Posted on 10/01/2025 11:17:55 AM PDT by Red Badger
Tyler O’Hara pilots a 600-pound Challenger near 200 mph, showcasing bagger speed rivaling top superbikes.
Indian Motorcycle’s race-spec Challenger hits nearly 200 mph at Bonneville. - Indian Motorcycle
Indian Motorcycle has taken its King of the Baggers race bike to new extremes. The company tested a race-spec Challenger on the Bonneville Salt Flats, reaching nearly 200 miles per hour.
This bold move showcased that baggers aren’t just about style—they can be serious speed machines.
For the record attempt, Indian teamed up with S&S Cycle and Mission Foods. Two-time King of the Baggers champion Tyler O’Hara was in the saddle, pushing the bike to its limits.
Racing legacy meets modern speed
Indian Motorcycle has a long history of racing success. From Ed “Iron Man” Kretz winning the 1937 Daytona 200 to Jared Mees dominating today’s flat track, the brand has backed champions for decades. This land speed record adds another milestone.
A 196 MPH race bagger at Bonneville. (Image credit: Indian Motorcycle)
The attempt also paid homage to Burt Munro, who hit 191 mph on a 1920 Scout in 1967. “Have fun, go fast, make Burt proud!” O’Hara said before blasting off. He achieved 192 mph on his first run, surpassing Munro’s legendary feat.
Joe Salas, an observer, remarked on O’Hara’s skill: he leaned into corners with his knee down, an impressive feat on a large motorcycle without full streamlining, unlike Munro’s 1960s attempt.
VIDEO AT LINK..............
Setting a new class record
After fine-tuning the bike, O’Hara made a second run at 196.576 mph. This earned a two-run average of 194.384 mph, setting a new American Motorcycle Association record for the 2000cc APS-AG class. The previous record of 169.828 mph had stood since 1972, set by J. Angerer on a Triumph.
Indian’s Bonneville Challenger is based on a stock race bike, upgraded by S&S Cycle. The 112 ci PowerPlus V-twin engine delivers 126 horsepower in stock form. Still, it was modified for speed with larger throttle bodies, ported cylinder heads, two-into-two exhaust, race camshafts, and a higher compression ratio. The crankshaft was replaced, and the exhaust tuned for flow rather than volume.
Though official figures haven’t been released, the bike likely produces around 150 horsepower and 150 lb.ft of torque. It also features forged wheels, Brembo brakes, 43-mm Öhlins FGR250 forks, an Öhlins TTX monoshock, and a fully carbon fiber body, including the tank, fairing, windscreen, and saddlebags.
Tyler O’Hara sets a new APS-AG class record. (Image credit: Indian Motorcycle)
Experiencing 200 mph on a bagger
O’Hara described the experience of riding a 600-pound bagger at near 200 mph: “You grab sixth gear, get the green flag, and you’re doing your best to go as fast as you can. The bike’s moving left-to-right, your mind’s telling you to ease off, but your gut’s telling you to stick with it. It’s uncomfortable, sketchy, and then wooo, you’re across the finish line.”
110 mph on ‘69 CB750,,,,
Yuppers,,,, it’s A Ride!
I guess if you are not on a highway full of vehicles, but alone on the salt flats, you may not feel as scary as doing 90mph in traffic on a freeway - which I have seen some idiot motorcyclists do.
I used to have two motorcycles. One nice easy street Honda, of only 450cc, and which I never took on any Freeway. And one 350cc Hodaka “dirt” bike that I used with an Enduro racing club in the pine barrens of southern New Jersey. I could get up to 60-80mph in brief spots along a flagged enduro trail, but the terrain changed fast enough that you were always changing speed, never “flat out” for long, with too many trees, deep sand, gravel, mud pits, whoops, logs, ect to contend with.
What got me out of that era was the spectators. To see the racers spectators had to go find some place along the flagged trail that had been laid out. Sometimes it was no more than a small open dry flatish spec of land to one side or another of the race trail and room at that one spot for only small group of people. These spots would pop out every now and then along the race route. But too often the spectators were partial obstacles by how they limited the ability of the riders to navigate the natural obstacles or bad patches and avoid the spectators too. I witnessed too many races with some major spectator injury or a bike and rider wrapped around a tree as a result of avoiding some spectators. Enduro races in the pine barrens of south Jersey were not very regulated in the 1970s. I don’t know how well they are structured today. Maybe they are more tame today.
100+ in a school zone on the back of John Ulrich’s Honda 450 in 1973. John was trying to catch my brother who was on his Kawasaki 350.
105 on a ‘74 Honda CB 550 Four. That was as fast as she would go.
I didn’t get scared until later in the day, after I sat and thought about it.
The first and last time I rode a motorcycle was when I was 21. 85mph on a friends Kawaski 350 dirt bike on an SF Bay area freeway.
It was the last time because he wouldn’t let me use it again.
My brother rode a lot of motorcycles.
Not me. I didn’t trust them.
I rode horses.
They scared him.
Fastest I ever went was 135MPH on a 1983 Honda V45 Interceptor. Back in 1984.
Loved the Fastest Indian movie.
Kawasaki once made a 2000cc cruiser named “Kawasaki Vulcan 2000”. It was the largest displacement production motorcycle for its time. A problem some owners complained about was the high torque damaging the rear sprocket.
Yes! I wanted one!...................
I may or may not have gotten to 150MPH on a Honda Liter bike. It might or might not have been pretty crazy and stupid.
https://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photos/2006models/2006-Kawasaki-Vulcan2000Limitedb.jpg
125 MPH on a 1979 Kawasaki KZ650 with a Kerker 4 into 1 exhaust.
That was top speed. It would not go any faster.
It started to shake around 120.
I only did it once.
I was also 22 years old.
140+
Autobahn.
76 Gold Wing with Windjammer fairing.
Guy in the Turbo Carrera nodded, waved, and left.
Fastest I ever did on the Autobahn was 90...............in a rental Mercedes...........
Yikes. The stuff most of us did as young guys was pretty foolish but luckily most of us made it through ok.
146 on my 600 Suzuki.
Was still pulling hard, just running out of road.
Very quickly I might add.
Mendenhall glacier visitors center access road
LOL. There wouldn't be a single intact organ.
I reached 147 on a 2002 GL1800A Honda Goldwing once upon a time, long ago... It had more to give, but I felt the need to see both sides of the road, not just the dotted line in the middle.
Went all the way across the state of Mississippi, Memphis to Alabama line, at 120 one time on a Kawasaki Voyager XII one day on the way to the Honda Hoot in Asheville, NC. Springfield, Missouri to Birmingham then to NC, may have started in Birmingham to Springfield, so over and back.
Burt Munro no longer has the World’s Fastest Indian.
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