Indian Motorcycle are honouring the origins of the world’s largest motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, with a new special edition Chief Vintage cruiser , limited to 125 units.
Also tying into the American brand’s own 125th anniversary being celebrated across 2026, the 1940s-inspired cruiser will now be available as a Chief Vintage Sturgis, SD Edition – with the UK set to receive just one bike priced at £23,500.
The Sturgis Rally was first held in 1938 and now returns to The Black Hills and Sturgis, South Dakota, annually during the first week of August. This year’s event began on Friday, August 7 (the day the special Vintage was revealed) and will continue until Sunday, August 16.
First started by local Indian dealer Pappy Hoel, the event combined racing with scenic riding and initially attracted around 200 spectators to watch nine riders compete. Since then, it’s grown exponentially, with the South Dakota Department of Transportation counting 537,459 attending vehicles across 10 days in 2025.
“When you look at how far it’s come and how much it’s grown over almost 90 years, it’s amazing to think that it was an Indian Motorcycle dealer and a group of Indian Motorcycle riders that literally started it all,” Indian Motorcycle CEO, Mike Kennedy said.
“This bike is special in that it pays homage to those origins and to that spirit that all riders share.”
The new SD Edition model is mechanically unchanged from the standard model – itself only launched in January of this year, now priced at £18,955 – and is instead distinguished by the aesthetics.
Where the standard bike can be purchased in a solid black or red option, the Sturgis special gets a two-tone livery consisting of red and cream on the 15.1-litre tank and sweeping fenders.
Things are then taken a step further on the fuel tank, with a special headdress logo – reminiscent of the ones seen on Indian models of the time.
Each bike is numbered below the brown single rider’s seat, with the 56 on the side plate said to be a tribute to the hand-painted numbers used by the first racers in the early days of Sturgis.
Hefty engine Keeping things authentic is an air-cooled 1890cc V-twin engine, producing a claimed 115lb.ft of torque at just 3300rpm.
Modern touches Don’t be fooled by the 1940s design, the Chief Vintage comes with a four inch touchscreen TFT plus three riding modes.
Extra lighting Like the standard Chief Vintage, the front mudguard gets an LED illuminated headdress design.
Disguised drive The Indian is belt driven, shrouded by the matt twin exit exhaust which flanks the right side of the motor.
Spoked wheels Wire wheel designs can be found at both ends, featuring black rims and shod with Metzeler Cruisetec tyres.
If there was one model in Indian’s line-up to select as a throwback to the early days of Sturgis, it had to be the Chief Vintage. It’s a shame that the UK will only get one model though, and for this level of exclusivity, they could’ve arguably gone further to distinguish it from the standard machine.
Dan is a fully-trained journalist, with a Gold Standard Level 3 Diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists. He has a passion for motorcycles of all capacities, but feels at home aboard a sportsbike. He's been working for MCN in print and digital for the best part of 10 years, with regular contributions to RiDE Magazine on the side.
News Editor, trackday fan, lover of 90s sportsbikes