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Summary
- Indian Motorcycle is transitioning to liquid-cooled engines for its big touring bikes.
- Current models promise 92 horsepower, but the power output of the new liquid-cooled engines is still to be declared.
- The new liquid-cooled Roadmaster and Chieftain will be part of the company’s 2025 lineup.
For the longest time, liquid cooling has been Indian Motorcycle’s key weapon against Harley-Davidson. The former has an assortment of liquid-cooled offerings that make the latter’s mostly air-cooled lineup seem dated. Now, Indian is ready to take another step in the same direction. It’s readying liquid-cooled versions of its big touring bikes, the Roadmaster and Chieftain, armed with new engines. Here’s what you need to know.

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Indian Roadmaster And Chieftain Will Switch To Liquid-Cooled Engines In The Future
The news comes via internal documents from Indian Motorcycles. It shows the VIN decoder for the company’s 2025 model year lineup, which lists two new offerings: Chieftain PowerPlus and Roadmaster PowerPlus. Each cruiser has four trims–base, Dark Horse, Elite/Limited Edition, and Limited–with two engine options. The first is the usual 108ci (1,768cc) liquid-cooled option seen on the current Challenger and Pursuit, while the second (and new addition) is a 112ci (1,834cc) liquid-cooled powerhouse.
What about the Thunderstroke 116ci (1,890cc) engine on the current Chieftain and Roadmaster? No need to worry, as the document reveals the Thunderstroke will remain in production. So you’ll essentially have four options:
- Roadmaster with Thunderstroke 116 engine
- Chieftain with Thunderstroke 111 engine
- Roadmaster PowerPlus with new 112ci, liquid-cooled engine
- Chieftain PowerPlus with new 112ci, liquid-cooled engine
The final decision will come down to your preference, whether you like an old-school flavor or cherish modern technology.
What remains unclear, though, is the power output of the new mill. The document mentions it as TBD (to be declared). However, we know the 108ci engine will continue to produce 122 horsepower. It’s a no-brainer the bigger mill would have more oomph, don’t you think?
The 2024 Indian Roadmaster And Chieftain Promise 92 Horsepower
Coming to the current models, the Roadmaster employs the Thunderstroke 116ci (1,890cc) V-twin powerhouse. It’s good for 92 horsepower and 126 pound-feet, all sent to the wheel via a six-speed transmission. Whereas, the Chieftain employs a 111ci (1,811cc) V-twin engine, promising 92 horsepower and 119 pound-feet.
Another key difference between the two is the categories they fall into. The Roadmaster is Indian’s heavyweight tourer (with a passenger backrest and top case) to rival the Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited and BMW R 18 Transcontinental. Meanwhile, the Chieftain falls into the batwing bagger category, competing with the recently revealed Street Glide and the BMW R 18 B.

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When will we see the new liquid-cooled duo in dealerships, you ask? That remains unclear for now. But as mentioned above, the VIN decoder is for Indian’s MY2025 lineup. This suggests the two new LC cruisers would debut in the latter half of 2024 (around the EICMA), followed by an American dispatch in early 2025. This was also its timeline for the current lineup. One thing’s for sure; whenever these debut, they will give their H-D counterparts a run for their money.
Source: Motorcycle.com, Indian Motorcycles
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