‘This bike’s nothing short of a miracle’
King of the Baggers series rivals Indian won the title in 2022 with Tyler O’Hara. To celebrate, last year they released a limited-edition run of 29 Challenger RR race bikes for sale, all built by S&S, the same firm that develop the factory machines. These aren’t replicas – these are the real McCoy. Just one was assigned for the UK – costing more than £90,000 – and MCN’s Emma Franklin got the chance to experience it at Anglesey circuit.
“A slap in the face would’ve been less direct, but even a gentle roll of the throttle sends the Challenger RR charging forwards with all the ire of a bull that’s just had its undercarriage flicked by a soggy red rag. It’s instant, monstrously powerful and aggressive. I kick it down into second gear via the quickshifter and am punished for my part-throttle ’change with yet another brutal surge. I’m being taken for a ride.
“The tuned 1873cc motor revs to 7500rpm, but I’ve given up revving it like a sportsbike and instead find myself bigwave surfing on the terrifying torque. I dare myself to use increasing amounts of throttle in second and third down Anglesey’s amazing uphill, curved back straight. With each handful, the RR bucks and shimmies as the stock frame and braced swingarm do their darndest to absorb what has to be nearly double the power they were designed for. Yet the crazy thing is, it doesn’t half handle. Running on a pair of 17in forged aluminium wheels, the RR tips into corners easily, is accurate and stays on its line until you haul it upright again.
“It’s intimidating and direct, it feels alive with every interaction. Yet once you’re dialled in, it hustles around a track in a way no 300kg cruiser has any right to. How Indian and S&S have transformed a bike, which was never destined for the racetrack, into something as accomplished as this is nothing short of a miracle.”