FTR Family Focus
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Let's wind the clock back to June 2016, when Indian Motorcycle made the historic announcement that they would return to the AMA Flat Track Championship with an all-new motorcycle - the FTR 750.
Some six decades since the iconic brand had contested the premier Flat Track series in the USA, the news was big and the intent even more so - by the August of 2016, the first FTR 750 race bike was unveiled - the first to wear the ‘FTR’ name.
Indian Motorcycle announced it’s rider line-up, signing the best in the business to its reinvented ‘Wrecking Crew’ - a name given to its team riders up until the 1950s. In the same weekend, the FTR 750 took its debut win at the Santa Rosa Mile, California - not bad for its first competitive outing.
With its credentials shown from the outset, FTR 750 went on to dominate the following season’s action, winning 14 races, taking 37 podiums and six podium clean sweeps, taking Jared Mees to the riders’ title and Indian to the manufacturers’ title - something it has not been beaten to still today.
In November 2017, the world was treated to a one-off special from Indian Motorcycle - the FTR 1200 Custom. Unveiled at the Eicma show in Milan; a more road-focussed, custom built machine featuring a 1200cc V-Twin engine in a bespoke frame - opinion was now being canvassed across the globe for something ‘more’.
Just a few months later, the news was out. Reid Wilson confirmed the brand’s intentions while on stage at the 2018 edition of Wheels and Waves in Biarritz, France - a street legal FTR 1200 would make production.
On October 1 that year, Indian proudly unveiled the FTR 1200 and 1200 S, as part of a star studded party on the eve of the Intermot show in Cologne, Germany. FTR 1200 was now well and truly alive.
As Jared Mees rode the FTR onto the stage, then president of Indian Motorcycle, Steve Mennetto explained the significance of the development of FTR:
“Our vision from the beginning was to be more than a traditional American V-twin brand. We continually seek to broaden Indian Motorcycle’s reach to a wider range of riders, and FTR 1200 represents a significant step forward in that strategy.”
That 'significant step forward' was plain to see when the specifications were revealed: a new 1203cc V-Twin engine, producing over 120bhp; an impressively flat torque curve; a trellis style frame with a sporty riding position and high specification chassis components; fully adjustable inverted forks and rear shock; Brembo radial calipers and even a colour TFT touch screen display.
Press response to both the FTR 1200 and FTR 1200 S at the International test ride event in California was universally positive, with the new bikes delivering not only impressive levels of engine and chassis performance, but also a genuine new category for motorcycling in the process.
By the time the media launch had finished, the first bikes were arriving in UK dealers, with the Race Replica version of the FTR 1200S a popular choice, along with FTR 1200 and an A2 compliant version of it too.
Back from the launch, Bike Magazine were the first to conduct a comprehensive and real-world test of the FTR 1200 S on UK roads, with renowned tester and accomplished racer Pete Boast. He wasn’t shy of praise in his summary:
“This is my new favourite road bike. They’ve put a lot of thought into the whole bike. It’s genuinely really good. The FTR 1200 S is a huge step forward not only for Indian but for American bikes generally. If you’ve lost your love for biking, even just a bit, take an FTR for a test ride - because it may well be the bike to bring it back.”
With such a positive response to the FTR platform and demand for more versions, Indian Motorcycle announced the next chapter of FTR 1200 in November 2019, with the introduction of the new FTR 1200 Rally.
“The FTR Rally is a statement maker. Whether commuting to work, meeting up with friends for coffee, or just ripping around town, the FTR Rally will turn heads wherever it goes. It’s more than just eye candy, it reciprocates that ‘cool feeling’ through its 123-horsepower engine, commanding riding position and nimble handling, perfect for city streets or back, canyon roads.”
Based on the standard FTR 1200, the Rally features a host of additions, including Titanium Smoke paint with the Indian Motorcycle headdress logo, aluminium wire wheels with red pinstripe, brown aviator seat, a new rally windscreen and Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres.
And so, in just the space of two years, the FTR platform is now three-models strong, with a growing following in the UK and with inclusion in the Dirt Track Riders Association race series too. Whether you seek mountain roads, are just starting out but looking for a cool A2 compliant ride, or wish to stand out from the crowd on the daily commute, the FTR range has something for virtually every rider.