With motorcycle racing, certain things happen that defy logic. Of course, they can’t be explained, either. The story of the RSD Indian Chief that’s made the rounds in several different races seems to be somewhat of a unicorn, a pot of gold, a four-leaf clover (whatever you’re into), but no matter if it was luck or rider skill or a serendipitous aligning of the stars (over and over and over again), one thing remains certain: The RSD Indian Chief is one machine that seems to defy all logic on the racetrack.

In 2021 the Roland Sands Design (RSD) crew embarked on building what may currently be the winningest motorcycle on the planet. In fact, every pilot that’s thrown a leg over the 2021 RSD/Indian Chief has stood atop the podium in every race it’s entered. This audacious endeavor was fueled by the RSD crew’s penchant for turning wild ideas into tangible realities. This Indian Chief racer would emerge as irrefutable proof that unconventional thinking could lead to extraordinary results in the world of Big Twin racing within the Bagger Racing League and the Super Hooligans series for MotoAmerica.

At its inception, the Indian Chief was a laid-back cruiser, weighing in at a hefty 640 pounds, designed for, well, ya know… cruising. In fact, the Chief was never meant to navigate the twists and turns of high-speed road racing circuits; it was more suited for casual barhopping and leisurely Sunday jaunts. As the cruiser market evolved and Indian aimed to compete in the middleweight cruiser segment, the competition had spent years fi ne-tuning their bikes for enhanced performance. Interestingly, the tides had turned, and heavy bikes were now finding their way back onto road racetracks. It was as if the unnatural had become the new norm. And with that, RSD made the audacious decision to thrust the Indian Chief into the realm of road racing.

The transformation began with the removal of unnecessary bits, shedding approximately 100 pounds of excess weight. While the excess weight might have gone unnoticed during highway cruises, it would undoubtedly be felt when pushing the bike to its limits on tracks like Laguna Seca’s notorious corkscrew or the challenging turns of Miller Motorsports Park. RSD opted for a set of FTR forks, complete with reversed S&S triple clamps borrowed from their Indian Challenger bagger racer. The stock wheels were swapped out for RSD’s 17×3.5 and 17×6 Assault road race wheels, shod with sticky Dunlop slicks. Accompanied by the long-travel Fox shocks, this setup was a recipe for a dramatic shift in the Chief’s overall demeanor.

Lloydz Motor Workz entered the picture, providing a finely tuned exhaust system meticulously crafted in-house by RSD’s fabrication guru, Aaron Boss. The bike’s rear end was replaced with a Saddlemen fl at track tailsection and custom seat which were both seamlessly joined to an adjustable subframe. Saddlemen also contributed a tank hump, enhancing knee-to-bike contact and bolstering rider control. For stopping power, Brembo rotors and brake calipers took the reins, while a 530 chain and sprocket replaced the pulley to enable gearing adjustments. RSD’s in-house craftsmanship extended to the handlebars and Spiegler brake lines, further optimizing the Chief for the racetrack. The culmination of these modifi cations birthed a trackready beast that Rennie Scaysbrook expertly piloted to a triumphant victory in the inaugural BRL Big Twin class race at Miller Motorsports Park. The transformation was nothing short of astounding and the svelte, yet brute stance of a big twin was looking lean and mean going into its first race.

In the Chief’s debut, piloted by Rennie Scaysbrook at Utah Motorsports Park in 2021, the Chief went on to take position of its first race in the Bagger Racing League’s Big Twin Class. Rennie went on to pilot the Chief again in 2022, winning the Super Hooligan Mission Foods American V-twin Championship with First place podiums at Daytona, the double header at Atlanta and again a double header at Laguna Seca. With a 6-0 record on one big twin Indian, it’s kind of a freak occurrence if you think about it.

Patricia Fernandez-West was also asked to give the RSD Chief a go in 2022. In fact, Patricia won every race she entered in the BRL Big Twin class. In fact, she went on to win the BRL Big Twin Championship too.

Then in 2023, the RSD Chief found a new home by way of Hawk Mazzotta, who got the call to continue the RSD Chief’s legacy. You can guess what happened next. Hawk went on to win every race he entered with the Chief and won the overall Mission Foods Super Hooligan Air-Cooled V-twin championship. It seemed that the Chief could never lose.

But the Texas gods had different plans for the Chief’s debut at Circuit of the Americas (COTA). While Hawk was getting going, the Chief’s original engine, tuned by Lloydz Garage, officially went kaput. It grenaded and the Chief’s winning streak had come to an end.

As the dust settled and the racetrack beckoned, the world awaits the next chapter in the RSD Indian Chief’s racing legacy. While the questions surrounding its transformation may never be entirely answered, one thing is certain: in the world of motorcycle racing, the improbable had become the new standard, and the RSD Indian had cemented its place as a truly exceptional racing motorcycle. HB

WORDS: JORDAN MASTAGNI PHOTOS: LOUIS YIO