The 2016 Indian Springfield can go from touring to cruising mode in a cinch

By Albert Khoury March 5, 2016

Indian Motorcycle announced its new 2016 Indian Springfield this week. Described as the “pure, essential touring machine,” it is named after the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, where Indian originally began production in 1901. The Springfield aims to please purists with its classic styling while also offering modern tech to ease long journeys and urban rides alike.

The Springfield can go from touring to cruising mode with the removal of the saddlebags and quick-release windshield. Remote locking hard bags and adjustable passenger floorboards come standard, along with leather seats, ABS, tire pressure monitoring, and electronic cruise control. Front and rear highway bars give you a place to mount accessories while offering protection from tip-overs. The forks, headlight housing, fender trim, engine covers, and handlebars (with internal wiring) are all finished in bright chrome. Though it is related to the Chief family, the Springfield hard bagger features a unique trunk-compatible chassis for greater load capacity.

“The new Indian Springfield wasn’t designed to fill a space in our lineup; it was built to fill a space in the hearts of riders who value the rich heritage and fine craftsmanship of Indian Motorcycle, and who want both a pure touring bike and a sleek urban cruiser,” said Steve Menneto, President of Motorcycles for Polaris Industries. “The Springfield’s unmatched versatility will win the hearts of motorcycling purists around the world.”

The 25-degree frame rake angle is unique to the Springfield, enhancing its handling characteristics. The bike was designed to handle a wide load range and features cartridge forks and an air-adjustable rear shock with 4.5 inches of travel (compare this to the Chief Classic’s 3.7 inches) for transporting up to 533 lbs. The Springfield is powered by Indian’s Thunder Stroke 111 engine, which produces 119 pound-feet of torque at 3,000 rpm.

Additional factory accessories can add to the bike’s minimalist touring character, including tall and low windshields, heated seats and grips, and soft lowers. The split seat can be trimmed down to create a low solo look. The Springfield starts at about $21,000 in Thunder Black and $21,550 in Indian Motorcycle Red.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Al started his career at a downtown Manhattan publisher, and has since worked with digital and print publications. He's…

Cars

Don’t let the gimmicks fool you. The Ioniq 5 N is a serious track car

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N drifting.

We’re finally getting to the fun part of automakers’ methodical quest to replicate their lineups with electric cars.

Performance versions of ordinary cars have been a staple of the auto industry for decades. But while we’ve already seen some variants of EVs boasting more power and more impressive stats — think Tesla Model S Plaid or Lucid Air Sapphire — the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is the first to truly apply that format to an EV.

Cars

The Maserati GranCabrio Folgore is one of the best-looking EVs yet

Front of the Maserati GranCabrio Folgore

Maserati is adopting electrified vehicles with open arms, and while that could potentially signal an identity crisis for the luxury Italian brand, that’s probably a good thing in the long run.

The company recently took the wraps off of the new Maserati GranCabrio Folgore, which is essentially a convertible version of its already released GranTurismo Folgore electric car. The new EV is its third go at electrified vehicles so far, and it flew us out to Rimini, Italy, to witness the big reveal in person.

Cars

EV warranties aren’t like those for non-electric cars. Here’s what you should know

Close up of the Hybrid car electric charger station with power supply plugged into an electric car being charged.

EVs are on the rise. With awesome new models finally rolling out and charging networks rapidly expanding, it feels like we're at the tipping point of electric cars being as mainstream as non-electric vehicles. But with a whole new type of vehicle come new challenges. One challenge is adapting to charging times. Another is paying closer to attention to range. And another, as some drivers are finding out, has to do with electric car warranties.

Turns out, the warranty that comes with electric cars isn't necessarily quite the same as the one that you might get with your non-electric car. If you really think about it, that's probably not all that surprising -- after all, while they can look the same, electric cars have a completely different makeup under the hood compared to their gas-powered cousins. But understanding an EV warranty could be the difference between winding up having to pay thousands for a battery replacement, or getting one repaired on the house.
It's not all new
Before diving into things like battery warranties, it's worth doing a quick primer on car warranties in general. EVs and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles usually come with two different warranties -- at least when they're bought new. First, there's the basic warranty (also known as bumper-to-bumper warranty), which covers every part of a car except for basic maintenance, usually for up to three years or 36,000 miles.