Harley-Davidson Low Rider S Vs. Indian Sport Chief: What's The Difference?

Given that they are the undisputed elder statesmen of the American motorcycle scene, Harley-Davidson and Indian have been directly compared as often as any two brands in the game over the last century-plus. With the motorcycle market continuing to grow in the U.S., it's safe to assume they'll continue to continue competing over their market share for the foreseeable future. 

Both Harley-Davidson and Indian have, of course, seen their ups and downs over the years, with the latter having endured numerous struggles and ownership changes since its founding. These days, builds from both brands are regarded among the finest you'll find on the blacktop, helping cement each manufacturer's legacy with motorcycle purists. Among each bike maker's more popular current models are Harley's Low Rider S and Indian's Sport Chief, both of which stand out among an increasingly crowded field of cruisers class motorcycles.

If one were to look at a Low Rider S and a Sports Chief side by side, it might be difficult to immediately tell each cruiser apart, save for their respective HD and Indian logos. In all honesty, Harley's Low Rider S and Indian's Sport Chief share considerable similarities in terms of ride, build, engine power, and even price point. However, on closer inspection, the bikes bear some pretty striking contrasts. Here's a quick look at some of the bigger differences between Harley-Davidson's Low Rider S and Indian's Sports Chief. 

We'll begin with Harley-Davidson's Low Rider S, if only because HD is arguably the most revered homegrown motorcycle manufacturer in U.S. history. The company's Low Rider build is still a relatively young pup among Harley-Davidson's storied lineup of motorcycles, having first gone into production in 1977. The S build of the Low Rider model is even younger, hitting the market as the build's performance variant in 2016. The Low Rider S has indeed performed since its debut, with the bike boasting an air-cooled Milwaukee-Eight 117 engine that pushes 103 horsepower and some vintage Harley-Davidson torque at 125 lb-ft, ensuring riders can get up and go when they need to.

The Low Rider S is something special to look at, too, with the Harley-Davidson team bringing some serious West Coat club cruiser cool to the design. They doubled-down on the bike's visual appeal by adding a low-profile fairing and blacking out the twin exhaust pipes and several of the engine components. Of course, one of the drawbacks of Low Rider's sleek fairing is that it doesn't provide riders much protection from wind, bugs, and other elements they may encounter charging down the freeway, which may prove a petty annoyance for some.

All in all, Harley-Davidson's Low Rider S is a relatively bare-bones build in the company's cruiser class, with base models sporting few of the technological enhancements some might prefer in a modern bike. But if you're looking for a build that's easy on the eyes and packs some serious muscle on the road, the Low Rider S is as solid a cruiser as you'll find for under $20,000. 

As for Indian's Sport Chief, its lineage can be traced back to one of the legendary motorcycle company's earliest builds, with the first Chief models rolling off the production line in 1921. The Sport Chief is very much the new kid on the block in the vaunted Chief lineup, however, having only made its Indian debut in 2023. The bike has been an instant hit with moto pros, however, who have so far compared the Sport Chief favorably to its Harley-Davidson counterpart. 

Direct comparisons of the two bikes are generally quick to point out the glaring similarities in their build, and even their blacked-out features, both of which give the Sport Chief as much eye-grabbing curb appeal as the Lower Rider S. While the Sport Chief's semi-screened fairing won't provide full coverage to riders, it will still no doubt be appealing to those who are wary of excessive exposure to the wind or regularly wiping bug guts from their visor.

It's worth noting that the 96 horsepower and 120 lb‑ft of torque produced from Sport Chief's Thunderstroke 116 V-twin engine are noticeably lower than the Low Rider S. However, what Sport Chief lacks in sheer power it may make up for in tech, with the bike hiding a digital, Bluetooth-enabled 4-inch touch screen in a handle-bar mounted frame that's designed to like an old-school analogue speedometer. As the Low Rider S actually has one of those analogue-type gauges, this particular upgrade may make the Sport Chief the more desirable for tech-savvy riders, particularly as the bike itself is priced roughly the same as its competition.