light, with the Indian motif illuminated to
tell people what just passed them.
But the star of the show is that great
engine, which thanks to the gear-driven
counterbalancer fitted has zero undue
vibration up until 7,000rpm, when you
start to feel a subdued thrum only through
the footrests. But that’s it, right up to the
9,000rpm soft-action (because ride-by-
wire) limiter. Yet this fabulous engine
delivers a great sense of involvement, as
well as heaps of power and torque. The
light crank allows the engine to pick up
revs fast for an immediate response that
verges on being snatchy in Sport mode
— I preferred the Road settings which
still delivered thrilling acceleration, mak-
ing the FTR a very aggressive flat-track-
inspired hooligan bike, if you want it to
be. Yet there’s also a really flat torque
curve delivering power both progressively
and predictably, with loads of low-end
punch, and super flexibility. The threshold
for serious power is 3,000rpm, and I found
by shifting up at 7,000 revs I’d be right
back in the really meaty part of the torque
curve peaking 1,000 revs lower, which
doesn’t however fall off much beyond
that peak. It’s a really great engine design,
which has so much potential for use in
other models.
So unless you really want to get it on
by selecting Sport riding mode on the
FTR 1200 S — with that vivid throttle
response, fierce acceleration and strong
power that’s super invigorating — it
almost doesn’t matter which gear you
throw at the FTR 1200, it delivers.
There’s no question about it — the
FTR 1200 will catapult Indian into the
front line of global brands in the next 12
months. It has immediate recognition
thanks to Rich Christoph’s distinctive styl-
ing which totally hits the bull’s-eye, yet
is quite unlike anything else in the mar-
ketplace — not even the Ducati Monster
1200 it’ll inevitably be compared with.
This is a totally versatile performancemotorcycle — what the Italians call a moto
totale — which is fairly priced for the level
of performance it offers, and in real world
terms it’s both huge fun as well as practi-
cal to ride. The pseudo-AFT Dunlop tires
are an acquired taste, and are aimed more
at looking authentic rather than outright
performance on tarmac, and I’d like to
try the FTR fitted with a set of Michelin
Scorchers which conveniently come in
a 120/70 ZR19 front size. But apart from
that I can only praise Ben Lindaman and
his team for creating this authentic and
compelling new model, which is so enjoy-
able and impressive to ride. The first in
an all-new family of models powered by
this superb engine, it augurs well for the
future for America’s oldest brand — a
future that we should all pay close atten-
tion to. This is an American manufacturer
whose future will evidently include mak-
ing European-style bikes for a global
market — but designed and developed
in the USA. So what’s next? MC“It’s a really great engine design, which has
so much potential for use in other models.”
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