This Is the Closest You Can Get to a Custom Performance Cruiser, Straight from the Factory

Indian’s Sport Chief RT installs the most coveted aftermarket accessories for a great-looking, high-functioning ride, right out the gate.

Close-up of a black motorcycle dashboard with a circular digital display showing music controls and a gloved hand pressing a button.

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By Steve Mazzucchi

Published January 3, 2026

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As we’ve learned first-hand, Indian has an incredible knack for building beautiful bikes that feel custom right off the factory floor.

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The flex doesn’t get any bigger than with the Sport Chief RT, which elevates an already-awesome cruiser into a masterful blend of form and function.

indian sport chief rt locking boxes — You don’t realize how handy locking saddlebags are on an everyday basis until you’ve spent a couple weeks with them. Just being able to leave your gloves and helmet with the bike when *parking* is huge.

All it took was curating the ultimate Sport Chief using the finest available accessories from the brand’s own catalog, particularly in the storage and audio departments.

The former manifests in two locking rigid saddlebags, color-matched and weatherproof and packing more than 10 gallons of space for riding gear, extra layers and other essentials.

While they aren’t big enough for full-face helmets, they do fit half helmets, enabling you to take on a pillion at a moment’s notice.

indian sport chief rt dash — The touchscreen’s roundness carries retro vibes, but this digital dynamo does so much more than an analog gauge can.

The latter, meanwhile, comes to life via the PowerBand Audio Bluetooth Speaker, neatly wedged between the handlebars and fairing.

Controllable via a round 4-inch touchscreen, this system boasts two 2.5-inch speakers, one 4.5-inch subwoofer and two tweeters.

The brand says it will deliver 90 watts of crystal clear audio, even at highway speeds, and in our own experience testing, they absolutely rock on this front.

indian sport chief rt action — The fit and finish of the Sport Chief RT gives it a stunning pre-modified look that’s pretty much perfect.

Rounding out the West Coast custom vibes are moto-style bars on machined six-inch risers, a 2-up high bolster seat and contrast cut, lightweight cast alloy wheels, 19 inches in front and 16 in back.

Don’t even get us started on the rumble of the Thunderstroke 116 V-twin, an air-cooled 1,890cc power plant that rocket-propels you from city to country and back, leaving a head-turning trail of style and sound in your wake.