Indian Springfield Dark Horse (2023 – ) review

US style baggers are a breed apart so it’s largely unfair (and irrelevant) to judge them modern conventional bike standards. Harley-Davidson has led the way, and still sets the best-selling benchmark with its Street Glide, which was originally a ‘chopped’ Electra Glide when launched in the mid-noughties. It was so popular it effectively spawned the whole bagger category. The latest Street Glide, now with bigger front wheel and extra style, performance and tech, remains the bike to beat but Indian is right up there and, being American, the only truly credible rival. Its Springfield Dark Horse is its most hardcore traditional bagger, ticks all the boxes with its big V-twin, decent dynamics and hard panniers while the blacked-out running gear, screenless front end and mid-rise ‘ape hanger’ bars finish the look to a tee. In terms of nailing the genre it’s hard to fault design-wise. Whether that’s your type of motorcycle is an entirely different matter!

It looks fairly extreme but it’s not really in reality. Although undeniably a big, heavy and distinctive motorcycle, the low-slung bagger format also means the Springfield Dark Horse has an ultra-low 650mm seat. Feet fall easily onto large footboards rather than pegs and the reach to the mid-rise handlebars is more comfortable than it looks. All that said, of course, it’s also long and heavy so there’s no disguising this is an awkward, hefty machine to manoeuvre at low speed. The ditching of any sort of screen or fairing in the name of style also means you’re exposed to the elements and pillion provision is minimal. We’d recommend a ‘sissy bar’ or backrest for all but the most committed passengers.

Practicality is something of a moot term, here. In the context of conventional motorcycles the Springfield Dark Horse is pricey, heavy and a fairly underwhelming performer with little weather protection. Meaning it’s neither commuter nor real tourer, and certainly no sports bike. In the US-style cruiser world, however, baggers have a following for their combination of custom style combined with a degree of luggage and pillion carrying ability. There are more practical alternatives even within the Indian range with screens and the rest but the Springfield Dark Horse is still more versatile than extreme cruisers like the Chief which lacks pillion seat, panniers or screen.

Being one of Indian’s more traditional ‘big twins’ means the Springfield Dark Horse is powered by the latest version of the air-cooled Thunderstroke V-twin, which first debuted in 2014. This contrasts with the newer, liquid-cooled ‘Power Plus’ unit used by the more recent and performance-oriented Pursuit and Challenger models, the latter providing a basis for its King Of The Baggers racer. The motor at the heart of the Springfield Dark Horse is, meanwhile, a 1,890cc monster producing a peak output of 92 horsepower, the more important figure being the whopping 171Nm of torque. That adds up to a lazy let grunty delivery that has serious urge off the throttle, despite the bike’s weight. The gearchange, as you’d expect of a bike of this type, is a little clunky and mechanical, but that’s part of the character. Mid-range cruising is lumpy and easy and, thankfully, the twin 300mm front discs and single one at the back are also more than up to the job, even if it’s a heavy beast to haul up!

The Springfield Dark Horse is a heavy lump of metal with a fairly old-school chassis designed primarily for lazy cruising rather than sports scratching, so expectations shouldn’t be too high. Ride is generally competent, though the limited suspension travel from the single rear shock can result in some jarring over Britain’s potholes. The bike’s long and low stance has a kicked-out fork and big 19-inch front wheel for plenty of straight-line stability. Tillering the bike through sweeping turns takes a little effort but it’s amenable enough. If not exactly nimble and gentle carving through some curves can be a pleasant if hardly dynamic joy, limited only by the footboards grounding out at extreme angles.

Reality check – the near £27,000 starting price, 1,890cc engine and 358kg fully fuelled weight are all big numbers and likely to be matched in terms of running costs. Aside from the initial purchase price depreciation is likely to be pretty hefty as well, likewise insurance and tax. And, although no performance machine, its impressive torque and bulk will still give it a larger appetite than most for fuel, tyres, brake pads and so on. At least its belt final drive should have a longer life than the more usual chain.

For all its long-standing traditions Indian in its reborn form is still a relatively ‘new’ marque following its revival under Polaris ownership in 2011. But its bikes are built to an impressively high standard, its Thunderstroke engine is now largely proven with a good reliability record and the Springfield Dark Horse is a fairly understressed cruiser with none of the extreme demands placed on its powertrain that might be expected with, say, a high-performance sports bike.

The Springfield Dark Horse, like all big twin Indians, currently comes with an industry-leading five-year manufacturer backed warranty covering all parts and labour for added peace of mind. Service intervals are temptingly broad as well, only coming round ever 10,000 miles after the usual 500-mile ‘break-in’ once-over has been done.

Although technically a tourer the Indian Springfield Dark Horse is no luxury-laden full-dresser like Indian’s Roadmaster, so you shouldn’t expect lashings of fancy equipment. Saying that it’s not bad, though. On top of the standard hard panniers and their 68-litre carrying capacity there is cruise control, three rider modes (Tour, Standard and Sport), keyless ignition and tyre pressure monitoring. But there’s no screen or infotainment system and only a small tank-mounted speedo and dash in place of the usual, large TFT display. Saying that if you want more Indian has five other baggers and five more full dressers to choose from!

The Indian Springfield Dark Horse is all about the classic, authentic American bagger experience but with added, sinister style. In terms of delivering just that it can’t really be criticised beyond, perhaps, an intake of breath at the price. In terms of what it offers it’s a very particular type of bike aimed at buyers who know exactly what they want. Inevitably that makes it tailored perfectly to Stateside riding and it can feel something of a fish out of water in the UK. But the target audience know what they’re buying into on that score and if you like the style you won’t be disappointed.