Skip to main content

Indian (Finally) Debuts FTR 1200 Racer Built for the Street

2019 Indian FTR 1200

Recommended Videos

There has never been a motorcycle quite like Indian’s FTR 1200. Though other built-for-the-street racers exist, the FTR 1200 is in another class. It’s not a road racer, a MotoGP clone, or an endurance off-roader ready for Dakar. Indian’s FTR 1200 is a motorcycle steeped in Americana, bathed in technology, and delivered to those who’d rather hit a dirt oval with the force of a neutron bomb. The FTR 1200 is a flat-tracker ready to rock.

Two years ago, Indian showed off its brand new flat-track race bike and ever since, has dominated the sport. It’s racked up win after win after win. It’s won so much that fans started clamoring at Indian’s gates to plead with the company’s higher-ups to build one for the masses. Which they did — sort of — with a customer version of the FTR 750. It cost $50,000 a pop and was very much not street legal. Customer interest, however, never ceased and Indian took notice and has finally unveiled a road-legal FTR 1200.

FTR 1200: Design and Development - Indian Motorcycle

Built around Indian’s 1,203cc V-Twin engine, the 120-horsepower upright flat-tracker looks like a bare-knuckle brawler come to life and debuts a host of “firsts” for the rebirthed company. Of those firsts, the most obvious is the motorcycle’s stance. With a trellis frame and pegs that sit behind the rider’s posterior, the FTR 1200 is most definitely not part of Indian’s cruiser lineup. This is a motorcycle meant to be tamed on the dirt or on your favorite winding road.

2019 Indian FTR 1200

Ensuring that both rider and machine come out the other side of said curves is a motorcycle with the parts to back up the looks. Brembo brakes are featured both front and rear, as well as fully adjustable shocks. Specially designed tires allow the FTR 1200 both rugged capability, all while never sacrificing adhesion when you want to drop a knee.

Creature comforts also abound, including an optional LED display, LED lighting, ABS, Lean-Angle traction control, Wheelie Mitigation, and three selectable riding modes on the FTR 1200 S model. That’s not to say these are limp-wristed replicas of the brand’s race bikes. In fact, Indian’s Wrecking Crew had a hand in developing the motorcycles with Jared Mees, the flat track champion, stating, “This is as close to my race bike as I’ve ever felt on the street.”

2019 Indian FTR 1200 S

Now comes the price. You’d expect the FTR 1200 to be something that cost an arm, a leg, your right index finger, and your first born, just like other “race machines for the street.” Thankfully, you’d be positively wrong. Indian knew if it wanted to attract new customers, ensnarl old ones, and capture imaginations, the company couldn’t make the FTR 1200 only for the uber-wealthy. That’s why, for the standard model, the price starts at just $12,999. For those wanting a little bit more, the FTR 1200 S will only set you back $14,999. And even then, that’s a hell of a deal.

The motorcycle won’t hit showrooms for a little while, but we’ll get our first real taste soon. You’ll want to stay tuned. This one is going to be a wheelie monster.

Jonathon Klein
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jonathon is a former contributor to The Manual. Please reach out to The Manual editorial staff with any questions or comments…
Say goodbye to the ultimate cafe racer motorcycle: The 2024 Triumph Thruxton Final Edition
Orders can be placed now for the Triumph Thruxton for delivery next spring
Right side of the 2024 Triumph Thruston Final Edition, the last year for the ultimate cafe racer.

The 2024 Triumph Thruxton Final Edition will end its 60-year run as one of the definitive examples of cafe racer motorcycles. Triumph introduced the Thruxton in 1964 as a limited edition production motorcycle designed to compete in endurance races, such as the Thruxton 500, for which Triumph named the bike.
The Thruxton 500 was an annual 500-mile, 9-hour endurance race in England from 1955 to 1973.  Two riders took turns riding a single motorcycle to complete the grueling competition. The early Triumph Thruxtons had notable success, including lapping the Isle of Man TT Mountain Race with an average speed of over 100 miles per hour. The crowning performance, however, came in 1969 when teams of Triumph Thruxtons dominated the winners' podium, with first, second, and third-place finishes.
The Thruxton's race-inspired design also appealed to riders seeking the right kind of motorcycle to blast around the countryside from one cafe to another.
In motorcycle lingo, a cafe racer has a distinctive style, with components intentionally chosen to support the demands for competitive street performance. Forget the higher handlebars and upright forward seating of most Bonnevilles. If you've ridden a motorcycle, e-bike, or even a bicycle at speed, you know that sitting upright results in greater wind against your chest and your face.

That added resistance requires greater power for the bike to go fast, and it can also get tiring quickly because it's harder for the rider to hang onto the handlebar grips. Cafe racer grips are low, and the seats let you scootch back and lean close to the gas tank to reduce wind resistance.

Read more
Look out Harley-Davidson, Indian’s new Sport Chief is up for a fight
The 2023 Sport Chief brings some of Indian's swagger to the performance cruiser segment
2023 Indian Sport Chief front end angle parked under an underpass.

Performance isn’t for sport bikes and superbikes anymore. Motorcycle brands have turned their sights to high-performance cruisers. While Harley Davidson is getting a lot wrong at the moment, no one does performance cruisers quite like the brand. The Harley-Davidson Low Rider S was introduced as a new bike in 2020 and immediately captured the attention of riders looking for, well, something that looked it was from the Sons of Anarchy. Indian may not have been first to introduce an amped-up cruiser, but it wants to join the fight and is entering the ring with the new 2023 Sport Chief.
The Chief nameplate carries a lot of weight for the Indian brand and it has the hard job of splitting the Scout and Indian Springfield bikes. Since its revival in 2021, the Chief has helped Indian garner 11% of the cruiser market as opposed to 1% before. With the new Sport Chief, Indian isn’t trying to reimagine the performance cruiser, it’s trying to put its own spin on it. So, like with many other Indians, the new Sport Chief has a renegade design, offers loads of customization, and is for people that enjoy riding.

Previous

Read more
Indian Motorcycle Partnered With Jack Daniels on a Limited-Edition, Blacked-Out Beauty
2021 jack daniels limited edition indian roadmaster dark horse motorcycle daniel s 1

Few things feel as quintessentially American as baseball and apple pie -- except maybe Jack Daniel’s and motorcycles. It’s rarely wise to mix the latter two. For 2021, however, Indian Motorcycle has done just that with another exclusive collaboration with the legendary Tennessee distiller.

2021 Jack Daniel's Indian Roadmaster Dark Horse - Indian Motorcycle

Read more