In our opinion, this Ducati allows one to use “Supersport” and “practical” in the same sentence.

Best Bikes in India | No.1 Two Wheeler Magazine
In our opinion, this Ducati allows one to use “Supersport” and “practical” in the same sentence.
Hot on the heels of their King of the Bagger racing success, Indian Motorcycle produce the stunning Chieftain, using the big 112 PowerPlus motor. Here is our first impression following a ride in Nevada.
Story: Adam Child ‘Chad’
Photography: Indian Motorcycle and Motocom
We expect BMW to deploy World Superbike technology in their road bikes and we expect MotoGP-inspired aerodynamics to appear on Ducati’s street legal Panigales. But when it comes to the bagger and cruiser market, we certainly do not associate racing with such laid-back road bikes. Until now, that is.
Things changed when the King of the Bagger series was introduced in the United States of America in 2020. Racing big and heavy V-twins designed and equipped for a two-up cruise into the country was a crazy, counter-intuitive idea, but the wild spectacle the racing provided proved a massive hit with the American public—and viewing figures skyrocketed.
Indian Motorcycle have been at the forefront, taking three championships in 2020, 2022, and 2024, and, despite the company’s focus on cruisers, tourers, and baggers, we should not really be surprised. Indian have recently dominated flat-track racing in the USA with the FTR, while the history books are filled both with racing success and land speed records, most notably Burt Munro’s 184 mph (296 km/h), set in 1967 on a 1920 Indian Scout Streamliner.
The engine that has taken Indian to recent success in bagger racing is the water-cooled PowerPlus 112, a single overhead cam V-twin with a capacity of 112 cubic inches (or 1,834 cubic centimetres) that churns out 126 hp and a gargantuan 181.4 Nm of torque. The 112 can now be found in the all-new Chieftain PowerPlus, which we have on test, and its larger sibling, the Roadmaster PowerPlus, which is essentially a Chieftain but fully dressed, with a top box and back-rest.
We also had the opportunity to ride the new Challenger, which again uses the same chassis, engine, and technology as the Chieftain, but has a larger chassis-mounted fairing, as opposed to the fork-mounted fairing on the Chieftain.
But it is not just about the new class-leading motor. Indian have introduced technology we would normally only associate with sport bikes, such as a six-axis IMU, which facilitates the introduction of lean-sensitive rider aids. There are also three riding modes, linked braking, hill hold control, and even a rear-mounted radar for tailgate warning, collision warning, and blind spot warning. Add a keyless ride, remote locking for the bags, USB charging sockets, cruise control, a large touchscreen 7.0-inch dash, an electric screen, rear cylinder deactivation to aid engine heat management, plus the mandatory audio system and you can see that the Chieftain is embracing 21st century technology in a way not seen on a bagger before.
With its unique styling, sporty new motor, and feast of technology, we needed a full day in the saddle to put the new Indian to the test. Fortunately, Indian had the perfect backdrop: the Nevada desert outside Las Vegas. If the Chieftain was going to succeed anywhere, it would be here.
Let me be honest: the last big American cruiser I rode was the Indian Challenger race bike in the summer of 2023. It was a 290-km/h, hand-built replica of the bike that took the King of the Bagger Championship in 2022 in the hands of Tyler O’Hara. It has also been a while since I have ridden an American bagger on the road, although I have recently sampled the European equivalent, BMW’s R 18 Roctane. But one thing I know for sure is that certain bikes fit certain styles and environments and here in Nevada, just outside Vegas, and glistening in the early morning sunlight, the all-new Indian Chieftain looked stunning. It is a truly jaw-dropping motorcycle.
Indian now produce two liquid-cooled bikes with the new 112 motor: the Chieftain and the Challenger. For 2025, both share key components—engine, chassis, and electronics, et cetera—the main difference being the style and fairing. The Chieftain has the bagger-defining twin-mounted panniers—or bags—and a smaller fork-mounted and classic-looking fairing, while the Challenger’s larger fairing is frame-mounted and more modern in look.
In terms of garage appeal, I prefer the Chieftain, especially in this stunning red paint. The level of finish is exceptionally high and a sense of quality only increases when you throw a leg over the low (672 mm) seat. The switchgear is well thought out, with cruise and screen control on the right ’bar, screen navigation on the left. The 7.0-inch full-colour touchscreen dominates the handlebar-mounted fairing with a pleasing-to-the-eye analogue speed and rev counter on either side.
Standing in the parking lot, big V-twin purring away, I was a little overawed. Not by the enormous weight (366 kg, dry), which is positioned manageably low in the chassis, but more by the huge amount of information and data at hand, including full touchscreen navigation. Once we got rolling, though, and were cruising steadily into the traffic-free desert, it all became second nature. Within 15 minutes of riding, I had saved two radio stations (Radio X and Best of Country), the electric screen was fully upright, I was in the middle riding mode of three (Sport, Standard, and Wet), and had played around with the integrated sat-nav. That touchscreen is intuitive to use, while four large buttons and one single button are simple shortcuts to make life even easier.
Other manufacturers could take a lesson from Indian here: the Chieftain has one of the most informative and easy-to-use displays I have used. A lot is going on—you can change the stereo settings, turn on and deactivate the rear collision warning, even switch off the traction control on the move—but it is all doable without too much thought or risk of becoming distracted. Admittedly, we were riding in an empty desert and things might be different in the city rush hour, but 30 minutes into our ride, I was already falling in love with the Chieftain.
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Of the two new KTM 390 Adventures, the Adventure X is the road-biased one and relatively less equipped. Despite that, it has the potential to be all the bike most people will need.
Both the 2025 KTM 390 Adventures represent a massive jump in ability over the previous generation bikes. Similar to the previous nomenclature, the 390 Adventure (also known as the S) is the better equipped of the two with more off-road ability, whereas the 390 Adventure X is the road-focused and more affordable bike with less equipment. The ex-showroom price difference between the two bikes is not insignificant; therefore, the question is whether the extra money is worth spending or if the Adventure X’s capabilities are substantial enough.
I approached this road test with a slightly different angle because I myself own a 2025 KTM 390 Adventure S (I’m going to call it the S in this article for convenience), on which I’ve clocked around 1,500 kilometres since its purchase two months ago. Looking at the 390 Adventure X standing next to my bike left me with mixed feelings. Although the S is the more expensive bike of the two, I genuinely think the X’s colour and graphic execution looks noticeably better. We received a brand-new orange bike wherein the graphics were also shades of orange and were executed very tastefully, and the rear body-panels were black, which complemented the front design nicely. The other noticeable visual distinction between the two is the X’s 19-/17-inch alloy wheel set-up compared to the S’ 21-/17-inch spoke wheels. Tyres on both bikes are dual-purpose Apollo Tramplr XRs.
The 390 Adventure X uses the same basic formula as the Adventure S: a comfortable and upright riding posture, a narrow yet accommodating seat, a tall visor with the TFT display placed at a similarly high position, WP Apex long-travel suspension complemented by 228-millimetre ground clearance, and, most importantly, the immensely characterful and rev-happy 399-cc, single cylinder, LC4c engine developing 46 hp and 39 Nm.
As soon as I started riding the 390 Adventure X, what became immediately noticeable was how much more responsively it handles on the road compared to the S. The 19-inch front wheel results in a relatively more flickable motorcycle that is genuinely fun to throw around the bends. This also results in a bike that is easier to manoeuvre in traffic. The suspension spec and travel are the same on both Adventures, but the X doesn’t get adjustable damping. Nevertheless, the suspension has been set up extremely well and it immediately feels more comfortable than the default suspension setting that the Adventure S comes with. The X’s suspension does a fantastic job of dealing with our unpredictable roads and, for the most part, won’t leave you wishing for the adjustability that the S gets.
The Apollo Tramplr XRs inspire confidence while riding in dry as well as wet conditions and the braking performance is also strong. The Adventure X also comes with a super-slick bi-directional quick-shifter as standard which feels great to use. The 399-cc engine is not very refined at lower revs but it does become smooth a fair bit as you reach highway cruising speeds. This bike doesn’t have riding modes, so the throttle map on the X is the same as the “street” throttle map on the S, which means the 390 Adventure X feels fast and its acceleration is linear. While I don’t think you’ll miss the rain throttle map that the S gets (I find it a little too gentle), I did miss the aggressive and fun off-road throttle map. I think the immediate and rapid feel of this mode would’ve been an absolute hoot along with the Adventure X’s superior road handling. The X also misses out on S’ cruise control, which may seem puzzling given that the former is the more touring-oriented bike. However, the throttle action is relatively low-effort and won’t induce significant wrist fatigue over longer rides.
Some other electronics that this bike misses out on compared to its sibling, such as cornering traction control and cornering ABS, don’t make their absence felt frequently, but would certainly provide an extra layer of safety that could prove useful in certain situations.
This is a motorcycle that will be bought primarily for touring as well as city use, and it fulfils those requirements very well. Additionally, it can also handle a decent amount of off-road use, so when you encounter a rough patch during your travels, you can soldier on without being worried.
For Rs 2.91 lakh (ex-showroom), the 390 Adventure X gives you a solid amount of capability for the money and is an excellent all-rounder. If you’d like to have the additional off-road ability, equipment, and electronics that the 390 Adventure S offers, you’ll have to shell out approximately Rs 80,000 more.
Instead of looking at the X as an S with features missing, look at it as the default option of the two which does everything which most people would want, and the S as the bike which, for a price, adds further equipment and ability on top of that, which not everyone will need.
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