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If you recall, we recently wrote about the PowerPlus, Indian’s new engine. Today, we find out a bit more about the first Indian chassis that will surround it.
Specifications, pricing, and other details for the badly kept secret that is the Challenger were announced today. Three variants (Challenger, Challenger Dark Horse, and Challenger Limited) have been announced. These motorcycles are fixed-fairing baggers (no top box). Their styling is conservative, but the underpinnings indicate this motorcycle is oriented significantly more to performance than its peers.
In addition to the 60-degree V-twin engine making 122 horsepower and 128 foot-pounds of torque, all variants of the Challenger will feature a cast aluminum frame and adjustable Fox rear monoshock. This seems similar to the one used on the current crop of touring bikes Indian sells. The rep I spoke to confirmed that the travel numbers are the same, but the Challenger shock is adjusted with a wrench, whereas the current models are adjustable hydraulically. That sounds like a downgrade to me, personally, if they are the same suspension unit, and I'm not so certain that a preload-adjustable shock is worth writing home about, even on a bagger.
Beyond that, the bike is also equipped with radial-mount Brembo calipers squeezing floating rotors, all on an upside-down front end. The $21,999 motorcycle will be shod with Metzeler Cruisetec tires.
Further emphasizing the performance aspects of the motorcycle, Indian reports that “riders can customize the bike’s throttle mapping by selecting one of three ride modes, including Rain, Standard and Sport – resulting in one motorcycle with three distinct performance personalities. Each ride mode has been engineered with its own distinct traction control setting to align with each mode’s specific throttle mapping.” Perhaps throttle modes are not groundbreaking, but this is not a common feature in the bagger market.
For riders electing to spend a bit more money on the Dark Horse or Limited variants ($27,499 and $27,999, respectively) of this motorcycle, a few more features will be standard. “The Limited and Dark Horse variants of Challenger are equipped with Indian Motorcycle’s intuitive Smart Lean Technology, keeping riders confidently grounded by utilizing a Bosch IMU to add cornering pre-control to the dynamic traction control and ABS, as well as Drag Torque Control. These models also feature Indian RideCommand, the largest, most-customizable touchscreen infotainment system on two wheels. The Challenger’s seven-inch Ride Command system features weather and traffic overlays, key vehicle information, Bluetooth and USB mobile pairing, and an all-new quad-core processor for faster response,” Indian’s press release states. The rep I spoke with clarified things a bit further — the base model does have a big ol' movie screen in the cockpit, but it doesn’t have Navigation (just vehicle information and phone integration). The Limited offers a few more paint choices than the Dark Horse, some more chrome finishes, rear fender "close-outs," and highways bars.
Other amenities included on all models are electronic cruise control, full LED lighting, a “long-haul” seat (?), ABS, and keyless ignition. Feast your eyes on the gallery, where we've packed a ton of images for your viewing pleasure.
Lem’s take
Cool. This seems like a bagger that’s close to what I want to ride personally. All of this kit points to a motorcycle that’s going to be closer to a sport-touring machine, in spite of the fact that it’s wearing different clothes. One caveat: No lean-angle figures have been published. If those are not substantially increased over the Thunderstroke-equipped baggers, I’m much less excited. The performance aspect is important, because none of these Challengers are inexpensive motorcycles. Offering a bit more giddy-up than the competition’s machine may make the Challenger more appealing to the coveted Younger Rider, who tends to be a bit more price-sensitive.
I’d also like to highlight a comment left by one of our readers from that PowerPlus article, as it is one that I had made myself around RevZilla World Headquarters using the exact same motorcycle as an example.
This is, I think, the big question. The key to cracking the fairly conservative American heavyweight touring market seems to have been a mix of perceived domestic brand history coupled with increased performance, but trickled in at a rate that’s unnaturally slow.
The Vulcan Vaquero mentioned is similar in that is does have a wider-angle V-twin engine (than a Harley-Davidson), liquid cooling, and a healthy dose of torque (107.6 foot-pounds). It’s not quite so performance-focused as the Challenger (it has a conventional right-side-up front end and the four-pot calipers are conventionally mounted), but that’s about the same as a Road Glide, which sells well. The Vaquero has an MSRP that’s just shy of $5,000 lower than the RG, but if you head to your local bike night, odds are good you won’t see one Vaquero for every 10 FLTRs you bump into.
So is a hot-rodded bagger made by a different American company that claims some historical import enough to move units in a spot where the Japanese have failed? (And honestly, where the Americans without “history” have failed, too?) Time will tell. Is the added performance “worth it?” A test ride will tell, and ideally, we'll bring you some impressions from one sooner rather than later.
