BOLD AND PURPOSEFUL
Indian has bloody well done it, I thought,
rolling back into the hotel.
I honestly didn’t think it would have pulled the
FTR off as well as it had.
Here was a totally unique bike, brilliantly
executed.
Ergonomically, I could tell you it felt like an MV
Brutale. But if you’ve never ridden a Brutale,
it would be a pointless comparison. The bars
are wide, the seat is quite comfortable, and
the head-shoulders-arse-thighs-knees-feet
relationship is pretty spot-on. I think even
bigger riders will be very at-home astride it.
The FTR felt… well, proper. And finished. And
not a simply design exercise. It is far, far more
than that.
A lot of thought and some very high-level
engineering has gone into making it the way it
is and the way it works. New ideas have been
The FTR is a pleasure to
behold and to ride. The
finish is exceptional (the
paint has got to be seen
in sunlight to be properly
adored), the bike’s
integrity is iron-clad
108 KIWI RIDER
tried and new ground has been broken.
There are host of accessories (including wire
wheels if you’re like me and that way inclined),
and I would think Indian will be spinning
several other models from these first steps
upon a brand new warpath.
And make no mistake. These are bold steps.
But they are purposeful and resolute.
The FTR is a pleasure to behold and to ride.
The finish is exceptional (the paint has got to
be seen in sunlight to be properly adored), the
bike’s integrity is iron-clad. It does not have
an errant bone in its beautiful body, and it
rides and behaves like… well, like the unique
thoroughbred it truly is.
This is the bike America needed to build, and
the world now needs to ride to appreciate. This
is the bike Indian has actually built – and I am
standing and applauding.