VOL. 56 ISSUE 19 MAY 14, 2019 P89
T O U R PA C K A G E
The Tour collection is quite expansive,
turning the FTR1200 into a full-time mile
muncher. The Tour pack includes:
• Luggage racks, top and side bags
•Mid-height windshield
•Tank bag
•Low-mount Akrapovic muffler
•Fork guards
•Grab handles
•Tank covers
in an adventure bike.
But riding an FTR on sand will
probably happen for around 1.8
percent of all FTR's sold. The real
riding will be done on the street,
and after our little sand soiree, the
remainder of the test was spent
riding the coast roads between La
Paz and Cabo San Lucas.
In creating the FTR1200, Indian
has delivered a motorcycle that is
truly one of a kind but one that can
handle a variety of situations. Just
as it was surprisingly comfortable
in the sand roads along the beach,
the FTR will happily play at giving
a sport bike a run for its money or
be a comfortable touring bike.
The riding position is aggres-
sive—you're leaned towards the
front wheel, and with the bend
and width of the bars you're in that
flat tracker pose right away—but
it's very comfortable for even the
two 10-hour days we put on them
down in Mexico.
Getting its sport bike on is
where the true nature of the FTR
lies. Regardless of the fact the
tires are replicated from dirt rid-
ing, the FTR loves to be thrashed
on the street. In Standard
or Sport mode, charging
through the gears reveals
one major personality trait.
As the motor was nice
and docile in the sand at
low revs, when hard on the gas
between 5-7000 rpm there's a
definite kick in the power, almost
a bit reminiscent of a two-stroke.
The motor truly comes alive as
it surges past 6000 rpm, which
can make holding a wheelie a
touch difficult (if you're that way
inclined). The motor continues
to build power through to about
7500 rpm, before gradually run-
ning out of steam as it sails past
8000 rpm to a speed limited to
124 mph.
I would genuinely have liked
to see Indian fit a quickshifter to
the 1200 S model, as the price
charged warrants one, in my op-
tion. The gearshift itself is pretty
smooth, all things considered,
but not fitting a quickshifter is an
oversight.
There's a definite difference in
feel between the suspension on
both models. Although the front
springs are reportedly the same
across the 1200 and 1200 S, the
base model has a plusher feel
than the stiffer 1200 S. The 1200
S is much more angled at, err,
more spirited riding compared to
the base model, with the valving,
front and rear, firmer than the base
model. The offshoot of this is you
can tune the 1200 S's suspension
with full adjustment front and rear,
whereas with the base model, you
have only preload and rebound
damping adjustment. The base
model makes for a more comfort-
able, cruisy ride experience, but
begins to show its price point as
the speed increases and the riding
becomes more aggressive.
Akrapovic titanium mufflers on
the 1200 S Racer Replica look
and sound the business.
