#indian

Indian has filed a patent application for a modular motorcycle design that may reveal the production version of the FTR1200 and perhaps a couple of model variants. The patent illustrations primarily show a motorcycle that closely resembles the FTR1200 Custom, a concept that itself is based on the FTR750 flat track racer. We know that the Indian FTR1200 will enter production in 2019, and the patent filings gives us an idea on what it will look like.

There are a lot of ways to go for a long distance tour. These days, offerings are plentiful when choosing a steed to gallop your way across the country. There are even a few liter bikes that come equipped with cruise control, if you’re into that sort of thing. From dedicated six-cylinder sport tourers, to Dakar inspired adventure bikes, there has probably never been a better time to choose a touring motorcycle.

Privateers lead a different life from factory riders – and it’s not just the disparity in the paycheck, either. From van driver to mechanic to team manager, these committed riders have to wear many hats besides their helmets on race weekend. This year in American Flat Track, fans have witnessed a big change in the field of motorcycles competing in the events. The same Indian FTR750 that the factory guys are riding is available for privateers, too. The result has been some exciting racing and different names at the top of the standings.

Indian Motorcycle saw a small growth in sales and market share during the first quarter of 2018, according to Polaris Industries’ quarterly financial report. The modest increase was enough to offset a decrease in Slingshot sales and increase Polaris’ motorcycle sales by 9.3% to $131.6 million.

Some days are better than others. When Indian invited us to come see their new Klock Werks Jack Daniel’s First Responders Limited Edition Scout Bobber at the JD Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, they did not have to ask twice.

The limited edition Indian Chieftain Elite is back for 2018, featuring a new silver color scheme.

A couple of days ago we reported on the somewhat gloomy news from Harley-Davidson about its year-end financial statement, in which it announced a downturn in sales and the upcoming closure of its Kansas City, MO, factory.

Yes, $10,000 is still a lot of money, but it’s not 1973 anymore and you really do get a lot of motorcycle for that much now. No, buying new is not the most economical way to go, but a lot of people have no choice. Besides, interest rates are at historical lows, and the fact is that brand-new bikes are about as easy to take care of as a Toyota Camry. For every old guy who misses carburetors and “wrenching,” there are five or 10 young ones out riding around happily oblivious to what they’re missing. Listen, I’m wearing socks older than most of you, but when it comes to motorcycles, new is good. Here are are my personal top 10, from least to most expensive.

The unofficial MO motto is “More is more.” So, naturally we were happy to learn at the International Motorcycle Shows Long Beach media day last week that Indian has released the Thunder Stroke 116-Cubic-Inch Stage 3 Big Bore Kit. What’s that, you say? Well, how does a claimed 15% increase in torque and a 20% bump in horsepower strike you? Yeah, us, too. So, if your Thunder Stroke 111 has started to feel a little anemic after reading this paragraph, moto-salvation is at hand.

The big news is the new FTR1200 Indian revealed last week; the bigger news is how close to production-ready it looks, complete with lights and carbon-fiber bodywork, which may have to give way to plastic on a real production version. Indian’s Gary Gray says they built it to see what the public reaction would be, but I think the public had already reacted as soon as they built the FTR750 race bike, which was wildly successful. The Wrecking Crew was on hand to pull the cover off the “concept” bike.

Polaris has gotten our hopes up before with the Victory Project 156 race bike, but that was clearly a one-off racing machine that was designed to attack the challenges of Pikes Peak. In contrast, the “custom” Indian FTR1200 unveiled today at EICMA in Milan, looks pretty polished to our MOronic eyes. However, we’ve been bitten before by our desire to see something other than a cruiser or a bagger/tourer come from Polaris/Indian. Still, what could be a better tool to break the cruiser mold than a flat track-styled bike honoring the Indian “Wrecking Crew” who came out and ripped the 2017 American Flat Track series wide open?

The clop, clop, clop of my steel shoe resonating through my helmet as I walked through the uncomfortable October heat at Perris Auto Speedway in my trusty NJK leathers as I headed toward the snarling motorcycle that was waiting for me.

I’m not sure if every generation that hits my 20-something age range sees a sudden spike in its demographic getting tattoos of daggers, huffing light-blue American Spirits, and stocking up on vests of various materials, but these things all lead that group pursuing the next coolest thing they can do beyond not giving a heck what you think, mom. That next thing can be any number of things from knitting to custom motorcycles.

When motorcyclists think of the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats, I’d bet most would envision either Rollie Free aboard a Vincent in his bathing suit or Burt Munro, whose historic land-speed record was immortalized in the Anthony Hopkins film, The World’s Fastest Indian.

According to Reuters, the list of possible suitors for the rumored  Ducati sale has grown to include the Benetton family in an effort to return the Italian manufacturer’s ownership to Italy. Among the bids that Volkswagen has received for the Italian marque, Edition Holding (the Benetton family’s investment firm) has reportedly made a $1.2 billion offer. Included in the companies supposedly vying for  Ducati, readers may be interested to learn that Bain Capital (which owns a piece of Can-Am parent BRP), Eicher Motors (the company that controls Royal Enfield) and Polaris Industries (parent company of  Indian Motorcycle) are supposedly in the bidding along with, most notably,  Harley-Davidson. However, the inclusion of HD in this list is now in doubt, as Reuters states that the high price tag may have prompted The Motor Company to withdraw from bidding.