Back in June, Indian Motorcycle teased a street-legal version of its flat-track-dominating Scout FTR750. In a welcome surprise, this month the company confirmed that not one, but two bikes will be produced: the FTR1200 and FTR1200 S.
The announcement couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. Last weekend, the American Flat Track championship was once again clinched by Indian Wrecking Crew rider Jared Mees. In fact, the top NINE racers in the 2018 season all rode FTR750s.
Even though flat track isn’t part of today’s cultural zeitgeist, that level of racing supremacy has already carried over into interest for Indian’s production models. So how do these new editions compare to the racer?
There’s a brand new 1203cc V-Twin engine putting out 120 HP and 85 ft.-lbs. of torque and a slick trellis frame. As for elements that take after the FTR750, there’s the above-engine airbox, rear suspension and swingarm design, ProTaper aluminum handlebars and Dunlop flat track-inspired street tires. And that’s just the start.
Where the two new editions diverge is in the customization of the FTR 1200 S. Whether we’re talking the suspension, LCD touchscreen, wheelie mitigation control or the three ride modes (Sport, Standard and Rain), the bike blends the raw power of the racer with the high-tech conveniences you’d expect from a model-year-2019 motorcycle. That means it’ll start at $14,999, while the FTR 1200 starts at $12,999.
But if testimony is what you’re looking for, Indian notes it “accumulated tens of thousands of test miles on the street with input from racers, including [their] championship winning Wrecking Crew flat track team and former Grand Prix racers.”
If they’ve signed off, we don’t need any more convincing. Until next spring, when the bikes are set to release, we’ll be filling journals with all the roads we can’t wait to test them out on.
Original Story from 6/28/2018
This fall, Indian Motorcycle unveiled the FTR1200 Custom, a street-legal concept inspired by the Scout FTR750, a flat-track racer that’s led Indian’s Wrecking Crew to win after win. Naturally, every biker with at least one daredevil bone in his or her body has been in a constant state of cartoon-wolf howling in the seven months since.
Apparently that was exactly what Indian wanted to hear, because the company just announced they’re putting the FTR1200 into production.
And wait until you hear the specs from the press release … oh, looks like they’re nonexistent. All they’re giving away so far is that “it will embody a flat tracker style, [be] housed in a trellis frame and powered by a new V-twin engine.”
“We wanted to make sure that the FTR1200 wasn’t merely a regurgitation of the FTR1200 Custom, but something uniquely ‘street,’ albeit flat track inspired,” says senior Indian Motorcycle designer Rich Christoph. “We’re thrilled about the unique character this bike possesses, and its ability to take American V-twin motorcycles into brand new territory.”
Translation? People watched the Wrecking Crew dominate the American Flat Track series on Indian’s bikes now want those bikes for themselves, and Indian will oblige them (for a tidy sum, of course), but in the end turning an expensive pro-level racer into a street-safe bike for the questionably agile masses is a tall order.
But bikers want American companies to put out something more exciting than a cruiser, so we’ll have to wait and see how the production model compares to the FTR1200 Custom. The bike isn’t slated for release until 2019, but in the meantime you can enter to win one on their website.
And therein lies the one clue to the final product: Indian lists the “model year 2019 Indian FTR1200” at a $15,000 package value.
All images via Indian Motorcycle
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