Indian Motorcycle has revealed the custom Indian Chief by Paul Cox and Keino Sasaki, the first of three customisation projects showcasing the vast personalisation possibilities inherent to the all-new Indian Chief platform.
Having always remained in touch, Cox and Sasaki decided the time was right to bring their unique and complementary skills to the table after being approached by Indian Motorcycle to create a custom Chief as part of the 100th anniversary of the iconic model.
Despite having not collaborated for nearly 15 years, Cox and Sasaki swiftly fell back into the groove. Working from the simple, bobbed lines of the stock Indian Chief, Cox put their ideas to paper before the duo split up the work to achieve the build.
For an aggressive feel upfront, they went all in to strip back the front end, even converting to a Jockey hand shift with a foot clutch. In addition to the new front end, Cox and Keino also had some significant changes planned for the rear. Keeping the final bike clean and simple, without losing any of the modern features of the Indian Chief, was a key goal of the project.
Cox and Sasaki’s custom Indian Chief will find its home in Southern California with globally renowned tattoo artist Nikko Hurtado. The owner of Black Anchor Tattoo, with shops in Hollywood and Hesperia, CA., Hurtado is well known as a master in the use of colour and a trailblazer in the style of hyper-realism. Hurtado was exposed to motorcycles at an early age, his father spending hours wrenching and customising his own motorcycles in the family’s garage.
The Cox-Keino Indian Chief is the first in a series of three renowned V-twin customisers selected by Indian Motorcycle to produce totally unique builds from the 2022 Indian Chief. Later this year, Indian Motorcycle will reveal projects from freestyle motocross legend Carey Hart and Go Takamine, creator of “Bratstyle,” the popular brand and globally recognised “throwback” aesthetic for motorcycle customisation and restoration.
