Indian’s New Engine Shows Harley That Size Doesn’t Matter!

Indian has revealed its most powerful V-twin motor in its class ever, the PowerPlus, which will be used in the brand’s upcoming bagger, the Challenger. This 1769cc liquid-cooled engine makes 178Nm of torque at just 3800rpm with the redline at 6500rpm, and peak power of 122.5PS comes in at 5,500rpm. In comparison, Harley’s most powerful V-twin, the Milwaukee Eight Twin-cooled 117 engine in the CVO makes 169.4Nm. However, the torque arrives slightly earlier at 3500rpm. It also runs at a higher compression ratio at 11:1 as opposed to Harley’s 10.2:1.

While in Harley’s engine, the coolant cools only the heads near the exhaust port, the Indian’s motor is completely liquid-cooled. Interestingly, Indian’s modern liquid-cooled engine range started with the Scout and not surprisingly, this motor also adopts design and mechanical features from the 1133cc liquid-cooled V-twin engine. So, it uses similar dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. Indian says it has tuned the engine for maximum power delivery across the entire curve. The engine also features hydraulic valve lash adjusters and hydraulic camshaft chain tensioners for better reliability and easier maintenance.

The powerplant works in conjunction with a 6-speed transmission with an assist clutch. There are also three riding modes, which tweak the throttle mapping as per the rider’s requirements.

Indian says the engine has been tested in simulation and on the dyno for over a million miles (around 16,09,344km). It has also been tested for over 250,000 miles (a little over four lakh km) on the road.

The Indian Challenger has already been spotted testing and is likely to be launched at this year’s EICMA show. It will go up head-to-head against the Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special, which makes slightly lower torque at 163Nm.