Indian Chief Shige Is an Oni Demon on Two Wheels

The bike is the second in a line of three custom Chiefs Indian has commissioned not long ago. The first one, handled by Mayonaize, was shown back in July, and the third one, designed by Carlos Torres, will surface next month.

But first, the elephant in the room. What you’re looking at is not a real motorcycle, but a rendering released by Indian. The design you see here, as well as the other two in the series, will be applied to real Chiefs later this year, and will be shown for the first time in public “at a VIP event in London” in early 2022.

So, what we have here is an otherwise stock Chief wearing some very insane tattoos on the fenders and fuel tank. But whereas the fenders look like just mashups of colors, a closer look at the fuel tank reveals something scary-looking, yet soothing, if we are to trust Shige: and Oni demon.

The artist says that in Japanese culture Oni demons, despite their name, are not something to be feared. They stand for “strong will and protection” and are believed to have powers to remove bad luck and protect against other, not-so-benign demons.

Shige says he chose the fuel tank of the Chief because that would be the motorcycle’s belly, and an Oni on the belly “shows one’s determination to live in this harsh world with a strong heart.” Told you, Japanese culture…

You can admire the Chief Oni both in the gallery and in the video attached to this piece. Like it or not, you’ll better get ready for more such builds: aside for the three bikes we talked about here, Indian will present another 40 in digital form, with an undisclosed number of them turning into real motorcycles later in the year.