2019 Indian FTR 1200 S FLAT OUT WINNER

But young India loves products that are nimble, sporty, hot looking and have power like nobody’s business. The FTR 1200 S is one such bike that could possibly change the fortunes of Indian Motorcycle company in India.

The company recently launched the 2019 FTR 1200 S and the FTR 1200 S Race Replica. We got to ride the former. There is also another variant that is FTR 1200 but that will not be brought into India unless the market craves for it. The FTR 1200 is the street version of the FTR 750 which is basically a race bike that has won several accolades at the American Flat Track Professional racing series.

SPECIFICATIONS

Overall length: 2287mm

Overall width: 850mm.

Wheel base: 1524mm

Seat height : 805mm/850mm.

Ground clearance: of 183mm.

Weight without fuel: 225kg.

Front suspension: Inverted telescopic cartridge fork with 150mm travel

Rear suspension: Monotube IFP with 150mm travel

Front brake: Dual discs with 4-piston caliper

Rear brake: Single disc with 2-piston caliper

Front tyre: 120/70 R19 60V

Rear tyres: 150/70 R18 70v.

Engine: Liquid cooled V-twin engine, 1203cc, electronic fuel injection

Peak Power 123 hp

Peak torque: 120Nm

EXTERIOR

Let me describe the bike’s design and features. It looks brilliant with its very race ready kind of looks. The bike comes with a trellis frame around which is built the entire bike with a sporty riding position. The scooped down riding seat and the aerodynamically built fuel tank allow the rider to take a thigh hugging stance while riding. Incidentally the fuel tank is just a dummy, it is an empty redesigned shell which covers the fuel tank beneath it. Yes, the real fuel tank has been built so smartly that it ensures a perfect centre of gravity character to the bike and thereby helps in a stable ride. The tank has a fuel capacity of 13 litres.

The almost flat handle bars are ideal for both a crouched position as well as chest out position while riding. It all depends on what roads and what speeds you are riding. 

The bike has a wheel base of 1524mm, a seat height of 805mm/850mm. It has a ground clearance of 183mm. The overall length is 2287mm, the overall width is 850mm. The weight without fuel is 225kg.

It has full LED lights. The front DRLs in the shape of a half moon has the name Indian prominently displayed at the base. The rear LED lamp too has the Indian name printed prominently. The FTR 1200S gets a 4.3 inches ride command touch screen, 3 ride modes that are sport, standard and rain, a fully adjustable front and rear suspension, lean sensitive traction and stability control.

Apart from the LCD touch screen display we have bluetooth and fast charging USB port, digital tachometer, odometer, trip meter, engine temperature and low fuel lamp.

For the screen you can choose a day theme or an auto theme or a night theme. In the day theme the screen becomes white and the figures and indicators become black. Everything stands out very clear even during a very bright day. In the night theme, the screen becomes black and everything displayed on it is in white. In the auto theme, everything happens automatically and it changes from white to black as the day progresses.

Now interestingly, the touch screen can be operated with your gloves on and that is quite a relief for the rider. The touch screen functions can also be operated through two switches on both sides of the handlebar. Talking of switches, there are not many in this motorcycle and that is quite a relief. The left has the cruise control buttons, the screen function buttons, a combined button for indicators and hazard light and a button for the horn. The right switch has a start/kill function for the engine, apart from another switch for the screen functions. The front brake lever can be adjusted for your grip. 

The front suspension comprises inverted telescopic cartridge fork with 150mm travel, while the rear is a monotube IFP with 150mm travel. The suspension for the front and rear can be fully adjusted.  The front brakes consist of dual discs with a 4 piston caliper while the rear is a single disc with a 2 piston caliper. The front tyre is 120/70 R19 60V and the rear is 150/70 R18 70v. The sporty twin exhausts are strategically inclined upwards for redefining the sporty character of the bike.

PERFORMANCE

The FTR 1200S is powered by a liquid cooled V-twin engine with a 1203cc heart with an electronic fuel injection. It generates a peak power of 123 hp and a peak torque of 120Nm @ 6000rpm. The bike comes with Brembo brakes, Dunlop tyres and a host of other features.

True to its sporty design, the V twin too performs very sportingly. The moment you slot it into the first gear and move, the acceleration is quite evident and reaching speeds beyond 100kmph comes in a flash. Unlike the real flat track racer this one is quite tamed and thankfully rides steady on roads.

Since the new traffic norms had kicked in by the time we got our hands on the FTR 1200S, we had to be careful about pushing it too hard.

The seating position is very comfortable and those less than 5 feet 10 inches in height will have to really stretch their feet to plant it on the ground when the bike is stationery. The riding position is again amazing with the handle bars placed perfectly for both a speed run as well as cutting through normal traffic.

What I really like about the bike is that everything is very minimalistic. You have to choose from three different ride modes sport, standard and rain. It’s least complicated. The speed digits are prominently displayed on the screen for the rider to glance down even at high speeds. Even when I hesitatingly touched 132kmph, I knew the bike had lots and lots of juice left for it to go a lot further.

The disc brakes sure had a lot of bite. And coming down from a hundred to a zero kmph was very exact. We tried out the standard and sport modes and got to experience the change in character of the bike. The standard mode can get you all excited with its throttle response, while the sport mode is simply the icing on the cake. Riding through the thick of traffic is not much of a hassle for this chunky bike but despite the engine being liquid-cooled, the heat dissipation can get you a tad uncomfortable. But that is bearable.

While I enjoyed the flat track character of the bike on the road, I did take it on some loose soil and switched off the ABS and traction control. That brought its own fun. The FTR 1200S is truly a very capable bike and for Indian Motorcycle it’s going to be the cherry on the already strong line up in India.