Words: STAFF
Photos: Sean MacD
Indian Motorcycle recently revealed the first of three custom Sport Chief builds that they’ve shared on YouTube called the ‘Forged’ series. ‘Forged’ is a celebration of custom culture, specifically highlighting the craftsmen who have inspired custom bike culture.
This first one brings together Yaniv Evan from Powerplant Customs and Norman Reedus, the renowned actor and motorcyclist from ‘The Walking Dead’ and ‘Ride with Norman Reedus,’ to design and handcraft this custom bike.
Powerplant did an incredible job with this custom Sport Chief. They added several unique modifications to achieve a sleeker and more streamlined look, including repositioning the rear shock mounts and swingarm mounts, lifting and narrowing the fuel tank, and fitting the tank and side covers with three-inch louvers. The narrower seven-spoke Morris Mag replica wheels perfectly complement the custom-made rear fender. Moreover, the eight-inch risers go well with the Sport Chief’s four-inch round touchscreen display, which is powered by RIDE COMMAND. Check the first episodes and the complete list of modifications below.
On May 10th, Jake Cutler from Barnstorm Cycles will unveil his custom-built Sport Chief for MMA star TJ Dillashaw, and on May 18, Carey Hart will unveil his custom build for FMX legend and off-road racer Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg. Head over to IndianMotorcycle.com for more information on these stunning builds.
Episode 1: Design
- Repositioned the rear shock mounts and relocated swingarm mounts to reduce the rear section’s width.
- Narrowed and lifted the fuel tank, outfitted it and the side covers with 3-inch louvers, and custom-made a fender inspired by old-school Indian style to fit the narrower wheels.
- Modified seven-spoke Morris Mag replica wheels to fit Indian axles, brakes, rotors, sensors, and bearings. Lyndall Brakes made matching chrome rotors and a sprocket to complement the wheels.
- Narrowed down the front fork system to accommodate an 11.5-inch rotor instead of a 13-inch rotor, due to the narrow wheel used.
- Designed custom 8-inch risers to imitate the Indian display gauge engagement system and created handlebars that were narrow with lots of pull back to suit the bike’s needs.
- Fabricated a one-off stainless steel exhaust pipe with a RedThunder cone from the bike’s Italian partners.
- Crafted a fully custom cobra-style gunslinger seat with a stainless steel seat pan and upholstered it.
- Applied a custom paint job with a mix of root beer colors that was darkened to fit the Indian style.
- Paint and bodywork were done by Walt at WW Cycles, while Pacman added custom pinstripes.
- Conducted all work in-house except for the bodywork and chrome/powder coating, which were done by Garett GAS Powder in Simi Valley, CA.
