VOLUME 59 ISSUE 9 MARCH 1, 2022 P97
A
s covered in the first two parts of this
series, Progressive American Flat Track
is attempting to resolve the dissonance
separating the on-track aspect of the vision it laid
out as part of its 2017 rebrand and the reality
that has taken shape since.
At the center of this divide is an exceptional
machine, exceptional both in terms of its perfor-
mance and rulebook status. The Indian FTR750
stands as the lone purpose-built race bike com-
peting in an era that was, at one point, envisioned
as a battleground for production-based equip-
ment in a post-XR750 age.
As such, the FTR750 was smartly designed
to leverage every possible design advantage,
including its "moment of inertia" (MOI) potential
by way of a massive crank and flywheel. This fact
grants it more favorable characteristics in dirt-
track-specific scenarios in a manner that is nearly
impossible for street-derived platforms to match.
And as a result, the exception has come to
rule. Rather than a premier-class field stacked
with factory-backed riders representing several
manufacturers all vying for the Grand National
Championship, since its introduction, the FTR750
has run away with every Mission SuperTwins
Banning the FTR750
Indian outright, which
was actually considered,
would solve any number
of headaches. In practice,
though, it would create
even more—and put
the immediate future
of Progressive AFT in
serious jeopardy.
