Indian Challenger Dark Horse (2024 – ) review

‘Design’ is something of a moot point with baggers, given a very specific appeal to American tastes that may not necessarily translate this side of the Atlantic. That aside the Challenger Dark Horse achieves its goals brilliantly, the combination of cruiser manners with a big V-twin, hard panniers and a screen meaning a great mix of style and touring practicality. Among the many and various baggers offered by Harley-Davidson and Indian both offer versions with trad handlebar fairings and others with larger, frame-mounted ones. Where the Indian Chieftain is the former and uses the older, air-cooled 1,890cc Thunderstroke engine the Challenger has the bigger frame-mounted fairing and newer liquid-cooled 1,768cc PowerPlus engine. The Dark Horse bit of the name refers to the fashionably blacked-out look. Got that? Good! The result in this case is unapologetically imposing, with a nod to practicality in the shape of long-distance comfort, hard panniers, loads of kit and a premium finish. If you like the idea of a bagger it ticks a lot of boxes.

Big and roomy with a classic upright touring gait and an impressively low-slung seat, the Challenger Dark Horse is sufficiently comfortable for racking up big miles and easy to get on with if you can handle the massive 380kg-plus weight. Bars are tall and wide with fat US-style grips, feet fall onto big floorboards rather than pegs and the rider’s seat is broad and well padded. All well and good but being a bagger rather than a full-dress tourer means the screen is low, though it is at least power adjustable. The pillion seat is fairly minimal, too. But that’s all part of the look, and if you want a more comfy perch for your passenger or even a back rest these are all available as factory accessories.

Although the low seat means you shouldn’t struggle to get your feet on the ground there’s no getting away from the fact that this is one humungous machine, the high bars adding a level of awkwardness in low-speed manoeuvres. Add the width of the bars and panniers and it’s safe to say you’re not going to be risking filtering through traffic. Given the money it’s a premium bike to be cherished rather than used as mere transport anyway, and certainly not for riding in all weathers on the commute. With all that said, however, the Dark Horse is reasonably comfortable, the fairing keeps the worst of the windblast away and it’s a decent mile muncher, the panniers also offering some luggage space to help make the most of that.

The 122 horsepower and 178Nm of torque delivered by the liquid-cooled 1,768cc PowerPlus engine are potent for a bagger, but don’t kid yourself this is some sort of speed machine. Tour, Standard and Sport rider modes are available at the push of a button but, given the size and weight, the Challenger’s performance is more about muscle than thrills. For this type of bike, though, it’s more than enough. The brakes are meanwhile better than average, as they probably need to be. Up front you get dinner plate sized twin 320mm discs grasped by superbike standard Brembo four-piston radially mounted calipers, with a single 298mm disc and twin piston combo at the rear. They are powerful and have lots of lever feel but, with all that bulk to haul up, they need to be.

Better than your typical bagger, which some cynics may suggest isn’t saying much but, importantly, a step up from its Harley Davidson Road Glide rival. Suspension comprises a pair of massive (if non-adjustable) inverted forks with a hidden monoshock at the back with a handy remote preload adjustor. Especially handy, given how often you’ll likely be switching between riding solo for shorter outings and loaded up with a passenger and/or luggage for longer ones. Ride quality is plush and reasonably controlled for racking up those long American miles while handling, as you’d expect, is a little more of a handful given the bulk of the thing. A low centre of gravity keeps it planted through the corners, though, and on smoother turns it’s an absolute joy. Saying that we’d be less thrilled at the idea of hustling it through some badly-surfaced B-road switchbacks!

With a starting price heading towards thirty grand, a big engine and lots of power the purchase and running costs were always going to be burly. On top of that residuals aren’t quite as solid as the Harley alternatives, while insurance, fuel and tax are also chunky. At least the belt drive saves on the cost of replacement chains, while the relaxed riding style the bike encourages should see you getting plenty of miles out of a set of tyres.

Given Indian has, in its reborn form, only been around since 2013 and the PowerPlus engine is younger still the Challenger Dark Horse can’t match the established reliability record of its Harley-Davidson equivalents. Saying that we have few causes for concern given the solid reputation of the Polaris parent brand and the overall fit, finish and quality of the components. For all the size and weight it’s also a pretty under-stressed machine.

All Indian motorcycles sold in the UK currently come with a two-year/unlimited mileage manufacturer-backed warranty covering all parts and labour, although this is extendable by a further three years for an additional fee. Servicing-wise after the initial 500-mile ‘break-in’ oil and filter service regular checks are due every 5,000 miles or annually, with major services due every 10,000 miles.

The bagger vibe may a stripped back twist on traditional American full-dress tourers, and as such you might expect the Indian to be relatively bare bones basic. In fact the Challenger Dark Horse is pretty well-equipped, with lots more kit available optionally. As standard, though, you get those three rider modes and power-adjustable screen, plus an additional TFT display with Bluetooth connectivity and built-in speakers, keyless ignition, lockable panniers and more.

If you’re after a premium American bagger it’s basically going to be a Harley or an Indian. Beyond that your main options are the old-school handlebar fairing look or the more substantial frame-mounted arrangement seen here on the Challenger. For our money although the Harley-Davidson Road Glide has brand heritage and authenticity on its side the Indian is just as good, if not better thanks to its added sense of substance. If you’re willing to take the punt on an Indian there’s also the option of the more conventional, chrome-trimmed Challenger Limited. But as the old saying goes “if you’re going to be a bear, be a grizzly” and, if it were our money, we’d be going for the Dark Horse.