The “ultra-premium” Indian Chieftain Elite bagger returns for 2018 with a hand-finished, high-flake Black Hills Silver paint job with marbled graphics.
Last year Indian rolled out two high-end, factory-custom versions of its hard faired bagger, the Chieftain Elite and Chieftain Limited. They featured custom paint, larger front wheels and block-rockin? audio systems.
Read our 2017 Indian Chieftain Elite and Chieftain Limited first ride review
For 2018, the ?ultra-premium? Chieftain Elite bagger returns with a one-of-a-kind, hand-finished paint job and a wish list of amenities. The focal point of the new Chieftain Elite is its high-flake Black Hills Silver paint and marbled graphics.
Indian says the labor-intensive, hand-finished paint job takes 25 hours and no two Chieftain Elite baggers will look the same. As the name suggests, this paint was inspired by the silver mines in the Black Hills of South Dakota, which is near Indian Motorcycle?s custom paint facility in Spearfish. A team of Indian Motorcycle experts mask the bodywork, lay the graphics and hand-spray each Chieftain Elite. Each bike takes nearly 25 hours due to the time-intensive, painstaking processes that are completed by hand. No two bikes will look the same due to the level of human touch involved.

?Whether cruising around the city or touring the country back roads, the 2018 Chieftain Elite delivers on its promise of being the best bagger that money can buy,? said Reid Wilson, Senior Director?Marke...