Attached to all this are beefy suspension
units. While the inverted forks and monoshock
of the base FTR1200 are nothing to sneeze at
with non-adjustable forks and rebound and
preload adjustment in the rear, the FTR1200S
brings fully adjustable suspension to the fore
at both ends of the bike.
The 1200S moves ahead in the electronics
department also and makes its case well for
the $2000 premium over the base bike. Not
only does it have switchable ABS and traction
control, but it also gains three rider modes
(rain, standard and sport) which are controlled
via the 4.3-in Ride Command touchscreen TFT
dash. The base FTR1200 makes do with the
familiar clocks we’ve seen previously on the
Scout Bobber, with Indian revising the LCD
insert to finally include a fuel gauge.
While Flat Trackers aren’t exactly known
for their braking abilities, things are more
92 KIWI RIDER
equitable between the two FTR1200 variants
when it comes to the braking system, with
both bikes boasting the aforementioned
ABS matched to premium Brembo four-pot
calipers matched to 320mm discs up front and
a single two-pot/265mm combo out back.
As is the case with most manufacturers,
Indian has debuted the FTR1200 with a full
suite of LED lighting on both bikes.
Indian also has developed over 40 accessories
spread over four distinct collections for owners
to customise their FTR1200, with the ability
to mix and match to tailor the bike further -
including luggage.
With the soft road modern classic segment
already at boiling point, we’ll have to wait for
Indian Motorcycles to give us the keys for a proper
test to see just how the latest addition to the class
stacks up against the established players.