2020 Indian FTR 1200/FTR 1200 S

In 2019 Indian Motorcycle finally produced its street-legal flat tracker, the FTR 1200, proving that Indian was more than just a cruiser-focused brand. The 2020 Indian FTR 1200 is a standard-style motorcycle based around the renowned flat tracker, the FTR750, but is equipped with the 1,203cc V-twin engine that’s loosely based on a nipped and tucked Scout powerplant. This is Indian’s highest-performing motorcycle with a claimed 123 hp. Take this machine out for a community flat track competition or a run-whatcha-brung race. When the weekend isn’t stacked with races, take it to the back or dirt roads for some hooliganism then ride it on the return to work on Monday.

When we had a first look at the street tracker, we stated that “it isn’t just styling; with the FTR 1200, Indian is building its first truly athletic motorcycle, a motorcycle that will expand its reach beyond the cruiser and classic touring bike market and play in the streetfighter market. There are two immediate tells on that athletic focus: the riding position and the engine tune and packaging.” And further, in our first ride, Editor-In-Chief Mark Hoyer wrote: “But I have to say, standing next to the 2019 FTR 1200 S and taking it in, the profile, stance, contour, and detail please the eye looking for purity and honesty. The feelings are similar while in motion.”

We ran it on our in-house rear-wheel dyno to find that the 2020 model hits 111.8 hp at 8,200 rpm and 80.5 pound-feet of torque at 5,800 rpm.

In his first ride, Hoyer pitted the Race Replica S version against Harley-Davidson’s XR1200X at the track and found that “as much as we thought these two tracker-inspired bikes might be related in riding experience, the new FTR takes performance up many notches with quite a bit more horsepower, lighter weight, and much more composure.”

Since it does have the spirit of a scrambler, you could also compare this model to the Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle, BMW R nineT Scrambler, or Triumph’s Scrambler 1200 XC/XE.

For model year 2020, we saw no major changes or updates.

The standard FTR 1200 comes at a price of $13,499 and is only available in Thunder Black. Differing it from the S model is not only the paint scheme, but also a $2,000 price increase, a 4.3-inch TFT display, ride modes, fully adjustable suspension, lean-angle sensitive ABS, and stability, traction, and wheelie control. Both versions come with a USB port, ABS, and Cruise Control as standard equipment.