Indian Motorcycle Partners With Vance & Hines

Indian Motorcycle Partners With Vance & Hines for KOTB Race Team

Commencing in 2026, Indian Motorcycle and Vance & Hines are back in partnership with a multi-year deal to operate a new 'Wrecking Crew' Factory Race Team effort to make an assault on the Moto America King Of The Baggers Championship.

The three-man team will include 2024 Champion Troy Herfoss, 2023 Champion Hayden Gillim, and Rising Star Rocco Landers to Pilot All-New Vance & Hines-Built Indian Challenger Race Bikes.

Dripping with S&S 'Proven Performance' (Indian Motorcycle's race partner at the time) the limited edition 2022 Indian Challenger RR released to mark Tyler O'Hara's 2022 KOTB Championship win was originally offered at $92,299 in the United States and limited to 29 examples. Newly acclaimed in Europe as Manuel Grandi's inaugural 2025 European BRL Championship winning race bike, the race ready winner is now being quoted at around $100,000 by independent sellers in UK and elsewhere. 

The Indian Factory Race Team will be supported by J&P Cycles, MOTUL, Progressive Insurance, Drag Specialties and Performance Finance.

"Indian Motorcycle is entering a new era in its historic journey in 2026, and the first place we plan to prove it is on the racetrack. This partnership is a reminder of what American performance looks like when you refuse to back down," said Mike Kennedy, Indian Motorcycle CEO, and former President of Vance & Hines.

"As the leading aftermarket supplier for V-Twin performance, with nearly 50 years of innovation and racing success, Vance & Hines is the ideal partner to drive the next era of Indian Motorcycle racing, and we couldn't be more excited to get started." 

The news appears to be framed in such a way that KOTB may be followed by additional race efforts. The "partnership commences with Vance & Hines spearheading the Indian Motorcycle-Vance & Hines factory racing program in the 2026 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers series." This apparently leaves open the option to return the Indian brand to racing endeavors such as AFT in the future - raising the possibility of a new performance production bike platform to pick-up the slack created by the retirement of the FTR750 under Polaris' ownership.

The announcement went on to state that "with an all-new Indian Motorcycle Wrecking Crew, the Indian Motorcycle-Vance & Hines factory racing team enters 2026 with a singular goal: dominating the 2026 King of the Baggers series. At the heart of the factory race team is an all-new, Vance & Hines-modified Indian Challenger, powered by the Indian Motorcycle PowerPlus engine."

Since the inaugural King of the Baggers race in 2020, the Indian Challenger and Vance & Hines have combined for four of the six King of the Baggers championships.

"Armed with the industry's most decorated performance bagger and an unmatched rider lineup, the team is poised to write the next chapter in American racing history beginning with the season opener at Daytona International Speedway March 5-7, 2026. Indian Motorcycle is entering a new era in its historic journey in 2026, and the first place we plan to prove it is on the racetrack. This partnership is a reminder of what American performance looks like when you refuse to back down," said Mike Kennedy, Indian Motorcycle CEO. "As the leading aftermarket supplier for V-Twin performance, with nearly 50 years of innovation and racing success, Vance & Hines is the ideal partner to drive the next era of Indian Motorcycle racing, and we couldn't be more excited to get started.

"The partnership represents nearly 150 years of combined racing history and success. Indian Motorcycle was founded through racing in 1901 and forged a legacy of domination on the track that has carried the brand for more than a century. Since 1979, Vance & Hines has carved a racing legacy of its own, managing successful race programs and capturing championships across road racing, flat track and drag racing for Ducati, Suzuki, Yamaha and Harley-Davidson."

Indeed, new Indian Motorcycle CEO Mike Kennedy's race program credentials are without parallel in the space. As a former senior Harley executive he had been point-man for their own partnership with Vance & Hines and subsequently oversaw the race relationship he had built from the 'other side of the track' when he was President of Vance & Hines. What goes round comes round?

 

Sullivans Inc

LeMans Corporation to Acquire Sullivans Inc

In a move designed to strengthen the Drag Specialties and Parts Unlimited, Janesville, Wisconsin based parent company's position as the "go-to distributor for the powersports industry", LeMans Distribution is to acquire Sullivans Inc.

Founded in 1972 and headquartered near Boston (Hanson, Ma.) with additional distribution facilities in Alabama and Reno, Nevada, owner Bobby Sulivan has carved a powerful niche in the US, selling 'Steet and Snow' helmets, gear and apparel.

Known as a leading HJC helmet, Nelson Rigg and O'Neal brand distributor, Sullivans added the Robison Joe Rocket, Rapid Transit and Power Trip brands in 2009.

Paul Langley, Chairman and CEO of LeMans Corporation: "Integrating Sullivan's regional strength with our national capabilities adds to our incredible portfolio of products and reinforces our philosophy of being the go-to distributor for the powersports industry."

Operated by well-known Triumph motorcycle enthusiast and former racer Bobby Sullivan, the business is said to employ around 50-people and has a strong reputation for customer service, fast delivery, and a curated product offering tailored to the needs of their powersports dealers. 

"Sullivans brings an exceptional legacy of service, product knowledge, and dealer support," said Paul Langley, Chairman and CEO of LeMans Corporation, "integrating their regional strength with our national capabilities adds to our incredible portfolio of products and reinforces our philosophy of being the go-to distributor for the powersports industry."

www.sullivansinc.com

Indian Motorcycle

Indian's Radar Headlight Solves ARAS Aesthetic Problem

By Ben Purvis

Radar technology is already commonplace in cars and rapidly spreading into motorcycles as a growing number of tourers and adventure bikes adopt the idea of adaptive cruise control and front collision warning systems. 

But for cruisers - a breed of long-distance, well-equipped, highway-oriented bikes that should be high on the list of models to get the tech - finding a place to hide the radar unit becomes a problem. 

Indian Motorcycle has already adopted radars on the back of some models, allowing blind spot monitoring and rear collision warning systems, and a new patent suggests it's now solved the aesthetic issue of front radars by hiding the sensor inside a normal-looking headlight. 

While radar sensors themselves are relatively small and increasingly inexpensive, and the adoption of ride-by-wire throttles and computer-assisted braking systems makes modern bikes well suited to adopt technology like adaptive cruise control - tech that can maintain a constant distance from the vehicle in front - hiding a front radar isn't easy. 

The sensors can 'see' through some materials, but generally need a clear, unobstructed line-of-sight for optimal operation. That's why on bikes like BMWs, Ducatis, KTMs and Yamahas that already have front radar systems, the sensor is usually easy to see. Look, for example, at a BMW R18B or Transcontinental: when the radar option is added, it comes with a chrome-clad wart that sits above the headlight to house the sensor, replacing the smooth panel of the radar-less version. 

Like all the best ideas, Indian's solution is a simple one. One that comes thanks to the fact that modern LED headlights can be far smaller than their forebears, but the classic cruiser and tourer style means bikes still use the large, circular light designs of previous generations. 

Illustrated on a Chieftain in the patent document, the idea is to tuck the radar sensor inside the lower section of a normal-looking circular headlight, shifting the high and low-beam LED all into the upper portion. 

Since the requirements of an effective headlight are essentially the same as those of a radar, namely an unobstructed view of the road ahead, it's the ideal position for the unit. 

The radar itself appears to be the ubiquitous Bosch sensor that's already been adopted by brands including BMW, Ducati and KTM, but by siting it inside a circular headlight that's already a signature feature of the brand, Indian will be able to equip virtually any bike in its range with the technology without having to modify or corrupt the styling.

Honda

Honda WN7 launched as Japan enters the electric bike era 

By Ben Purvis

Despite the fact that Japan's 'Big Four' have been global leaders in motorcycle technology for at least the last 50 years it's taken a long time for them to make the leap into serious electric bikes. Until now none of them have produced a mass-made, large electric bike but Honda's new WN7 changes all that.

Previewed last year as the 'EV FUN' concept bike, unveiled at EICMA 2024, the WN7 looks nearly identical to the original show model, and far from being watered-down it has a longer range than was claimed for the concept a year ago. 

Full technical details will come at this year's EICMA show, but Honda has released initial figures including a peak torque of 100 Nm and a claimed that power is on a par with 600 cc ICE bikes. That claim is at odds with the quoted power figures, with Honda saying that the WN7 makes 18 kW (24 hp), although it's worth bearing in mind that electric bikes usually have two power numbers – a 'continuous' maximum that's used for type-approval purposes, and a 'peak' figure that can be twice as high, but can't be sustained indefinitely. It's likely that the 18 kW quoted by Honda is the rated continuous power figure, and that the peak will be much higher. The torque, Honda says, is on a par with a 1,000 cc combustion engine bike.

Honda hasn't revealed the battery's capacity but says the bike has a range of over 130 km between charges, and that it has a CCS2 charge socket, allowing rapid charges from the sort of DC chargers used by electric cars. At such a charger, the battery can be filled from 20% to 80% in only 30 minutes, while a full charge at an AC home charger takes less than three hours.

The bike's dimensions are akin to a 1,000 cc machine, with several suspension and brake components shared with the CB1000 Hornet, while the weight of 217 kg also puts it into that region. The price, in the countries where it's been announced, is also in the same ballpark as litre naked bikes. It's still clearly machine that's going to appeal more to 'early adopters' than mainstream riders, but a promising first step, nonetheless.

Japanese made motorcycle exports

Japanese made motorcycle exports to Europe January to Sept +14.55%

After two years of positive trends, and distorted statistics at the end of 2024, at this stage in 2025 it looks like European OE importers and distributors (and their dealers) are continuing to take higher levels of new unit inventory than might have been expected - especially at this time of year.

After a massive +126.84% spike in August (16,453 units exported by the 'Big Four' that month), September was more subdued at -22.12% (13,428 units). 

The latest available data from JAMA (the automotive trade association in Japan, which includes representation of motorcycle manufacturers among its membership) shows total 250+ cc motorcycle exports to Europe from the Japanese factories were running at +14.55% for the nine months to the end of September 2025 (169,328 units).

Aside from 2023 (177,192 units), this has been the strongest first three quarters export performance to Europe since 2008 (252,041 units), with the highest seen in the 21st century so far being the 359,690 units sent to Europe in 2000.  

The monthly export numbers for 2025 have varied wildly - January was +29.11% (20, 835 units) with February +18.67% (25,206) despite the unsold 'pre-reg' units that were sitting on showroom floors or in warehouses around Europe. March was +1.16% with May -13.44% and July was +39.23%.

Regardless of the fluctuations, it would appear that there is real growth among the Japanese manufacturers here in Europe, at least where imports from their home factories are concerned, and there is evidence of this in the financial reports filed so far this year by the 'Big Four'.

Total Japanese 'Big Four' 250+ cc factory exports to the USA were +5.45% for the period from January to September, with 70,838 units registered. Total worldwide exports of 250+ cc motorcycles from Japan +14.44% at 310,444 units. Global total PTW unit exports were +10.18% at 366,728 units YTD.

www.jama.or.jp

Matris

Matris Shocks - 2018 and up M8 Street Bob 

Italian suspension specialist Matris has a complete range of new suspension upgrade options available for 107, 114 and 117 cubic inch Softail Street Bob models from 2018 and up.

At the front, the best-selling "Quad Valve System" F15K (20 mm valve) is an asymmetric hydraulic cartridge that converts the conventional non-adjustable OEM fork into a fully adjustable upgrade, with complete control of compression, rebound and preload through the ergonomically friendly, easier adjust units on the top of the fork cap. A special edition is available with a full black adjuster knob.

The 20 mm valve F15K is a 100% reversible, fully 'plug and play' install that does not require any modification to the original fork. It is also available with Matris' entry level FSE-i and FKE-i spring kit options.

At the rear, the compact M46KD-PK mono shock is the Matris' option of choice, equipped with knob spring preload adjuster it offers rebound and ride-hight adjustments. The spring is available in black or orange and as usual with the Matris range, the front and rear suspensions are available with choice of spring rates to provide riders with a ride that is tuned to their load and riding style preferences.

MATRIS S.R.L.

www.matrisdampers.com

Motorcycle Storehouse

Falcon Exhausts 

In Europe Motorcycle Storehouse has continued to expand its portfolio of approved exhausts with the addition of the German made Falcon brand - made by Fechter Motorsport.

"Falcon has built a solid reputation for producing high-quality exhaust systems that blend classic cruiser styling with reliable European engineering. 

"Known for clean design with a deep, satisfying tone, Falcon exhausts are a favourite amongst riders who value both form and function."

The range includes the 'Double Groove Series' 2-2 slip-ons, available for Sportster, Dyna, and Twin-Cam and M8 Softail models. Built from stainless steel with a choice of Polished or Satin Black finishes - "offering riders a premium upgrade in both looks and sound."

All Falcon exhausts available through Motorcycle Storehouse are fully homologated for street use, making it easy for riders to stay compliant without compromising on tone or performance.

"Falcon is a brand that's stood the test of time having built a loyal following, particularly in the German market," said Jarno Koster, Head of Product Management at Motorcycle Storehouse.

"They have that rare combination of timeless design, quality engineering, and street-legal performance. We're excited to bring the range to our dealer network and further strengthen our homologated product offering."

MOTORCYCLE STOREHOUSE BV

www.motorcyclestorehouse.com

www.fechter.de

Biker's Choice

Biker's Choice - Billet Cushioned Grips

Biker's Choice has added these new billet cushioned grips for Touring and Softail models. Built for "comfort, control, and style on some of Harley-Davidson's most popular models, these new grips offer the look and style of billet aluminum with the greater comfort offered by the cushioned surfaces."

Machined from high-quality 6061 aluminum, they have been engineered for "long-lasting durability with a cushioned surface that reduces vibration and provides all-day comfort." Riders can choose between chrome or black finishes.

"These grips are built for riders who want the best of both worlds - premium style and real comfort on the road," said Bob Schuetz, President of Turn 14 Powersports. "They're durable, they feel great in your hands, and they add a touch of custom style to your Harley without breaking the bank."

They have been designed for 2023 and newer CVO Touring models, 2024 and newer FLHX Street Glide and FLTRX Road Glide models, and 2025 and newer Softail models.

TURN 14 POWERSPORTS

www.turn14.com

www.twinpower-usa.com