1811cc Supercharged Indian by PM American Cycles…
Introduced in 2014, the Indian Chieftain is the top of the line Chief, a full-spec touring model with an air-cooled 100-hp “Thunderstroke” V-twin engine, three riding modes / throttle maps, hard panniers, and much more.
“Its heritage and imposing styling makes a Harley look almost meek when compared.” –MCN
It’s the kind of machine you could ride across the country in comfort, but Lars Ewers of Switzerland had a (very) different idea of what to do with this 2015 Chieftain. The 26-year-old apprenticed as a Kawasaki mechanic before joining the family business, PM American Cycles AG, where he’s now the workshop manager.
PM American Cycles has been modifying Harley-Davidsons for 25 years, and they were also the first authorized Indian dealer in Switzerland.
“My passion for fast and powerful motorcycles in combination with the activity of PM American Cycles finally paved the way for the creation of 2Crazy.”
Lars decided to transform the 385-kg behemoth into a 1/8-mile sprint bike for the Rocket Race Club series, where machines like Radical Speedshop’s “NOSferatu” Moto Guzzi and Mike Briesach’s “Streamliner” Ducati compete in old-school style drag races at events like the Glemseck 101.
For the Brand Bash class, the regulations are as follows:
- 2 or 3 Cylinders With NOS, Turbo, Supercharger, or Naturally-Aspirated
- No Limitation on Engine Capacity
- Every Kind of Gasoline Allowed
- Shifting Assistance Allowed
- Drag Race Tire Allowed
- Power-to-Weight Ratio is 0.85 HP/KG
- Inspired by Drag Race Style
- No Launch Control
- No Wheelie Bars
- Max. 20% Longer Swingarm
Lars and team completely transformed the Chieftain, stripping it down and outfitting the 1811cc V-twin with a Lloyd’z Motor Workz supercharger. These are not mass-produced, assembly-line kits — Lloyd builds each kit himself.
“Lloyd hand fits and assembles every single piece of every kit. This is a very long and tedious task that requires a significant amount of time and can’t just be handed off to someone to do.” –Lloyd’z
While the Indian’s Thunderstoke 111 is rated at 100 crank horsepower, it only put out ~75 ponies in most dyno tests. The upgrades to “2Crazy” nearly double tha outputt, with this sprint bike now putting down 143 hp and 209Nm (154 lb-ft). What’s more, the bike has shed more than 175 lbs, coming in at a (comparatively) svelte 290 kg (639 lbs) versus the stock dry weight of 815 lbs!
The result is one blown beast of a V-twin, which puts on quite the show when streaking down the strip at events like Bikers’ Festival and Glemseck 101. Below, Lars gives us more details on “2Crazy.”
Supercharged Chieftain Sprint Bike: Racer Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
My name is Lars Ewers, born on 28 January 1997. After an apprenticeship as a motorcycle mechanic at Kawasaki, I joined my parents’ family business, PM American Cycles AG, where I take care of the workshop’s concerns as shop manager.
PM has been doing conversions and tuning on Harley-Davidson motorcycles for 25 years, and as the first authorized Indian dealer in Switzerland, we have been involved in the brand development from the very beginning.
My passion for fast and powerful motorcycles in combination with the activity of PM American Cycles finally paved the way for the creation of 2Crazy.
Based on an Indian Chieftain it was created. The Lloyd’z supercharger in combination with many other modifications and suitable mapping provide the power. All unnecessary parts of the Chieftain were removed and replaced by high-quality components.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?
Indian Chieftain 2015.
• For what class of racing was the bike built?
The bike was built to race on the 1/8 mile.
• What custom work/upgrades have been done?
Almost everything has been rebuilt except the frame. From the engine with supercharger to the whole bodywork, suspension, wheels, brakes. etc.
• Does the bike have a nickname?
2CRAZY.
• Any idea of horsepower, weight, and/or performance numbers?
The bike has 1811ccm, 143HP, 209Nm [154 lb-ft], and weighs 290kg.
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride/race this bike?
It is very impressive with the loud noise of the supercharger when you lie down on the bike.
Follow the Builder
Web: www.pm-americancycles.ch
Instagram: @pmamericancycles / @larsewers
Facebook: PM American Cycles AG / Lars Ewers
Follow Rocket Race Club
Rocket Race Club | @rocket.race.club | Facebook
Photography Credits
Spa: @marc.holstein (www.marcholsteinphotos.com) x @myeyesbychristine (christinegablerphotos.com)
Glemseck 101: @annagphotography
Glemseck 101: @claudefischer (see-you.agency)
Nice Artikel about the Race Maschines , the Driver and the Rocket Race Club!
Go further,nice to Look behind the Szene of this crazy guys! Fun + exsiting
Why are there never any actual performance figures given for any of these drag bikes?
“The supercharger is loud” is not a performance figure. What is the 1/8 mile E.T. and top speed?
143 HP from 1811 cc’s supercharged is surprisingly low. I got more from my 1650 cc, naturally-aspirated (one carb) Harley Sportster-based engine 20 years ago! Another racer with a similar engine added nitrous & got over 200 HP. And those engines powered Sportster & Buell bikes @ the Bonneville Salt Flats, where you’re running @ redline for @ least 3 miles, so they have to last a lot longer than an 1/8 mile drag race engine.
The hp numbers might not be that high, but these guys are tuning their bikes more for torque in order to run the 1/8 mile / 200m. Making at least 200Nm (~150 lb-ft) is one of the benchmarks.
The engines I mentioned are “square”, 4″ bore x 4″ stroke. IMO, the square design gives the best combination of HP & torque & the dyno numbers show that — peak HP & torque pretty close. Both numbers on the Sportster-based engines over 150. Gearing is of course crucial too. Sprocket Specialists gave us a box of front & rear sprockets & you can spend a LOT of time finding the best combo, whether you’re going for top speed or low ET !!