Indian ARO division brings race-developed performance parts to PowerPlus models

Indian Motorcycle has launched a new in-house performance arm called American Racing Operations (ARO), and it looks very much like the company’s answer to Harley-Davidson’s long-established Screamin’ Eagle division.

Announced ahead of this weekend’s MotoAmerica King of the Baggers round at Road America, the new ARO division will focus on factory-developed performance parts, race-inspired accessories and tuning upgrades for Indian’s V-twin range. The launch immediately puts Indian into the same territory that Harley-Davidson has occupied for years with its own Screamin’ Eagle-branded engines, exhausts and race parts.

The timing makes sense, too, as Indian has spent the last few seasons building credibility in American V-twin racing through its Challenger-based King of the Baggers programme. At the same time, Harley-Davidson has long used Screamin’ Eagle as both a performance brand and a direct link between its race bikes and road models.

Indian says ARO (pronounced “arrow” and not singular letters) will pull technology and development directly from its race efforts, particularly the factory bagger programme run alongside Vance & Hines. The first public appearance for the division comes this weekend, where Indian’s race team will use a new ARO-developed two-into-one race exhaust system on its championship bikes.

For road riders, the first production part under the ARO banner is a new GP Slip-On exhaust for Indian’s PowerPlus-powered touring models. The system was developed with input from Vance & Hines founder Terry Vance and uses styling inspired by road racing exhaust systems, including race-style outlet screens.

It’s a fairly clear sign of where Indian wants to position itself in the grand scheme of things. Historically, Harley-Davidson has owned the “factory hot rod” space in the American V-twin world through Screamin’ Eagle, giving owners dealer-backed upgrade paths covering everything from exhausts and cams to big-bore kits and race-derived tuning parts. Indian has offered accessories and performance upgrades before, but never under a dedicated, standalone performance identity like this.

The company hasn’t detailed the full ARO catalogue yet, although it says more exhausts, intake systems and hard performance parts are already in development. If the brand follows Harley’s blueprint closely, ARO could eventually become a recognisable sub-brand in its own right, tying together racing, aftermarket upgrades and factory performance packages.

Whether ARO becomes as influential as Screamin’ Eagle remains to be seen, but Indian clearly wants riders to see the new division as more than just a catalogue of accessories. 

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