jc mason's turbo challenger

f you had two men working 16-hour workdays for 60 days in a row, do you know what you would get? You’d get the motorcycle that i you see here on the pages of TORQUE Magazine. When JC Mason of Rolling Art Custom Paint and Mike Porham of CMP Motorcycles in Phoenix, Arizona, set out to build this Challenger, that was exactly the amount of time that they had to complete this project and make it to Sturgis.

Of all the motorcycles on the market to choose from, it is nice to find a brand that seems to check all of the boxes you look for in a motorcycle. Indian’s Challenger certainly has made a wave in the performance industry with unique standards like an integrated driveline (this means that the transmission and engine are unit construction), single coil over mono shock in the rear, and inverted forks (standard front) with Brembo calipers on both ends (dual front radial mount calipers). It is easy to see why JC chose the Challenger platform for his muse.

In addition to the equipment that the Indian came with in stock form, JC wanted to be the first in the nation [ahem’…the world] to turbocharge a Challenger. For this, he went straight to Mike over at CMP Motorcycles. The two got straight to work fashioning a turbo kit that didn’t exist for a motorcycle that had never been turboed before. This meant that there were tons of

challenges to overcome. First and foremost, the engine and components sit in a “cradle,” not a traditional frame like almost every other motorcycle on the planet. This meant that to modify the engine, it had to be removed from the cradle, modified for the CMP turbo, then re-installed. This also means that any future changes or potential damage from pushing the limits will make for a lot of work to repair.

Other challenges included but were not limited to the lack of a quality tuner available with the software to communicate with the Challenger’s ECM. The tuning was assisted by Lloyd’s. The other issue was due to the overall “newness” of the Challenger. Parts were tough to source. There were plenty of other things that were not for the faint of heart, tools, or abilities. All in all, Mike and JC have about 1920-man hours invested all in a matter of two months from paper and pen to in the trailer and off to Sturgis!

JC’s first ride on the Challenger was in Sturgis. With the turbo producing 5psi of boost, the Indian belts out 185 horsepower to the rear wheels. With that kind of power, the rider can’t even hit the peak without a serious conversation with themselves about the limits of man and machine. JC insists that no matter the boost, the tire can melt away at almost any speed. He also reports that he rides it as hard as he possibly can, every chance he gets.

Rolling Art Custom paint has been

a family business since 1972. JC has been at the helm for 25 of those years. Since custom paint is in the family, you didn’t think JC was going to show up to the party in stock paint, did you? JC wanted a performance paint job that still says “Indian” but looked racy and used the factory lines to accentuate the overall look. A Klock Werks front fender, molded bag lids, and fender all make for a streamlined look. JC and his main man Jerry removed all of the plastics on the bike and smoothed them out. Never one to leave a stone unturned, JC and Jerry removed the inner fairing for molding and paint. The inner fairing requires 20 hours to remove and install, so the next time you see a custom Indian Challenger, and the fairing is stock, you’ll know why. If there is any space that the Indian can be criticized for, it is in the ergonomics and aesthetics of the controls. JC originally Cerakoted the stock hand controls, but he has installed a full complement of Beringer brakes and hand controls since our photoshoot. CMP’s Mike Porham is responsible for the mid controls, and Boosted Brad supplied

ROLLING ART TECH SHEET Owner: JC Mason City/State: Tempe, AZ Builder: Owner/Mike Porham Year: 2020 Model: Challenger Value: I’m afraid to tally it up! Time: 1920 Hours ENGINE Year: Model: Builder: Indian/Mike Porham Ignition: Displacement: Stock Pistons: Heads: Carb: Cam: Air Cleaner: CMP Exhaust: Turbo built By CMP Primary: Stock TRANSMISSION Year: Make: Stock Shifting: Foot FRAME Year: Model: Stock Rake: Stock Stretch: Stock Forks Builder: Stock Indian Inverted Type: Inverted Triple Trees: Extension: N/A WHEELS Front Wheel: Brocks (BST Carbon Fiber) modified to fit Indian Size: 19” Tire: Front Brake: Stock Brembo Rear Wheel: Brocks (BST Carbon Fiber) modified for Indian Size: 18” Tire: Rear Brake: Stock Brembo PAINT Painter: Rolling Art Custom Paint Color: Several Type: Graphics: Yup! Chroming: None ACCESSORIES Bars: Barnstorm Cycle Tee Bars Risers: N/A Hand Controls: Beringer Foot Controls: CMP Motorcycles/Death Metal Racing Gas Tank(s): Barnstorm Cycles custom dash Oil Tank: n/a Front fender: Klock Werks Rear Fender: Factory modified by Rolling Art Custom Paint Seat: Modified Stock by Guy’s Upholstery Headlight: Tail light: Paul Yaffe’s Bagger Nation Speedo: Photographer: Missi Shoemaker the pegs. The seat was modified and covered by Guy’s Upholstery in Mesa, Arizona.

The bike sat for an entire year before he had a time slot to build it. In two months, it went from stock to what you see here. It was all hands on deck until the bike was done. JC would like to acknowledge a few folks who helped him finish this beast on time for its maiden voyage. Mike Porham for the hard work and turbo, Brock Davidson for being a good friend. Mr. Brian Klock for the killer front fender, Jake from Barnstorm Cycles for his awesome inner dash kit with navigation relocator & tee bars. Paul Yaffe supplied the bullet kit for the rear fender. Boosted Brad’s Death Metal Racing for the footpegs and Guy from Guys Upholstery for the seat work.