Indian FTR 1200

My approach to motorcycles gives more weight to the subjective experience; I care very little about numbers on paper. Because if you are having a blast, then it shouldn’t matter what the spec sheet says. And the Indian FTR 1200 epitomizes this philosophy. Indian is not usually the first company that comes to mind when one thinks about motorcycles. For its price point, there is a lot more horsepower available for your dollar. The numbers don’t really stand out. But this is by far the most fun motorcycle I have ridden. For this reason, I am keeping this review short and sweet. You just need to go get on one and try it for yourself.

       The first thing that impressed me was the styling of the bike. It has its own kind of minimalistic kind beauty, different from the beauty of the Italian bikes. Every component of the bike is of the highest quality and there is nothing there that shouldn’t be. This was in stark contrast to my Kawasaki. It has its own appeal, but one can definitely tell some components were an afterthought. The user interface was also fantastic. When I looked down, all I saw was the metallic luster of the gas tank and an LED displaying the essentials. These glances continually reminded me that I was riding a special bike.

 

       When transiting between the twisties, the bark of the v-twin provided constant joy. Any time I let off the throttle the S&S exhaust produced a riveting cackle that never got old. The quality of the tone was much higher than a garden variety Harley v-twin. It was like an entrapped Pitbull ready to break free. The sound was definitely a crowd pleaser when rolling through town, which just added to the experience. And the vibrations were a constant reminder of the beast I was riding.

The real thrill of this bike shows up on the backroads, which isn’t what you would expect at first glance. This bike is north of 500lbs and has relaxed cruiser ergonomics. But it is true to its flat track racing DNA. The bike pulls hard in every gear! It launches out of turns with outstanding torque! There is a small lip on the back of the seat. The friction between that lip and my riding jeans was the only thing keeping me from flying off the back of the bike. On some open straight-aways, I let the throttle way open to see what this bike had. The experience was brilliant. I learned very quickly to assume an aggressive posture if I were to keep control of the bike. While objectively I may have been accelerating slower than my current inline-4 bike, I felt like I was flying. The gearing isn’t too tall either, so you have to shift a couple times before hitting 90mph. I felt that this gearing ratio augments the thrill of the bike and helps one engage in the experience.

All in all, this is the most enjoyable bike I have ridden so far. To date I have ridden about ten bikes and this one takes the cake. When returning the bike, the owner commented on how few people knew of this great bike. This was definitely an understatement. He was considering buying a second FTR to rent out so more people can enjoy this amazing bike. If you are ever in the D.C. area, please check out Vu’s listings here: https://www.riders-share.com/user/pGnQ3r8s8TJKWnjjz. He is a fantastic person who is passionate about sharing his love for motorcycles with others. He usually has about 5 premium bikes in is fleet and can deliver to you with his truck.