Indian motorcycle has revealed its most powerful engine to date – the PowerPlus. The motor’s name pays homage to the Indian PowerPlus motorcycle that was produced from 1916 to 1924. The company has claimed that the 108 cubic inch (1,769cc), liquid-cooled, V-twin makes 122hp and 173.5Nm of torque. That’s not all; Indian has also said that this engine will power its upcoming Challenger model.
Indian says that the Challenger is the company’s all-new, fixed-fairing bagger model that “utilises Indian Motorcycle’s state-of-the-art technology to become the highest-performing American V-twin ever developed.” We believe this is the same motorcycle that was spied back in April, 2019.
The PowerPlus adopts several design and performance features from the 1,133 cc, liquid-cooled Indian Scout engine, including an overhead camshaft design utilising four valves per cylinder. However, the similarities are said to end there. The PowerPlus was developed with “a big-piston, big-torque mindset with an end game of maximum power delivery across the entire curve.”
The new motor also comes paired to a 6-speed gearbox with a slipper clutch. The PowerPlus will be built in Osceola, Wisconsin, with final motorcycle assembly taking place in Indian Motorcycle’s production facility in Spirit Lake, Iowa. We can expect the Indian Challenger to go on sale in 2020.