A piece of motorcycle history is up for grabs in Wānaka, though you will need $175,000 and a full tank of petrol for the privilege.
Fresh off the factory floor, the custom-built 2023 Indian Challenger RR is one of only 29 in existence worldwide and the only one to have made its way to New Zealand.
The bike is a replica of the machine used by US racer Tyler O’Hara (Racing No29) to win the 2022 King of the Baggers Championship, a recently formed contest that pits long-standing rival manufacturers Indian and Harley-Davidson against one another.
Wānaka Powersports general manager Daniel Irwin said he had leapt at the opportunity to acquire the bike when it became available late last year.
"We've got a couple of private collectors that we’ve dealt with in the past that I know will be interested in this, so we were able to grab it and stitch it up for the shop here in Wānaka."
Key features such as headlights are absent, replaced with decals.
"It’s a race-only bike. You can’t use it on the street," Mr Irwin said.
"It really is a collector’s item."
He said the decision to fill the bike with petrol, or even turn it on for the first time, would be at the buyer’s discretion.
While the bike would not be making any runs to the grocery store, Mr Irwin said the opportunity to show off its power would come at track days, which motorcycle clubs around the country held regularly.
"Turn up with your bike, put some fuel in it, away you go."
Mr Irwin encouraged anyone interested in viewing the bike up-close to stop by the Wānaka Powersports showroom.
The bike would also be on display at the E. Hayes & Sons stand at the Burt Munro Challenge, which runs in Invercargill between February 7-11.
"You never know, if we’re lucky we’ll find a purchaser down there that wants to kick it in the guts and we can all hear it run."
