Who said baggers can’t go fast? Indian Motorcycle just set the class record at 196.576 mph, two-run average record of 194.384 mph. The previous class record was 169.828 mph set in 1972, by J. Angerer riding a Triumph.

Indian built its Bonneville contender on a stock Challenger race bike, in collaboration with S&S Cycle. It uses the Indian's 112 ci PowerPlus V-twin motor, which produces 126 horsepower in stock condition. But it gets fitted with larger throttle bodies, ported cylinder heads, two-into-two exhaust, and race camshafts.

S&S Cycle also used a larger compression ratio to extract a few more horsepower, considering Bonneville lets you run high-octane fuel. The KOTB lightened crankshaft is also replaced with a full-weight one. And with ground clearance being of next to no concern because you’re essentially blasting in a straight line down the salt flats, S&S also created a muscular exhaust to prioritize flow over volume.

The rest of the bike is heavily customized with forged wheels, top-spec Brembo brakes, 43-mm Öhlins FGR250 forks, and an Öhlins TTX monoshock.

The rider triangle was tweaked further by fitting lower clip-ons and pushing the foot pegs further back. The land-speeder's cockpit uses the same AIM dash and data-logging system as its KOTB counterpart, but the braking system is wildly different. The crew removed the front brake lever and calipers, and installed a bar-mounted thumb lever with a Beringer master cylinder to trigger the rear brake.

Buttons on the left-hand side of the bars control the bike's air-shift system. The brake and shift systems negate the need for the rider to grab at levers or move their feet, so that they can remain perfectly tucked at all times

https://www.bikeexif.com/indian-challenger-land-speed-record

https://newatlas.com/motorcycles/indian-challenger-land-speed-record/