AIndian Motorcycle celebrated performance, style, and customisation at the Moto Bike Expo in Verona, Italy, by showcasing the ‘First 6’ customs based on the newly announced 2025 Indian Sport Chief RT.

With a public vote to choose the best, the ‘First 6’ collection of Club Style customs has been crafted by select Indian Motorcycle dealers from around Europe, highlighting the artistry and ingenuity of the brand’s dealer network. Building on the new Sport Chief RT’s aggressive style, attitude, and dynamic riding character, the six dealer builds bring unique designs, custom finishes, and creative interpretations to the RT’s performance cruiser roots.
For Ola Stenegärd, a renowned customiser and Director of Design for Indian Motorcycle, the ‘First 6’ is a passion project that links directly to a key principle of the factory design team - customising is key. “When we’re designing, we’re always keeping customisers in our minds to ensure that the bikes we produce are as easy to work on as we can make them. "The ‘First 6’ really is the fruit of that process and, as ever, I’m totally blown away by the results, especially with the really short time our dealers had to create these bikes. The level of paintwork is next-level and the close-up details are off the wall. With every viewing you find something new on each build.”

NO COMPLY SOCIETY UNITED KINGDOM
Krazy Horse, based in UK since 1995, is one of the unavoidable names in Custom Culture with over 30 years builds from vintage V-Twins to some of the finest custom Indian in the world.

No Comply Society was inspired by all forms of custom culture, from the bike and car worlds, encompassing the Club Scene but with a different twist and a nod to many other elements of the Bike & Art world.

BASTARD PORTUGAL
MotoStrada Porto - Indian Motorcycle dealer since 2015 whose team prides itself on a more intimate approach to customer relationships and sharing the same deep passion as their riders - customization.

Inspired by the Performance and Racing DNA of Indian Motorcycle, the team chose a build reminiscent of King of Baggers and Superhooligan racers while trying to use as many genuine accessories and parts as possible and keep the youthful, irreverent and street racer spirit of the Sport Chief RT.

TOP FUEL - FRANCE
At the heart of its local riding community, Indian Motorcycle Metz has been demonstrating its passion and commitment to Indian Motorcycle with outstanding custom creations since 2017.

Top Fuel, as the name suggests, was inspired by NHRA, Nascar, and King Of The Baggers. With Indian Motorcycle winning the 2024 King of the Baggers championship, the Indian Motorcycle Metz team were inspired to blend Club Style with the feel of a race bagger.

AMERICAN GRAFFITI CZECH REPUBLIC
Indian Motorcycle Praha are one of the first European Indian Motorcycle dealers in the modern era, continuing a great tradition in Prague where the original dealer, Frantisek Marik, sold more than 6,500 motorcycles in the 1920s.

In a team where everyone is a racer and loves adrenaline sports, their inspirations for the build are rooted firmly in the American Race scene and the name 'American Graffiti' came to the team immediately when they decided to paint the entire bike and the frame to celebrate everything they love about the world of US race culture.

THE QWETCHER SWITZERLAND
Biker Syndicate have been in Lausanne, Switzerland since 1992 and joined Indian Motorcycle in 2014.
The Qwetcher pays homage to Biker Syndicate's roots in the canton of Vaud.

In the Vaudois dialect, "qwetcher" means "to mumble", an authentic term that echoes pride in being true patriots. For them, The Qwetcher evokes these murmurs, these little noises that come to life, as the motorcycle mumbles its history and its personality to the biker who rides it. Discrete but expressive, it whispers to the free spirits of the road, sharing its vibrations and secrets with those who listen.

HOKA KEY - AUSTRIA
Markus Krasser, the well none owner Styrian Motor Cycle (South Austria), has worked with the brand since 2013, another very early European dealer in the modern era. Passionate and custom master, Markus says he gets customization inspiration everyday.

The team at Styrian Motor Cycle were inspired by the history of Indian Motorcycle and their personal experience of the brand’s evolution over the years. With Club Style as the anchor, Hoka Key is a testament to the clean, simple lines of the Sport Chief RT and the raw, mechanical, V-Twin motorcycle.

FIRST APPEARANCE

Paola Somma and Francesco Agnoletto, key figures in the Italian motorcycle world for 30 years, are the creators of the Motor Bike Expo, held in Verona in northern Italy every January. Founded in 1995 as the Chopper & Custom Show, it has grown steadily to encompass a succession of halls now occupying a total of 100,000 sqm.

Every year, MBE kicks off the European motorcycle shows in January. While all sectors of the motorcycle industry are represented here today, Custom is the most historic and the most frequented by tens of thousands of enthusiasts. It's the reason the show was created in the first place, and brings together the world's leading accessory makers, builders and custom culture specialists.

It is the DNA of the MBE, as intended by its creators.
Indian Motorcycle made its mark by setting up a large central booth to present a world preview of its three new 2025 models: Sport Chief RT, Chieftain PowerPlus 112 and Roadmaster PowerPlus 112.

Indian Motorcycle's International Vice President, together with Design Director Ola Stenegärd, introduced the machines themselves, still kept secret and fully draped. The impatience of the crowd gathered around the stand was very high at this solemn moment. The public, who couldn't have asked for more, were honoured to witness this grand premiere at a show where the passion for custom is deeply anchored.

NEW KING

In the space of six short months, Troy Herfoss came, saw, and emphatically conquered the MotoAmerica Mission® King of the Baggers.

Words By Rennie Scaysbrook
Photography de Brian J Nelson

In the grid for the final 2024 Mission® King of The Baggers Championship race at New Jersey Motorsports Park, S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Troy Herfoss was so calm he looked like he was about to take his wife, Emily, for a two-up ride to a local biker bar. Laughing and joking with the GOAT of American Superbike Championship racing, Australian compatriot Mat Mladin, Herfoss’s unnerving cool was in stark contrast to the man he had to beat to win the championship — Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman. Wyman was a study of concentration, no smile getting anywhere near the New Yorker’s lips as his stony glare seemed to pierce through the television cameras. This race was winner-take-all and, what’s more, New Jersey Motorsports Park was Wyman’s home track. But it would take more than a home track advantage and a steely gaze to rattle the Herfoss cage.
The 37-year-old, who resides a stone’s throw from the Pacific Ocean on Australia’s Gold Coast, simply clicked into business mode, took the lead from Wyman on Lap One of nine, and stayed there — proceeding to pulverize his opponent for the remaining seven laps. Such was his advantage, Herfoss’s last lap was four seconds slower than his penultimate, and yet he still crossed the finish line 1.7 seconds up on Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Rocco Landers to claim a resounding 2024 Mission® King of The Baggers Championship victory, the third such crown for Indian Motorcycle.

“It’s been an incredible journey,” Herfoss said. “Twelve months ago, I was in this position in Australia and on top of the world but didn’t know exactly what I wanted from racing moving forward. This incredible opportunity to come and race for a new motorcycle brand in King of The Baggers came up. I wanted to step outside my comfort zone, and that’s exactly what it was.” Herfoss is no stranger to the spoils of American racing. A champion during the AMA Super-moto heyday of the mid-2000s, life took Troy back home for what would become a 17-year domestic career, one of the most successful the Australian championship has ever seen. But that was then, and Herfoss is now firmly ensconced in the Indian Motorcycle family.
“Troy has fit in with this team perfectly,” says Gary Gray, Indian Motorcycle Vice President of Racing & Service, and the man who brought Troy to America. “He’s a super-likeable guy and has a great family around him with his wife, Emily, and their two girls. His talent is incredible. At Road Atlanta, a place he’d never seen before, he was doing all he could to stay on the track during opening practice and then he goes out in qualifying and takes pole. Who does that in a field this competitive? He had some rough patches during the year, especially at Brainerd, which is a very particular track to get right. However, with his crew chief, Charlie, coming over from Australia, we were given some new ideas and information that really helped us in the latter part of the season, and the way he won the title at New Jersey was pure domination after a season of trading punches. We work together as a family in this team and Troy has slotted in as well as anyone could ask for.”

ALL HAIL

The 2025 Mission® King of The Baggers season is certainly one to watch as Herfoss tries to fend off a horde of challengers ready to take his crown — but they better be ready. “I wouldn’t want to be racing against me,” he said before Round Two at Road Atlanta.

We wouldn’t either. All hail the new king!

Hello Indian Motorcycle Owners, .

We are proud to present the second edition of the Indian Motorcycle Riders Journal. This publication celebrates what we as a company have achieved in racing, riding, and producing incredible motorcycles over the last 120 years.

In addition, this journal highlights what you have achieved through your love and passion for the brand. We’re excited to showcase some of the amazing people who help drive our culture and represent the same two-wheeled heritage we try to honor every day, as well as the people behind the scenes who make it all happen. In this edition, we will also give you a glimpse of what we’ve been working on with the latest in riding gear, parts and accessories, and of course, the newest additions to our world-class lineup - the Chieftain and Roadmaster PowerPlus.

I want to personally thank you for continuing to be a part of the Indian Motorcycle journey and riding with us — it’s an honor to tell your stories and share our passion for the open road together.

Mike Dougherty
Président, Indian Motorcycle Company

When Indian Motorcycle announced its return to the American Flat Track Championship in 2016, it caused quite a stir.
But as the brand’s VP of Racing, Gary Gray reminded us, it was simply reconnecting with its history – racing has been core to the Indian Motorcycle brand DNA since the company was founded in 1901. Jared Mees sent shock waves through the crowd when he rode the FTR750 to victory in its first race, at Daytona in 2017. Between them, the three official Indian Motorcycle riders – Mees, Bryan Smith and Brad Baker – dominated the race with 14 wins out of a possible 18. Jared Mees alone took 10 of these. The FTR revolutionized the landscape of American flat track racing.
Since then, the FTR has claimed eight consecutive championships, with Jared Mees securing six and Briar Bauman taking two. It boasts an unrivalled track record, having won 103 of the 137 races it has entered, and securing 300 total podiums.

"I’ve been fortunate enough to be on this journey with Indian Motorcycle since day one,” said Jared Mees. “Racing the FTR750 has been an incredible experience, as I’ve never experienced a bike like it in all my years competing. We’ve had immense success over the past eight years, and it’s a real honor to be a part of it."
Counting both the official Indian Motorcycle Wrecking Crew’s FTRs and the race-ready competition-client models, this incredible machine has been piloted by 45 riders over the past eight years. Indian Motorcycle commends each and every one of them for their dedication.
With new technical regulations being brought in by the AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) in 2025, Indian Motorcycle won’t be able to compete in the American Flat Track Championships with the FTR any longer. With a final flourish – a last and tenth title for Jared Mees – the FTR took its final curtain call this season, having remained undefeated since 2017.

The new 2024 FTR x 100% R Carbon is a collaboration between two iconic brands that celebrates 100%’s achievements in motocross racing on Indian’s race-inspired FTR R Carbon platform. The unique livery of Blue Candy over carbon fiber, with a stunning white frame popping red accents, are produced at the highest level. Riders looking to carve their own path will have to act quickly, as this model is limited to only 400 serialized units.

• Blue Carbon Candy paint with white frame and red accents
• 123 horsepower and 87 foot-pounds of torque
• 4-inch touchscreen powered by Ride Command
• Three ride modes, lean-angle-sensitive stability control and ABS, traction control, wheelie mitigation, and cornering pre-control
• Race-inspired ergonomics with 17-inch cast wheels

Three years ago, ola stenegärd and his team brought us the chief platform and now we also have them to thank for the new range of scouts

This isn’t the first time we’ve written about Indian Motorcycle’s Director of Product Design, but his latest top-tier work definitely puts him in the spotlight again.
A modest man, Ola Stenegärd always insists that he's just one cog in the machinery of his design team – but whether he likes it or not, he’s become the face of the brand’s design work. He was responsible for the new line of Chiefs, and now he's helming team efforts to replace the entire Scout platform with the 2025 models that we first saw in Munich last April. For anyone who doesn't know him, here's a quick rundown of the facts. As his name suggests, Ola Stenegärd is Swedish. He grew up on a farm among brothers who were into motorbikes and American cars with big V2 or V8 engines.

His dad taught him to weld when he was 7, and at 11 he built his first motorcycle (powered by a chainsaw engine). Moving on to scooters and 125 ccs, he eventually graduated to heavyweight rides when he was old enough. That’s when he joined the Stockholm bikers’ club Plebs Choppers and honed his skills in the Unique Custom Cycles workshop.
Ola’s love of design and stacks of drawings of motorcycles got him into design school, first in Sweden, then the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

From 2001 to 2003 he was Senior Designer at the former Indian Motorcycle production facility in Gilroy, California. He loved the brand, so when Polaris invited him to come and work on its modern-day Indian Motorcycle brand in 2018, he jumped at the chance. When Ola isn’t traveling the world as part of his exciting job, he spends time in the US, Switzerland or at home in Sweden. He’s deeply attached to his homeland and likes to point out that the brand – which was founded in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1901 – has partly Swedish roots. He says, “I can't help but make the link with the co-founder, Carl Oscar Hedström. We Swedes are still very proud of what he did over 120 years ago. The brand’s origins go back a very long way indeed, and it's an honor for me to keep carrying a small part of that flame!” Ola recently got to visit Hedström's birthplace in Lönneberga.

 Although nothing but the foundations remain of the family homestead, the historical importance of this place is marked by a memorial stone, showing a 1913 Hedström engine in bas-relief.  Ola was lucky enough to make the mini-pilgrimage with two of the co-founder's descendants, Bengt and Anders Hedström. They belong to the branch of the family that remained in Sweden when the others emigrated to Brooklyn in the late 1800s. But Ola Stenegärd is also making news in his own right, after Sweden's biggest motorcycle museum opened an exhibition dedicated to his work in June 2024. The museum is housed in what used to be the Royal Stables of Tidö Castle (mc-collection.com). For a good few years, the owner has been buying up everything his friend Ola Stenegärd ever built since he was a teenager, including choppers constructed around the chassis of mopeds. Much to Ola's surprise, the goal was to stage a retrospective that brings together some twenty of his motorbikes and five decades of his sketches and drawings. The exhibition is set to run until 2026.

By Charlie Lecach – photos : IMC, Joachim Cruus

Dear Indian Motorcycle riders,

Thank you for being part of Indian Motorcycle, America’s First Motorcycle Company.

The product in your hand represents Indian Motorcycle and our riders — riders that have existed for over 120 years. As part of that legacy, we are excited to give you the first edition of the new Indian Motorcycle Riders Journal: a publication made just for you, including not only news and valuable information about what is happening inside of the company, but also what riders like you are doing all over the world. We hope to entertain, educate, and motivate you to get out there and join your local community, spend time exploring backroads on your wonderful machine, and create stories worth sharing.

As an Indian Motorcycle rider, you’re part of a 120-year American tradition and we’re glad you’re with us.

Mike Dougherty
President of Indian Motorcycle Company

In 2022, when the competition version of the FTR1200 debuted in America’s Super Hooligan road racing championship (for 2 cylinder bikes of 750cc and up), it came as a real surprise.

Incredibly, it triumphed in its very first outing and has dominated the category for the last three years. This spectacular and fiercely contested championship is held at prestigious tracks like Daytona in Florida, Laguna Seca in California and Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. It’s always high-octane and packed with thrills and spills. The most stellar rider of them all, with two consecutive wins in 2022 and 2023, is Indian Motorcycle's official racer Tyler O'Hara. And for the FTR1200, things look even better, with two second-place finishes too: Cory West in 2002 and Jeremy McWilliams in 2023 brought home a one-two finish riding the same model.

2023 and its seasons are flying by as fast as the miles you clock up on your bike! .
Of course, we always encourage you to ride safe – but when it comes to our magazine, everyone at Indian Motorcycle is forging ahead at full speed. The needles are jumping into the red on the racetrack with our champions Tyler O’Hara and Jeremy McWilliams racing FTRs, once again dominating the Super Hooligan road race championship in the US. Jared Mees is also notching up victories on his FTR as quickly as laps, flat out in the American Flat Track championship with his eye on a ninth title in this category. We’re both delighted and proud to see how well the FTR is performing on and off-road – and to see more and more of you riding one. Meanwhile when it comes to the big bikes, the output of the Challenger RR’s big PowerPlus engine blew away a select handful of journalists when they unleashed all its horses on the Anglesey circuit in the UK.

And headed up by Gary Gray, our racing team has taken up the challenge of producing 29 replicas of the bike that won King of the Baggers in the US in 2022, for lovers of high-speed track racing everywhere. It’s a further demonstration of the excellent DNA that’s gone into the liquid-cooled PowerPlus engine fitted on Pursuit and Challenger models. Another noteworthy performance is that of the recently-launched Sport Chief.
It’s made an acclaimed entry into the eye-catching Club Style genre, becoming the new flagship model in the category. The level of equipment that comes as standard on this machine has surprised connoisseurs – and become a real source of inspiration for a whole host of choppers all over the world.
Meeting our people in the many countries where Indian Motorcycle is circulated is an opportunity for me to realise just how many activities, events and meets have grown up under the Indian Motorcycle banner; hundreds of owners turn up at all of them, getting together and sharing their enthusiasm. All these events bear witness to the diversity and increasing influence of the Indian Motorcycle community, motivating our R&D and Design teams to get to work behind the scenes as they strive to expand their creative horizons still further. They’re pulling all the stops out to prepare the future – for your enjoyment, and for that of all those joining Indian Motorcycle day after day.

Thanks for riding with us!

Grant Bester
Vice-President Indian Motorcycle International