$92K Indian Challenger RR Coming to Europe to Preach Locals About Bagger Racing

And by "we," I mean, of course, Americans, because people on other continents cannot enjoy this type of racing firsthand. That will probably never change, given the particularities of each region of this world, but for a reason or another one of the two big players in the competition, Indian, decided it would be a good idea to show Europeans what King of the Baggers is really about.

The American bike maker will take advantage of the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed to do that. Starting July 11, when the event opens its doors, Indian will be on-site with the mighty Challenger RR.

That's not exactly the bike ridden to the win during the 2022 season of the King of the Baggers by Tyler O'Hara, but it's the next best thing: a hand-crafted, race-tuned two-wheeler with the exact same specs as the real ride.

What's that, you ask? At its core, the bike remains a good-old Challenger, but Indian and its partner in crime, S&S, modified it in so many ways that it is no longer street-legal.

Changes started where the bike meets the ground. 17-inch wheels shod in Dunlop race tires were installed to handle the punishing power developed by the PowerPlus 112ci V-twin engine.

That's a tad larger size than what you get in a road-going Challenger, and the engine itself was further modified by giving it a big bore cylinder/piston kit and a custom air intake system with a 78 mm throttle body. At the opposite end, the powerplant was fitted with an S&S 2-1 race exhaust. The people who worked on the RR also gave it Brembo braking hardware to help it stop in time.

When Indian announced the arrival of the RR back in March 2023 it said it will only sell it to customers who wish to race it or keep it as a collector's bike. The ride was only available in several markets, namely the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

Because the thing is so pretentious, but also as a nod to O'Hara's King of the Baggers racing number, Indian decided to make only 29 examples of the RR. Each of them was priced not only higher that the price of the stock Challenger, but prohibitively so: the chance of owning one of these babies costs around $90,000.

Indian never said how many of the 29 RRs were sold since introduction, but for one reason or another, it now sees the need to bring the bike to Goodwood for the first time, for it to teach the locals a thing or two about bagger racing.

The presence of the bike there comes as "a rare opportunity for fans outside of America to witness a full-factory race Bagger in action," and that’s because the bike maker will conduct demonstrative runs of the ride with Jeremy McWilliams in control.

McWilliams is an Irish-born motorcycle racer who was on the payroll of Honda, Yamaha, and Aprilia in Moto2 and MotoGP, taking part in more than 170 races.

The Challenger RR will be accompanied on the Goodwood premises by the mighty FTR750, the bike that back in 2017 marked Indian's return to the world of flat track racing. And it was a quite successful return, as the two-wheeler landed the bike maker no less than seven consecutive American Flat Track SuperTwins Championship titles.

This bike, somewhat of a veteran of the Goodwood event (it was first presented there back in 2018), is powered by a 750cc V-twin sitting inside a steel frame. Indian did not say who will be riding the bike for spectators, or in what manner will the bike be shown.

This year's Goodwood Festival of Speed is themed Horseless to Hybrid – Revolutions in Power and it is supposed to "celebrate the many thrilling advances that have propelled us to where we are today, and look at what new ideas may drive us into the future. "

The festival's central sculpture, an iconic symbol of the event, is dedicated this year to British carmaker MG. This is the first time the brand has been recognized in this manner, and the MG Cyberster electric sports car will take center stage as the product that got the carmaker noticed.

As for the weekend's most famous event, the mighty Goodwood Hill Climb, this one will be packed with stars of the racing world, including Formula 1 world champions Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, and Emerson Fittipaldi.

As another touch of recognition for what happens across the pond, the organizers will hold a special celebratory event for seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty.