This stunning new motorcycle comes with a 7-inch CarPlay screen

By Oliver Haslam
published

Indian Motorcycle Chieftain Limited
Indian Motorcycle Chieftain Limited (Image credit: Indian Motorcycle)

What you need to know

  • Indian Motorcycles has added Apple CarPlay to its new releases.
  • Motorcycles will ship with a seven-inch screen.

Apple CarPlay was first announced as a way for carmakers to integrate iPhones but it isn't strictly limited to four wheels. Indian Motorcycles has proven that by adding CarPlay to its 2021 Chieftain Elite lineup.

Spied by 9to5Mac, the new motorcycles look gorgeous even without that fancy screen, but being able to enjoy CarPlay on two wheels really is the icing on the cake.

Indian Motorcycle's easy-to-use, state-of-the-art technology found throughout the 2021 Chieftain Elite delivers a next-level riding experience. Taking center stage is Indian Motorcycle's industry-leading, seven-inch Ride Command infotainment system. With connected services riders can view weather and traffic overlays, while Apple CarPlay delivers an easier, more customized level of control for music, navigation preferences, and mobile device information.

Chieftain Limited Indian Ride Command Carplay

Chieftain Limited Indian Ride Command Carplay (Image credit: Indian Motorcycle)

These motorcycles include wired CarPlay which is less than ideal, but it does work. There's a compartment for keeping your iPhone in while you're riding, at least. Controlling the CarPlay experience is a case of pressing the integrated buttons on the handlebars. There's no touch screen input with your gloves on, see.

The Chieftain Elite is a limited run of 120 bikes starting at $34,999 to help celebrate 120 years of Indian Motorcycles.

While CarPlay has come to motorcycles before, it's normally all about the cars. You can even pick up an aftermarket Apple CarPlay receiver for your older car, too.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.