, almost sports-bike feel. This is a bigger, heavier machine and you do have to muscle it a little through the corners. But it's not unwieldy. The inverted KYB forks up front and the adjustable piggyback shocks out back give it a composed, planted feel, and the Brembo dual disc brakes provide the kind of stopping power that gives you genuine confidence on a bike this size.
The forward controls and 152mm machined risers put you in a position that's more aggressive than a traditional cruiser but not punishing. I found it natural almost immediately. Seat height is 695mm, low enough to be accessible for a wide range of riders. The 322kg wet weight is noticeable when you're moving it around in a garage but on the road it carries itself well.
As a Commuter
Here's something I didn't expect, this bike is a surprisingly capable daily rider.
I used it through Sydney traffic for a week before the South Coast run and it held up better than I anticipated. The saddlebags, which look almost comically small in photos, are actually perfectly sized for commuter use. Big enough to fit a decent amount of shopping, small enough that you're not adding significant width when filtering through traffic. I ran down to the fish markets one evening, loaded up with seafood for dinner, and the Sport Chief RT handled it without complaint.
The one genuine issue with commuting is heat. The Thunderstroke runs warm, and sitting in Sydney traffic in summer means you're going to feel it on your right leg. Get moving and it's fine, the airflow takes care of it quickly. But in stop-start conditions, it's noticeable. This seems to be a consistent trait across the Indian range, so go in with your eyes open if you're planning to use one as a daily in a hot climate.
The South Coast Run
The day itself had a bit of everything. We found a great sandwich shop for lunch — Japanese-style egg and cauliflower, which sounds odd and tasted excellent. We took a detour to the famous Kiama blowhole, which was, let's say, underwhelming on the day. It’s always a 50/50 proposition. Lesson learned.
Tegan also got stung by something on Jamberoo Road, pulled over roadside, proper pain, the works. Some very kind Swedish tourists heading to Jamberoo stopped to help. Key take out, make sure your jacket is always completely zipped up when on tour. Not something you plan for on a bike review day, but that's what makes these runs worth writing about.
The Sport Chief RT absorbed all of it without complaint. Long stretches of freeway, tighter coastal roads, a few twisty sections, it handled every condition with the same easy competence. It's not the most nimble thing through a tight corner, but it's far more capable than its size and weight suggest, and it's never anything less than enjoyable.
Indian have equipped the Sport Chief RT properly. The 4-inch RIDE COMMAND display handles GPS navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, ride stats, and more. Three ride modes, Standard, Tour, and Sport let you tailor the throttle response to conditions or your mood. Cruise control, ABS, keyless ignition, rear cylinder deactivation, and full LED lighting all come standard.
It's a well-specced machine. Nothing feels like an afterthought.
One thing I wasn't fully prepared for was how much conversation this bike generates. We had people coming up to us all day, riders, non-riders, a Harley owner who gave it a very deliberate nod of approval. The Sport Chief RT has a presence that's hard to ignore. It looks like a serious motorcycle, it sounds like a serious motorcycle, and people respond to that.
The Verdict
At $35,995 ride away, the Sport Chief RT is not a cheap bike. But it's a complete one. The Thunderstroke 116 is one of the most characterful engines I've ridden in recent memory, the touring credentials are genuine, and the whole package has a cohesion that suggests Indian knew exactly what they were building and built it well.
I could daily this bike. I could tour on this bike. I could take it to a twisty road on a Sunday morning and have an absolute blast. That kind of versatility at this level of quality is worth something.
It's my kind of bike. Genuinely. If the budget allowed, I'd have one in the garage tomorrow.
Want to know more? Head to indianmotorcycle.com.au to build yours or book a test ride.