Who else but Americans could have invented bagger racing? And who else but Indian Motorcycle could offer its clientele an RR version of its Challenger model? The machine is only for a lucky few: just 29 will be available throughout the world.
Racing large touring bikes complete with fairings and saddlebags sounds like the kind of wild idea with its origins in a bet between friends at a bar after plenty of alcohol has been consumed.
But the fact is that this kind of race really does exist in the US, and has enjoyed immense success for three seasons now. The Indian Motorcycle squad has quickly come to dominate this new track race, and the brand decided to market its new release in celebration of Tyler O’Hara’s victory in the 2022 championships. The machine isn’t road legal, so the designers had a free hand to configure it in exactly the same way as the racing bike used by their rider! With this being a limited edition of just 29 bikes – a nod to Tyler O’Hara’s race number – these machines aren’t going to be rolling off a conventional production line.
Instead, they’ve been built by a racing workshop, fabricated by hand throughout to the same specifications as the bike that won the championships last year. To pull this off, Indian Motorcycle has drawn on the expertise of S&S in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. With 65 years’ experience in large twin V motorcycles, S&S knows exactly how to get the absolute maximum out of these engines without compromising on reliability. For instance, the Challenger’s PowerPlus engine capacity has been boosted from 1768cc to 1835cc, producing no less than 140HP with torque of 190Nm, while the S&S throttle body has been bored out from 52mm to a massive 78mm. Smith & Smith (formerly Smith & Stankos) has also supplied the 2-in-1 exhaust, the transmission, the main casing (in CNC aluminium), the Öhlins crowns (with the corresponding TTX rear shocks by the same brand), the rearsets and other mechanical and chassis parts. These include the swingarm, the automatic chain tensioner and the adjustable handlebars.
The brake system uses Brembo and Hayes calipers (front and rear respectively) supporting EBC and Alpha Racing discs (again respectively). The 17-inch racing hubs with a rear-wheel chain drive are fitted with Dunlop racing tyres. The rear mudguard is made of fibreglass and the saddlebags of carbon fibre. Their role, like that of the imposing fairing, is entirely symbolic: they are there to qualify the bike for racing in the King of the Baggers category. The mechanical customisation has resulted in considerable weight savings: the Challenger RR weighs some 100kg less than its standard counterpart. The 29 bikes will be marketed exclusively in the USA, France, Germany, the UK, Japan, Australia and New Zealand – and will be more than three times as expensive as a standard Challenger. It’s an acceptable cost if you look at it as the biking equivalent of a Formula 1 car...
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