Indian Roadmaster 2016 — Specifications

Who remembers that the Roadmaster name already graced the tank of an Indian between 1947 and 1953? Sixty years later, the Spirit Lake brand resurrects this legendary nameplate to top its touring lineup. The 2016 Indian Roadmaster wasn't born from nothing: it's built on the Chieftain platform, borrowing its cast aluminum frame and the Thunderstroke 111, a 1811 cc V-twin that doesn't chase peak numbers but delivers pure mechanical presence. At 74 hp, it falls well short of European or Japanese standards. But 138.9 Nm of torque from just 2,600 rpm — that's the real selling point. This V-twin asks for nothing more than to haul its 421 kg wet weight with the confidence of a locomotive on rails. The comparison with the Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Limited is inevitable, and on paper, the Springfield-built American holds its own.

The Indian Roadmaster is priced at 29,400 euros, placing it in direct competition with the heavyweights of luxury touring. For that sum, the equipment list borders on exhaustive. Heated leather seat with separate rider and passenger controls, ten-level heated grips, power windshield, keyless ignition, tire pressure monitoring sensors, ABS, cruise control, Bluetooth, three 12 V outlets, full LED lighting. The list is dizzying and reads more like an automotive configurator than an Indian Roadmaster spec sheet. Even the passenger footrests are adjustable, and the lower fairings let you modulate airflow. You can tell the engineers designed this machine for long hauls — the kind where comfort is no longer a luxury but a necessity.

On the luggage front, the Roadmaster adds a generous trunk to the Chieftain's saddlebags, bringing total capacity to 143 liters, all remotely lockable. That's nearly as much as a Honda Gold Wing and enough to pack for two weeks without a second thought. The 20.80-liter fuel tank provides decent range despite the bike's size, though a few extra liters would have been welcome on a machine built to devour highways. The 180 km/h top speed may seem modest, but who buys a Roadmaster to chase lap times? This motorcycle is made for traveling, not for racing.

The running gear breaks no new ground: telescopic fork up front, air-adjustable mono-shock at the rear, braking handled by dual floating ABS discs with four-piston calipers in front and a single two-piston disc in back. The 673 mm seat height reassures shorter riders and makes parking maneuvers easier — no small feat with over 400 kg between your legs. The 1,668 mm wheelbase delivers ocean-liner stability in a straight line, at the obvious expense of agility through tight corners. Final belt drive and a six-speed gearbox round out a package designed for minimal maintenance and long-haul reliability.

Should you go for this 2016 Indian Roadmaster? If you're looking for a credible alternative to Harley touring models and an abundance of chrome doesn't scare you, the answer is yes. Subsequent model years — Indian Roadmaster 2017, 2018, 2019, and through the Indian Roadmaster 2020 and 2021 — brought electronic upgrades and variants like the Indian Roadmaster Elite, but the mechanical foundation remains identical. On the used Indian Roadmaster market, examples from this generation offer a compelling entry into American grand touring, provided you take an Indian Roadmaster test ride first to get acquainted with the sheer size. This is not a beginner's bike. It's a bike for those who already know where they're going — and want to get there without rushing.