2024 Indian Springfield, Springfield Dark Horse Buyer’s Guide

A full-retro light-duty V-twin bagger with a few modern pretensions.

Fully fendered and chromed out, the 2024 Indian Springfield is steeped in retro styling, but adds a few modern touches. The base model is equipped with the Thunderstroke 111 V-twin engine.Indian Motorcycle

Overview

Indian’s Springfield bagger takes nearly an entire chapter from the brand’s past, giving it the full light-duty classic touring treatment. The retro cues include valanced fenders (complete with signature headdress fender light), whitewall tires, studded leather saddle, removable windshield, and floorboards, all dripping in copious amounts of chrome. If you squint hard, you might even see traces of the dear, departed Chief Vintage of yore. The Springfield continues the nostalgic ride with covered fork tubes and highway bars, but like its other baggers, there are some concessions to modernity, with three ride modes, cruise control, keyless ignition, and remote locking hard saddlebags.

The Springfield dips both wheels into the past with whitewall tires, floorboards and a studded leather saddle. Hard saddlebags, a removable windshield, ABS, cruise control, and selectable ride modes come standard; model shown is accessorized with a different seat and bars.Indian Motorcycle

On the base-model Springfield, motivation comes courtesy of the very familiar air-cooled 49-degree Thunderstroke 111 V-twin, good for a supposed 119 lb.-ft. of torque, with the bagger rolling on 17/16 cast wheels and a giant LED headlight upfront. The darker, slicker Springfield Dark Horse may as well be a separate model; it ditches the windshield completely and swaps in taller handlebars, a slimmer seat, and a lovely contrast-cut 19-inch front wheel, exposed for all to see thanks to the cut-down fender. You also get slammed saddlebags as well as an engine bay featuring the brawnier Thunderstroke 116 engine (doused in dark finishes), which, according to Indian, is rated for 126 lb.-ft of peak torque.

The Springfield in Dark Horse trim gets the more powerful (and blacked-out) Thunderstroke 116 engine, but aesthetics are markedly different too, with a blacked-out engine bay, different seat, mid-rise handlebars, and an open fender with a 19-inch 10-spoke contrast-cut front wheel.Indian Motorcycle

Pricing and Variants

MSRP for the standard Springfield is a quoted $22,999—almost the same as Harley’s Heritage Classic—and it’s available in Black Metallic/Titanium Metallic or Bronze Pearl/Silver Quartz. The more custom-looking Dark Horse gets the same ABS, cruise control, ride modes, keyless ignition, and rear cylinder deactivation features as the base model, and starts at $24,999 in Black Smoke, with the Sagebrush Smoke option adding another $500. In other words, the same neighborhood as the Road King.

Hope your shades are up to snuff: You also don’t get a shield on the Springfield Dark Horse to deflect any wind blasts.Indian Motorcycle

Competition

News and Reviews

2024 Indian Springfield / Springfield Dark Horse Claimed Specs

MSRP: $22,999 / $24,999
Engine: Air-cooled, 49° V-twin
Displacement: 111ci (1,811cc) / 116ci (1,890cc)
Bore x Stroke: 101.0 x 113.0mm / 103.2 x 113.0mm
Compression ratio: 9.5:1 / 11.0:1 (Dark Horse)
Transmission/Final Drive: 6-speed/belt
Fuel Delivery: Closed-loop fuel injection w/ 54mm bore
Clutch: Wet, multiplate assist
Frame: Cast aluminum
Front Suspension: 46mm telescopic fork; 4.7 in. travel
Rear Suspension: Single shock, air adjustable; 4.5 in. travel
Front Brake: 4-piston calipers, dual 300mm floating rotors w/ ABS
Rear Brake: 2-piston caliper, 300mm floating rotor w/ ABS
Wheels, Front/Rear: Cast; 17 x 3.5 in. / 16 x 5 in. ; 10-spoke cast; 19 x 3.5 in. / 16 x 5.0 in. (Dark Horse)
Tires, Front/Rear: Metzeler Cruisetec; 130/80B-17 / 180/60R-16 ; 130/60B-19 / 180/60R-16 (Dark Horse)
Rake/Trail: 25.0°/5.2 in.
Wheelbase: 67.0 in.
Ground Clearance: 5.6 in. / 5.1 in. (Dark Horse)
Seat Height: 26.0 in. / 25.6 in. (Dark Horse)
Fuel Capacity: 5.5 gal.
Wet Weight: 829 lb. / 790 lb. (Dark Horse)
Contact: indianmotorcycle.com