Indian Chief / Deluxe / Springfield / Roadmaster “Gilroy” Service Manual (2003)

The 2003 Indian Chief belonged to the final model year of the Gilroy-built Indian motorcycles. Indian had returned the Chief name to production in California in 1999, initially using S&S-based V-twin engines while the company worked toward developing a proprietary Indian powerplant.

That proprietary engine arrived for the 2002 Chief as the 100-cubic-inch Powerplus V-twin. Period Cycle World coverage described the Powerplus as Indian's long-awaited replacement for the S&S-based engines used since the Chief's 1999 revival.

For 2003, the Chief family continued around the Powerplus 100 platform. The factory service manual covered the Chief, Chief Deluxe, Springfield and Roadmaster, all using the same core 45-degree V-twin architecture, five-speed transmission and belt final drive. The 100 cu in engine was factory rated at 67 bhp at 4,750 rpm and 78 lb-ft of torque at 3,800 rpm.

The chassis combined traditional Indian styling with contemporary components. Later-production 2003 Chiefs used 41 mm Paioli front forks, while the rear suspension used a single KW rising-rate shock. Brembo four-piston calipers operated 11.5-inch discs at both ends, and the motorcycles rode on 16-inch 60-spoke wheels.

The 2003 model year became the last of the Gilroy era. Indian Motorcycle's Gilroy operation shut down in September 2003 after its financing collapsed, ending production and laying off approximately 380 employees.

The Indian name would subsequently pass through other ownership and production eras, but the 2003 Chief remains part of the distinct Gilroy-built Powerplus generation.