Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1521442
P114 INTERVIEW I FACTORY INDIAN'S TROY HERFOSS how fun it was to ride," Herfoss enthused. "It has so much feel. I could just do whatever I wanted with it. I could slide the bike so easily. It's got lots of torque and I just loved it." Another two-day test followed at Homestead in Miami and then it was off to Daytona, and Herfoss and been flying high ever since, enjoying a nine-point lead in the series over former champion Kyle Wyman at the time of writing. THE BAGGER EFFECT With Jeremy McWilliams depart- ing the Indian team after two memorable seasons as Tyler O'Hara's teammate, Troy Her - foss knows he's hit the right ride at the right time in his career. He brings with him a wealth of new knowledge as Jeremy's replace - ment, having raced and beaten legends such as Troy Bayliss and Wayne Maxwell in Australia. More than that, the enthusiasm for a new task has revitalized the Aussie, who admits to "feel- ing like I'm 21 again" behind the Challenger handlebar. "I've loved it," Herfoss says on his transition. "I've been given such a great reception from everyone in America. I was a bit of an unknown, but people are happy for me, which is just so cool. "The reception even back in Australia, when I come back to an ASBK event, people are just happy to see I'm doing well and interested in the whole Bagger thing. It's a quirky sort of style of racing for most hardcore super - bike fans, so there's the people 10 years. You don't want to go out and crash the bike on your first ride in front of 15 staff from Indian. So, I just crept around there. To this day, I'm not sure it was a good idea to do that because I went to bed that night and I was just shitting myself thinking, 'What have I done?'" Much to Herfoss' (and the team's) relief, day two of the test was dry and the uptick in outlook quickly matched the clearing Texan skies. "I went out the next day on a dry track and I couldn't believe "It was raining all of that first day," Herfoss says, "and towards the end of the day and I said to Charlie—my crew chief from Australia—'Charlie, I really would like to go to bed just knowing what this thing feels like. Let's go out in the wet and just do a couple laps.' "After four or five laps, I was so petrified. I had never ridden a bike that big. It was set up for Tyler [O'Hara] and it was a bit too stiff for me, and there were the Dunlop wet tires to get used to. I hadn't ridden Dunlops in Herfoss' mastery of inclement conditions was on full display in race two at Road Atlanta with a massive 13-second win margin.