Review: 2022 Indian Pursuit Limited

The first thing I noticed upon straddling the 2022 Indian Pursuit Limited was that it’s built with size in mind.

Endeavoring For Touring Supremacy

With my derriere against the back of the seat, my arms were at full lock, gripping a handlebar that’s among the widest I’ve ever encountered on a stock motorcycle. Reaching the accessory highway pegs was a tippytoe affair. Luckily, the bike also had the accessory rider backrest that flips down from a high to low position and pushed me a couple inches forward. This remedied the otherwise awkward riding position, putting me in comfortable control of Indian’s newest luxo-tourer.

To put this in perspective, I’m 5 feet, 11 inches with a 33-inch inseam and a 24-inch reach. Anyone my size or smaller will benefit from being a smidge closer to the controls or adjusting the bar toward the pilot, but for the rider north of six feet in height, the Pursuit’s stock seating position is your hammock. Once underway, the Pursuit hustled corners with sure-footed agility belying its more than 930-pound wet weight, and ingested miles-long straightaways with all the grace befitting a motorcycle of this caliber.

There’s more lean angle (claimed 31 degrees) than you’d expect for a motorcycle outfitted with floorboards, which I happily ground away until my cornering nonchalance was interrupted by entering a bend a little too briskly. It was here when I felt the full weight of the Pursuit. Any alarm, however, was quickly dispelled by the Pursuit’s four-piston Brembo front calipers and dual 320mm discs, not to mention the Bosch IMU that adds cornering control to its DTC and ABS functions of the tested Premium Package.

A Limited Beginning

The base model Pursuit Limited ($29,999) is followed by the Pursuit Dark Horse ($30,999), the Pursuit Limited with Premium Package ($32,999), and the Pursuit Dark Horse with Premium Package ($33,999). Indian also allows new buyers to accessorize their Pursuit a la carte. The test bike was the Limited Premium Package, beautified with the Maroon Metallic/Crimson Metallic paint option ($1,500) and a variety of other add-ons, bringing the total as-tested MSRP to more than $40,600.

All Pursuit models come with a host of modern technologies, including a seven-inch touch screen, remote-locking saddlebags and trunk boasting more than 35 gallons of storage, heated grips, TPMS, a power windscreen, a USB charging port, keyless ignition, cruise control, ABS, and rear cylinder deactivation. The Premium Package adds smart lean technology, electronically adjustable rear preload, a heated rider and passenger seat, and integrated driving lights in the lower fairing.

Sound and Fury

This was my first stint aboard Indian’s newest engine, the 60-degree, liquid-cooled, 1768cc PowerPlus V-twin, and it didn’t fail to impress. With a claimed 128 lb-ft of torque at 3,800 rpm, 122 horsepower at 5,500 rpm, and a redline 1,000 rpm higher, the oversquare engine (4.251 inches by 3.799 inches) is sporty by big-twin touring standards. It seems a great fit for the rider who likes a touring bike with performance but isn’t attracted to a Honda Gold Wing or BMW K 1600 family of bagger models.

The exhaust sound of my test bike was enhanced by Stage 1 oval slip-ons, but that was mostly drowned out by the Pursuit’s live-concert-like audio system that sounds magnificent regardless the situation. Of course, my bike’s stereo is also far from stock and includes Indian’s PowerBand Audio quick release trunk amplified speaker kit and other audio goodies worth more than $2,900. But if you love music and want everyone around you to love it too, it’s money well spent.

Digital Bike Set-Up

The touch screen is a big, beautiful, full-color display providing an easy-to-navigate bonanza of information. My old gloves didn’t always play nicely with the screen, but I have to assume newer gloves constructed to interact with such technology will perform better. Connecting your phone through Bluetooth is a painless process and allows you to control your music and see who’s calling when you receive a call. The optional Ride Command+ (free for one year) allows Apple CarPlay and features turn-by-turn navigation, live weather, traffic and speed limit navigation screen overlays, an intuitive navigation search, a vehicle locator, and a vehicle health display.

Toward the end of the ride day, I was free to return to our rendezvous point however I saw fit. Without much time to spare, I entered the return address and followed the route the Ride Command+ provided. Being familiar with the area, I knew I was heading in the right direction but the end result was a few miles off from the actual location. Joining me were a few other journalists who were also misdirected, but at least we were all misdirected to the same wrong location. After a quick check with Google Maps, we made it back without further incident.

I’m a fan of electronic suspension, and the ability to electronically adjust the Pursuit’s Fox shock for preload was no exception. Via the touch screen, you can set approximate weights for the rider, passenger, and luggage before selecting whether you’re riding solo or with a passenger and/or luggage. Just remember to adjust the setting before you’re underway or you’ll soon be pulling over to do so. During our testing, the preload suspension setting defaulted to a solo rider whenever the ignition was switched off. Indian is aware of this glitch and will be updating the software in the near future to retain the rider’s preload preference.

Best Newish Tech Award

Speaking of technology I can really get behind, or on top of in this case, there is the optional ClimaCommand Syndicate seat. Sure, it features a heating function, but it’s the seat’s cooling feature I’m really excited about. The magic comes from Thermovance technology that involves thermoelectric devices and graphene that can both absorb and dissipate heat, depending on the flow of electrical current. The only moving part is a fan located under the seat to disperse heated air.

Our ride day was moderately warm with temperatures in the mid-80s. The seat really did work well at maintaining a greater level of comfort. You can activate the heating/cooling feature via the seat-mounted switch (there’s a separate switch for the passenger) but, if you’re unsure of what you’ve selected, a quick check of the touch screen display will confirm in what capacity the seat is functioning. Indian chose vinyl over leather for better heating/cooling performance and that Indian used less foam cushioning to keep the seat height equal to a standard seat. That was surprising to hear, considering I didn’t find the Syndicate seat any less comfortable than a normal touring seat.

The ClimaCommand Syndicate seat retails for $1,300. The Premium Package comes with a heated seat, which cannot be substituted for the Syndicate seat, so you’ll be stuck with an extra seat to sell on eBay.

An array of vents—located in the lower fairing at about shin level and in the upper fairing next to the speakers—also helps dispel heat. And then, of course, there’s the electrically adjustable windscreen. In the lower position, I was in the airflow from shoulders up, while in the high position I could ride with my modular helmet open and not incur any rough buffeting. All considered, the Pursuit provides a wealth of options for managing hot/cold ambient air temps.

Another promising technology is the Pathfinder adaptive LED headlight. According to Indian, the headlight functions by monitoring the Pursuit’s lean angle, which determines which of 15 individual LEDs to activate/deactivate to better illuminate a darkened corner. I’ve ridden with BMW’s version of an adaptive headlight and it’s a wonderful technology. I didn’t get to test this feature on a daylight ride, but let’s hope Indian’s version works as well as the BMW headlight.

I’ve said a lot, but for a bike this rich in features, technologies, and accessories, there’s always more to be said. If your interest has been piqued, get down to your nearest Indian dealer and tell them RoadRUNNER sent you.

+ a seat that cools itself, electronically adjustable shock, an agile heavyweight

– test bike cost more than a Ford F150, Ride Command+ directions are a little questionable, the bike fits bigger riders better

Distributor: Indian Motorcycle
MSRP: $29,999 base; $40,600+ as tested
Engine: PowerPlus, liquid-cooled 60º V-twin
Displacement: 1768cc (108ci)
Power: 122hp @5,500rpm (claimed); 128lb-ft @3,800rpm (claimed)
Transmission: 6-speed, constant mesh, belt final drive
Rake/Trail: 25°/5.9in
Dry Weight:877lbs (claimed)
Seat Height:26.5in
Fuel Capacity: 6gal
Colors: Maroon Metallic/Crimson Metallic, Deepwater Metallic, Black Metallic