Faithfully replicating a minimalist racebike while meeting countless production requirements, including emissions, is no mean feat. But that is exactly what Indian Motorcycle has attempted to do with the 2019 FTR1200, FTR1200S, and FTR1200S Race Replica. This is not, repeat not, an FTR750, the $45,000, competition-only machine that, in Jared Mees’ hands, has won back-to-back American Flat Track Twins-class titles. “Our focus,” Indian Senior Industrial Designer Rich Christoph explained, “was to capture the style of the FTR750.” Which is why the street-legal FTR1200 has a steel-tube trellis chassis and a hot-rodded, Scout-based V-twin scaled down in overall size and weight—40 pounds less than the feet-forward cruiser’s powerplant—and displacing 1,203cc to produce a claimed 120 hp and 85 pound-feet of torque.
Added to the traditional flat-track look are a number of modern features, including LED lighting, a USB port, and, on the premium-priced FTR1200S, three ride modes and lean-angle-sensitive traction and stability controls. Adjustable suspension and sportbike-worthy Brembo brakes with 320mm rotors and four-piston calipers are standard equipment. The oval-track-racing theme even carries over to the specially constructed and grooved Dunlop radials, a 19-inch front and an 18-inch rear. Sorry, steel shoe not included.
Likes: Look and feel of a mile winner at a fraction of the cost
Dislikes: Premium features—ride modes and IMU—carry a premium price
Verdict: Flat-track racing fans, the Indian FTR1200 is your streetbike
With the 2019 FTR1200, Indian has created a swift-footed motorcycle that will surely expand the Polaris-owned company’s reach beyond the cruiser and classic touring-bike market. “There are two immediate tells on that athletic focus,” contributing editor Steve Anderson wrote, “the riding position and the engine tune and packaging.”
Street-legal flat-track replicas are a rare breed, but the 2019 Indian FTR1200’s riding position—upright, with the footpegs directly under your center of gravity, just as on a motocrosser or Supermoto machine—leads to instant comparisons with a pair of smaller-displacement models, the twin-cylinder KTM 790 Duke and single-cylinder Husqvarna 701 Supermoto.
Engine electronics and chassis adjustability aren’t the only areas in which the trio of FTR1200s differ. The base FTR1200 comes in Thunder Black, while the FTR1200S is available in Titanium Metallic/Thunder Black Pearl or Indian Motorcycle Red/Steel Gray. Add another $1,000 for the red-framed FTR1200S Race Replica.