Indian Motorcycle has just announced its 2020 heavyweight Thunder Stroke lineup which adds new features across most of its cruiser, bagger, and touring segments and debuts the new Roadmaster Dark Horse model. The 2020 line also includes a redesign of the Ride Command infotainment system, and even adds a bigger 116ci engine as standard equipment for several models.
Let’s start with the engine. Before 2020, you could only get the Thunder Stroke 116 as an upgrade for the 111ci engine, but now the 1,890cc V-twin will come standard on select models straight from the factory. You'll see it on seven bikes: the Springfield Dark Horse, Chieftain, Chieftain Dark Horse, Chieftain Limited, Chieftain Elite, Roadmaster, and Roadmaster Dark Horse. The air-cooled V-twin boasts a new high-flow cylinder head that boosts claimed grunt to class-leading 126 pound-feet of torque (from 119 pound-feet). The 116 also comes with Indian’s rear cylinder deactivation to help keep the engine cooler at low speeds or stopped traffic. The Chief Dark Horse, Chief Vintage, Springfield, and Chieftain Classic however will keep the original 1,811cc mill, while the Chieftain is available with both engines.
With the Ride Command redesign, Indian has added a new, faster quad-core processor and new connected features including traffic and weather overlays, predictive destination search, and improved ride screens for 2020. But some things just don’t need fixing, and luckily the actual 7-inch touchscreen display with glove-touch technology stays as is. So now let’s take a closer look at the new models and highlights.
Indian’s top-of-the-line touring bike gets buckets of black paint, lots of chrome accents, and a more aggressive attitude to create the new Roadmaster Dark Horse. Powering this bad boy is the new Thunder Stroke 116 mill, with a familiar streamlined fairing and 19-inch wheel leading the charge up front, and slammed saddlebags bringing up the rear. In between you get the extended reach Rogue gunfighter seat and blacked-out engine and matte paint color schemes. It’s still a premium touring motorcycle though, which means long-haul amenities abound, like a touring trunk, lower fairings, heated grips, and a mid-adjustable windscreen. The Roadmaster Dark Horse starts at an MSRP of $28,999, and is available in Thunder Black Smoke, White Smoke, or Ruby Smoke. That’s a lot of smoke.
Indian took feedback from its launch of the Jack Daniel’s Limited Edition Indian Springfield Dark Horse at Daytona Bike Week and incorporated some of those suggestions into the 2020 Springfield Dark Horse. Of course you get the bigger Thunder Stroke 116 engine, but the added JD elements also bump up the attitude with slammed saddlebags, a Rogue seat, 12-inch mini-ape handlebars and lots of cool blacked-out finishes. Standard features include remote locking saddlebags, rear cylinder deactivation, and keyless ignition. Your color choices are again in the hazy area, with Thunder Black Smoke, Sagebrush Smoke, and White Smoke as options, and prices starting at $22,499.
For 2020, the stylish premium bagger in Indian’s lineup packs the 116 engine as well as the booming PowerBand Audio Plus system, supposedly 50 percent louder than Indian’s standard audio setup, all with an integrated fairing and saddlebag speakers. The upscale details include matching highlights and badging, machined Elite wheels, Pinnacle mirrors, and a flare windshield to go along with a two-tone Thunder Black Vivid Crystal over Wildfire Candy paint job. The Chieftain Elite starts at $34,999.
Those are the three highlight bikes, but all the 2020 Thunder Stroke models also get additional updates. The Chief Dark Horse and Chief Vintage will now share the same chassis as the Springfield and Springfield Dark Horse as well as an adjustable rear suspension, which Indian says will result in improved handling. Meanwhile, the Springfield and Chief Dark Horse will now have a 17-inch front wheel as standard for improved stability, and finally, the 2020 Roadmaster receives a lighter weight, redesigned trunk rack.
And, of course, you can choose from plenty of new or carryover accessories in 2020 with parts for the Thunder Stroke 111 and Thunder Stroke 116 available to modify the look, sound, and performance of each engine. There's a Stage 1 slip-on exhaust in black or chrome for both the Thunder Stroke 111 and Thunder Stroke 116, as well as a Stage 1 performance air intake. Add Stage 2 performance cams to squeeze out even more horsepower when compared to a stock Thunder Stroke 111. Riders can also opt for a Thunder Stroke 116 Stage 2 performance kit, which includes cams, higher-flowing fuel injectors, and throttle body, or upgrade any Indian model packing the Thunder Stroke 111 with its Thunder Stroke 116 Stage 3 big-bore kit. All models should be in dealerships now.
