Rennie Scaysbrook | October 1, 2018
Click here for the Cycle News 2019 Indian FTR 1200 and 1200 S Review story.
2019 Indian FTR 1200 and FTR 1200 S First Look—Indian Motorcycle has taken the wraps off one of the most eagerly anticipated motorcycles of recent memory in the brand new FTR 1200 and FTR 1200 S street flat tracker machines.
2019 Indian FTR 1200 and FTR 1200 S First Look
The Racer color scheme at the front will command a $1000 premium over the two colors behind it.
Crafted on the back of the company’s frankly astonishing recent run of American Flat Track success where they have steamrolled arch rivals Harley-Davidson in the past two seasons with the factory FTR 750, and taking styling cues from the FTR1200 Custom, the FTR 1200 represents a firm shift into performance motorcycling for Indian’s everyday rider.
“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,” said Steve Menneto, President, Indian Motorcycle. “Indian Motorcycle was founded on performance and innovation, and we remain grounded by our founder’s mindset of constantly pushing forward. In light of that history, the FTR 1200 is a natural extension for the brand that we couldn’t be more excited about.”
Exhaust is the same for both models.
The FTR 1200 platform is a two-bike attack on the street tracker segment of the market, the base model of which will sell for $ while the S model starts at $ and goes to $ for the full house version.
The FTR 1200 and FTR 1200 S utilize the same motor in the brand new, 1203cc, four-valve, liquid-cooled V-twin pumping out a claimed 120 hp and 85 ft-lb of torque, running a 2-1-2 exhaust. There’s three riding modes of Sport, Standard and Rain, traction and wheelie control and an Inertial Measurement Unit employed to keep the show on the road. Compression is noted at a rather high 12.5:1, dual Mikuni throttle bodies have been used and the 3.4-gallon gas tank has been placed under the seat to give ideal weight distribution and lower the center of gravity. Placing the tank under the seat also gave the engineers the ability to put the airbox directly on top of the engine to optimize airflow and ensure maximum power.
The swingarm pivots inside the crankcase.
The FTR 1200 and FTR 1200 S run a six-speed gearbox with a power-assisted slipper clutch and chain drive.
The chassis of both the FTR 1200 and FTR 1200 S is a tubular steel trellis in the same style as the FTR 750 racebikes of Jared Mees and Bryan Smith, although the shock is a side mounted unit compared to the traditionally mounted units of Mees’ racebike. Steering geometry is a relatively relaxed 26.3°.
The frame itself uses aluminum support parts like the rear shock mount, mid-frame, and front head mounts, and the passenger hand-hold bars can be removed. The swingarm pivots inside the crankcase to keep the wheelbase compact, and a hollow axle helps keep weight down.
Racer color scheme
Where the two bikes differ is in suspension spec, electronics, and colors. The FTR 1200 S gets the best of everything, with gold 43mm front suspension legs that are fully adjustable in compression and rebound damping and spring preload and 5.9 inches of travel. The same adjustability goes for the 1200 S’s shock, with 5.9 inches of travel on offer.
The base model FTR gets black fork legs and a monoshock, both adjustable via preload and rebound.
The brakes are the same twin 320mm disc, four-piston Brembo Monoblock 4.32 radially mounted caliper front/260mm Brembo P34 twin-piston caliper rear set-up across both models, with ABS as standard. The ABS can be disabled on the 1200 S but is permanently on with the base model 1200.
FTR 1200 S dash.
The show rolls on flat track specific 19-inch front and 18 inch rear cast aluminum wheels, with Dunlop developing a new DT3-R tire specific to the FTR1200. The look of the rubber is designed to mimic the DT3 tire used ubiquitously in AFT racing, but with the concession for the street rider in better-wet weather grip and closer tread blocks.
LED lighting abounds front and rear and the FTR1200 S will get use of a brand-new 4.3-inch, touch screen, Ride Command LCD dash that features Bluetooth and a fast charging USB port. The dash, like the unit found on the Triumph Street Triple RS, can be configured to a variety of different displays for the bike’s speedometer and rev counter gauges.
The base model FTR1200 will be available in Thunder Black for $12,999 MSRP, with the 1200 S starting at $14,999 for the Indian Motorcycle Red over Steel Gray and Titanium Metallic over Thunder Black Pearl color schemes, with the Race Replica version commanding an extra $1000.
Base Model 2019 Indian FTR 1200 Photos
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