Indian confirms FTR for 2019

By Réhann Coetzee

Indian Motorcycle has put to rest months of public speculation about a new flat track-inspired street bike. Production of the FTR 1200 has been confirmed with an on-sale date in 2019.

The iconic American motorcycle company confirmed this at the Wheels & Waves festival in France. While a formal release date has not been set, plans point toward the bike, inspired by Indian’s storied history in flat track racing, it will be going on sale in 2019.

In addition to announcing production intentions, Indian also announced a prize draw where riders can enter to win one of the first bikes to come off the assembly line. Riders who want to own the new Indian FTR 1200 can visit www.win-ftr1200.com for a chance to win the highly anticipated new model.

“When we unveiled the FTR1200 Custom at EICMA, we said we’d listen to feedback from riders around the world,” said Steve Menneto, president of Indian Motorcycle. “Riders definitely have spoken and the response has been overwhelming. We’re proud and excited to announce that we will be putting the FTR 1200 into production.”

The announcement comes in response to months of speculation and demand for a street version of the company’s wildly successful FTR750 – a purpose-built flat track racer that has dominated the American Flat Track professional racing series since its introduction in 2017.

That speculation was intensified by the company’s development of the FTR1200 Custom, a one-off build that toured global motorcycle shows this past year. The new FTR 1200 will take inspiration, design and performance cues from these two predecessors, but will maintain a look and style all its own.

The FTR 1200’s full specification is yet to be announced, but it will have a flat tracker style, a trellis frame and powered by a V-twin engine.

Also present at the announcement was Indian Motorcycle Senior Designer Rich Christoph, who was instrumental to the design of the FTR 1200, FTR1200 Custom, and FTR750.

“We wanted to make sure that the FTR 1200 wasn’t merely a regurgitation of the FTR1200 Custom, but something uniquely ‘street,’ albeit flat-track inspired,” said Christoph. “We’re thrilled about the character this bike possesses and its ability to take American V-twin motorcycles into new territory.”

“From the very beginning, our intention was to develop Indian Motorcycle into a global brand,” said Michael Dougherty, president of Indian Motorcycle International. “Armed with a strong foundation, it’s now time to break new ground for an American motorcycle manufacturer and the FTR 1200 is where that begins.”

No specifications have been released yet, but below are some that were shared with the unveiling of the Scout FTR1200 Custom Concept. We expect that it should be similar.

Technically speaking: Indian Scout FTR1200 Custom Concept

Engine: 1 133cc, V-Twin

Power: 94bhp @ 8 000rpm (est)
Seat height: 800mm (est)

Weight: 200kg (est)