Ah, the classic dealer meeting video, spilling the beans about an upcoming model. This time around, it’s a bit of footage from an Indian dealer meeting, which seems to confirm the rumours of a new Indian V-twin platform.
The gossip has Indian releasing a new cruiser called the Challenger, based around a 60-degree 108 ci liquid-cooled V-twin, with four-valve heads, making 120 hp. While those specs aren’t all confirmed by this video, it seems likely that at least some of the information is true, especially the displacement. Expect the machine to be released sometime in August, if it’s really coming for next year.
While Indian certainly has no shortage of big-bore touring bikes in its current lineup, none of them have liquid-cooled engines; only the Scout lineup has that technology, which was taken from Polaris’s Victory line when it shut down. As a result, the Thunderstroke-powered bikes are lagging behind most of the luxury touring competition. A move to a new engine platform is an important step forward for Indian, which needs to keep its momentum going in an increasingly tough North American market.
