Motorcycle Sport and Leisure - February 2019 - Preview

NEW TRIUMPH STREET TW WIN AND STREET SCRAMBLER R

More go, more stop, more everything

INDIAN N FTR1200 FTR12 200

Biggest news from the US since ce Trump got in!

YAMAHA

MT-07

The perfect destination:

CORSICA

How to bag a used bestseller!

February 2019 Issue 701

RIDING ACROSS AFRICA WITH VIRTUALLY NO PLAN ◆ HUSQVARNA 701 ENDURO AND SUPERMOTO RIDDEN ◆ HOW TO OVERTAKE SAFELY ◆ DUCATI SCRAMBLER DESERT SLED ◆ HENDERSON ART DECO STREAMLINER

The special ones Mikko Nieminen

S

“

o, are you going to sell your bike then?”

I’ve heard the same question countless times since my crash back in March. At first it baffled me, then I learnt to expect it, and then it began to annoy me a little – I mean, do people who have been involved in car crashes get asked if they’re giving up driving?

Maybe they do, but I doubt it. And yes, I know it’s not the same thing, but it still bugs me...

Looking back, I’m beginning to understand why people thought that I might be done with biking for good. I collided with a tractor while riding at speed down an old airstrip, and I was not in a good state for a while. Luckily I made a good recovery in the end, and now I’m merrily riding bikes again (the full story is on pages 76-81).

To be honest, I don’t think giving up riding ever crossed my mind while I was recuperating. Not colliding with tractors did – I’ll definitely try my hardest to avoid that. I also pondered what I would do if I couldn’t ride again, but I could find no good answers to that one, so thank goodness I didn’t have to figure it out.

From the start, my main goal in terms of recovery was getting back to normal (or as close as I could) as soon as possible, and that included riding bikes because to me that’s normal. But the questions kept on coming… I’ve had to explain my future plans to fellow patients at the hospital, to friends and relatives, and to people who I got chatting to while I was out on my physio walks with my crutches. Most people I talked to assumed that the level of injuries I sustained would result in an automatic U-turn of my personal transportation strategy – the bike would get sold

There’s something special about motorcycling that can only be appreciated by those who have tried it at some point. And there’s no use trying to explain it to anyone who hasn’t. pronto. But they were wrong – the bike is still in the garage. And that’s not just because the bike’s not worth much and selling it would not make me any better friends with my bank manager – it’s because I still love riding the old lump (more about that on pages 94-95).

I also came to realise that regardless of their age, sex, education, job, ethnic background or social standing, everyone asking the question had something in common: none of them were bikers.

Indeed, not a single person who’s ever ridden a motorcycle asked me if I’m done with biking. I guess they either assumed that I’d be back on the bike as soon as I could, or they thought they’d save me from the embarrassment of admitting that I’m done with biking.

Once I realised the pattern, it was so obvious. And from there onwards the conversations I had with people on the subject only cemented my determination to get on two wheels again. Ideally as quickly as I could.

Now, whether that difference in approach between those who ride and those who don’t means that us bikers are tougher and braver (or maybe just dumber and less responsible) than the rest of mankind is anyone’s guess. But one thing’s for sure, there’s something that separates us from the rest of humanity.

Something that only bikers understand. Any ideas how to get the point across, anyone?

Mikko Nieminen, Editor

Motorcycle Sport & Leisure’s contributors...

Alan Cathcart

Alan Cathcart has been writing about bikes for more than 30 years, and riding them for even longer. He’s regularly given the keys to factory prototypes and being on first name terms with the bosses of bike companies around the world allows him to bag many scoops.

Roland Brown

A bike journalist for more than 30 years, Roland has contributed to countless publications worldwide and authored a dozen books on bikes.

He has tested machines ranging from Rossi’s YZR-M1 to a 1923 Douglas but still can’t decide which type of bike he most enjoys riding.

Chris Moss

Mossy has made a living from bikes since 1985 – first as a motorcycle courier in London, and then as a journo from 1995.

He’s raced, ridden and tinkered with hundreds of different bikes, but he’s the first to admit there’s still loads to experience and learn.

Peter Henshaw

Peter is our history man – he’s written more than 60 books and is a former editor of this very publication. Now a freelance journalist, he writes about transport of all kinds, though bikes are really at the heart of it all. He’s an all-yearround rider who does not own a car.

Maynard Hershon

Maynard lives in Denver, Colorado, US, and rides a lovable Kawasaki ZRX1200. He began riding in 1962 and found that on or off the bike he was happiest thinking about motorcycling. He’s always led a life that’s focused on riding, rather than life’s more mundane trivialities.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 3

Contents

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10 NEW 7 News

New Jawas with old looks. The Old Bill learns new tricks. We try to make sense of it all.

16 Maynard Hershon

Maynard looks back at his favourite columnists of yesteryear.

18 Latest products

The latest biking essentials and luxuries covered.

26 The High Sider

57 Richard Millington

So how do we get youngsters into biking?

58 Long ride

The best excuse to buy a bike: to ride to Turkey.

64 Corsica

Sam Manicom discovers island paradise on the Med.

70 Letters from Africa

This is part one of what happens when you just take off with virtually no plan.

It’s getting political – and a bit ugly.

28 Subscription offer

The easy (and £££ saving) way to get MSL every month.

38 Your letters

MSL readers tackle topics from biking kit to merits of PCP.

TOURING & ADVENTURE 49 Touring news

Electric Enfield (oh yes!) proves itself as a tourer.

50 Day ride

Hiring a bike in Portugal for a day can be fun – a lot of fun.

52 Mid ride

Two thousand miles to Spain and back, 10 years after the first trip.

4 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

20

ROAD TESTS 10 Indian FTR1200

Alan Cathcart has ridden the pre-production version of the naked beauty.

20 Triumph Street Twin

& Scrambler

The new machines are even better than the last generation.

30 Husqvarna 701 Enduro

& Supermoto

Two bikes that are almost identical, but worlds apart.

February 2019

TEST FLEET 86 Honda X-ADV

Mossy is full of DCT-love with the adventure scoot.

87 Kawasaki H2 SX SE

Brake light on, brake light off.

Depends on which brakes you use.

88 Honda Africa Twin DCT

64 40 Ducati Desert Sled

Nathan Millward takes the Duke for a bit of off-roading.

106 Henderson Art Deco

Streamliner

The most Art Deco bike on the planet? We think so!

KNOWLEDGE 75 Silverpilen

The legendary Husqvarna Silver Arrow deserves a closer look.

76 Back from a crash

Getting back on a bike after a crash is a long journey.

Matt has a trip to the shops that he will remember for a while.

90 Suzuki GSX-S1000F The heated grips get a thumbs-down.

91 Yamaha Tracer 900

Finchy is saying goodbye to the trusty Tracer.

92 Suzuki Burgman 400

The simple pleasures of the Burgman have another fan.

93 KTM 1090

Civil and good tempered, no.

Grin-inducing fun, yes!

96 Buying guide: Yamaha

MT-07

Does one of the UK’s favourite new bikes make a good used buy?

83 Events

104 Tried & tested

84 Overtakes

114 Kevin Cameron

All the important biking dates for your diary this month.

Motorcycle police officers give us a run down of the basics.

We test riding gear and gizmos so you know if they’re worth buying.

A look at the many different paths of motorcycle development.

EDITOR: Mikko Nieminen: mnieminen@mortons.co.uk ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Tony Carter: tcarter@mortons.co.uk SENIOR DESIGNER: Justin Blackamore DESIGNERS: Fran Lovely, Charlotte Turnbull PRODUCTION EDITOR: Dan Sharp PICTURE DESK: Paul Fincham and Jonathan Schofield PUBLISHING DIRECTOR: Dan Savage: asavage@mortons.co.uk PUBLISHER: Tim Hartley GROUP KEY ACCOUNTS MANAGER: Steff Woodhouse: swoodhouse@mortons.co.uk 01507 529452 / 07786 334330 DIVISIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER: Zoe Thurling zthurling@mortons.co.uk 01507 529412 ADVERTISING SALES: Lee Buxton: lbuxton@mortons.co.uk 01507 529453 SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER: Paul Deacon: pdeacon@mortons.co.uk CIRCULATION MANAGER: Steve O’Hara: sohara@mortons.co.uk MARKETING MANAGER: Charlotte Park: cpark@mortons.co.uk COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR: Nigel Hole EDITORIAL ADDRESS: MSL Magazine, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR WEBSITE: www.mslmagazine.co.uk GENERAL QUERIES AND BACK ISSUES: 01507 529529 24 hr answerphone help@classicmagazines.co.uk www.classicmagazines.co.uk ARCHIVE ENQUIRIES: Jane Skayman jskayman@mortons.co.uk 01507 529423 SUBSCRIPTION: Full subscription rates (but see page 28 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £51.60. Export rates are also available – see page 28 for more details.

UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. SUBSCRIPTION AGENTS: Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR CUSTOMER SERVICES NUMBER: 01507 529529 TELEPHONE LINES ARE OPEN: MONDAY-FRIDAY 8.30AM-6PM SATURDAY 8.30AM-12.30PM DISTRIBUTION: Marketforce UK Ltd, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HU. 0203 787 9001.

PRINTED: William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton The publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. If you are sending material to us for publication, you are strongly advised to make copies and to include a stamped addressed envelope. Original material must be submitted and will be accepted solely on the basis that the author accepts the assessment of the publisher as to its commercial value. © Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher. ISSN: 1478-8390 MOTORCYCLE SPORT & LEISURE (USPS:001-522) is published monthly by Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK. USA subscriptions are $66 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Bancroft WI and additional entries.

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NEW Need to know ◆ Your letters ◆ First rides

New Speed Twin from Triumph Triumph has announced that it’s bringing the Speed Twin back in the Bonneville line-up with an all-new 2019 model.

T

he new Triumph Speed Twin looks very much like the popular Street Twin’s big sister: it has the same looks, but more power, more tech and more refined overall packaging.

The Speed Twin features an updated 1200cc Bonneville twin engine with ‘Thruxton’ tune, pumping out maximum power of 96bhp at 6750rpm, and delivering a torque figure of 82.6lb-ft at 4950rpm. The engine has new magnesium cam cover, revised clutch assembly and new mass-optimised engine covers – all of which makes the new engine 2.5kg lighter.

Overall, at 196kg (dry) the new bike is 10kg lighter than the Thruxton, so it should be more

accessible, with a more relaxed riding position too.

The Speed Twin’s dedicated new frame, developed from the Thruxton R, combined with the high-specification 41mm cartridge front forks and twin rear suspension units with adjustable spring pre-load, should give the bike ergonomics for a relaxed yet engaging ride.

High specification twin Brembo four-piston axial calipers on the front with twin discs, and a two-piston floating caliper and single disc on the rear, provide excellent stopping power. All this goodness is rolling on lightweight 17in, seven-spoke cast aluminium wheels, dressed in Pirelli Diablo Rosso 3 tyres.

ABS, switchable traction control, LED lights and USB socket give an idea of the tech level, and 80+ accessories make it possible to really

tailor the bike to suit your own requirements. The new Speed Twin comes in three colour choices: Silver Ice and Storm Grey, Korosi Red and Storm Grey, or Jet Black.

There’s no word on pricing or availability yet, but MSL will be at the world riding launch of the new model in a couple of weeks’ time, so watch this space.

Specification TRIUMPH SPEED TWIN (2019) Price: TBC Engine: 1200cc, liquid-cooled, 8-valve, SOHC, 270° crank angle parallel twin Power: 96bhp @ 6750rpm Torque: 82.6lb-ft (112Nm) @ 4950rpm Transmission: 6-speed, chain final drive Frame: Tubular steel with aluminium cradle Suspension: (F) 41mm cartridge forks, 120mm travel; (R) Twin shocks with adjustable preload, 120mm travel Brakes: (F) Twin 305mm discs, Brembo 4-piston fixed calipers, ABS; (R) Single 220mm disc, Nissin 2-piston floating caliper, ABS. Wheels: Cast aluminium alloy 7-spoke (F) 17 x 3.5in; (R) 17 x 5in Tyres: Pirelli Diablo Rosso 3 (F) 120/70 ZR17; (R) 160/60 ZR17 Seat height: 807mm Tank: 14.5 litres Consumption: 59mpg Weight: 196 kg (dry) Contact: www.triumphmotorcycles.co.uk

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 7

Top Stories

Met Police: ‘We’ve had to put the fear back into the criminal’ Commissioner Cressida Dick from Met Police defends new tactics to tackle ‘moped’ gangs.

The Metropolitan Police’s tough new approach to ‘moped’ crime was unveiled at the end of November 2018, with dramatic footage of officers ramming fleeing thieves off their scooters in London. So far, the tactic has received a lot of praise from the general public and former officers – despite some people, including Labour’s shadow home secretary Diane Abbott criticising it as dangerous.

And now Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has come out in defence of the new tactics.

According to Commissioner Dick, pursuit drivers are

“supremely well trained” and the ramming method has resulted in only a “very small” number of injuries. She went on to say that the tactic has been brought in because the Met has had to “put the fear back into the criminal.”

Commissioner Dick admitted that at least two moped-riding thieves had suffered broken bones after being rammed by police cars – but went on to defend the tactic and her officers. She added: “My officers make life-and-death decisions every day of the week, they’re very accountable. They make the best possible decisions. We are in a risk business.”

Ms Dick said the freedom to ram scooters was brought in to deter moped crime. “These are people who have been repeatedly left in no doubt whatsoever that there’s a police car right behind them. If you look over your shoulder and drive on as fast as possible, putting the public in danger, you should expect we will come after you.”

The growth of scooter-related crime has exploded by 1000% over the last three years in the UK – but it’s London that’s seen the highest spike in crime, with over 19,000 separate offences recorded last year alone.

Forces up and down the country have employed a range of other tactics to aid the fight against scooter and motorcycle crime, including the use of automatic tyre deflation devices and DNA tagging spray. And it seems the tactics are working – with a reduction of ‘moped crime’ in London down 44% between January and October 2017 and 2018 (from 19,455 to 12,419 offences). And with the employment of new ‘Scorpion’ officers to chase down the thieves, hopefully the number of offences will continue to fall.

New Triumph 765cc engine busts records At the final testing weekend of 2018 at Jerez race track (November 23-25, 2018), race teams weren’t just trialling their new race bikes ahead of next season, Triumph’s new and very exciting 2019 Moto2 engine was also under a spotlight. And it did the business.

During the testing weekend two 2019 Moto2 championship contenders riding different machines – both featuring the new 2019 Triumph triple 765cc race engine – recorded practice lap times inside the fastest recorded lap of Jerez Circuit of one minute 41 seconds (1’41.890). This is a landmark

achievement in one of the first times the riders have ridden 2019 season race bikes in their new configurations.

Pleased with the crumbling lap records, Triumph chief product officer Steve Sargent said: “This weekend feels like the culmination of two years of hard work by many people in Triumph.

“To hear all the bikes out on track at the same time is a dream come true for Triumph. We had direct and overwhelmingly positive feedback from the teams at Jerez as they gear up for the 2019 season. Bring on Qatar!”

8 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

Meet NERA, the entirely 3D printed electric motorcycle The world of 3D printing is ever evolving, with a range of parts and accessories now available for two wheelers – and the latest development to emerge from BigRep’s Nowlab is a futuristic 3D printed electric motorcycle.

Called the NERA, the innovative electric motorcycle is 100% 3D printed, right down to its airless tyres. Designed by Marco Mattia Cristofori and Maximilian Sedlak, the motorcycle was 3D printed in 15 separate pieces on BigRep’s large-scale 3D printers using ProHT, ProFLEX, PETH and PLA filaments through a 0.6-1mm nozzle at a layer height of 0.4-0.6mm.

Nowlab’s Daniel Büning said: “The Nera combines several innovations developed by

Nowlab, such as the airless tyre, functional integration and embedded sensor technology.

This bike and our other prototypes push the limits of engineering creativity.”

At this stage it’s only a design study; so we won’t be seeing the NERA on the road anytime soon – but it’s an impressive showcase of just what’s possible using 3D printing.

NEW News in brief START ’EM YOUNG

• This electric mini-version of BMW’s iconic R1200GS is aimed at children aged three and above – what an introduction to two-wheels for little ones.

The mini-GS is powered by a 6V battery, and offers speeds up to around 4kph. Its battery lasts one to two hours – and requires charging for eight to 12 hours. It comes with non-slip grip wheels, LED headlights, a windscreen – and motorcycle sound effects.

For more information, visit: www.rollplay.net

Jawa is back with a 2019 line-up

Czech brand Jawa Motorcycles has unveiled three completely new (but decidedly retro-looking) bikes for this year.

Classic Legends, the subsidiary of Mahindra that’s building the all-new Jawas, has chosen to stick to the Czech brand’s historic roots, building a trio of motorcycles which are decidedly retro – and they really look the part.

The all-new Jawa range comprises a Classic, a Sport and a Bobber model. The Classic version is quite simply called Jawa, taking inspiration from the iconic brand’s original 1929 machine – but it looks as though it’s come straight from the 1970s.

It gets spoked wheels, a two-tone fuel tank, a bunch of chrome accents – and an airbox that’s shaped to look like the unit seen on the original Jawa 350 from the 70s and 80s. The new sport model, the Jawa 42 gets a flatter set of handlebars for a sportier riding stance, blacked out front forks, an offset instrument console and a round halogen headlamp.

The Jawa and Jawa 42 are powered by the same 293cc,

liquid-cooled, single-cylinder motor that’s been designed by Classic Legends. It packs in 26.6bhp of power and 28Nm of torque. Plus, Jawa purists will be happy to hear that the engineers have had a good go at replicating the throaty grunt of its original Jawa machines, despite it now

being a four-stroke. Jawa also showcased its new factory custom bobber, called the Perak.

The Perak is powered by a larger displacement 334cc, liquidcooled, single-cylider DOHC engine that develops 30bhp of power and 31Nm of torque.

It looks like 2019 is going to be

another good year for everyone who loves retro bikes, with the likes of Jawa and Royal Enfield joining the party with the big boys of the industry.

There’s no availability or pricing info yet, but you can’t wait you can have a peep here: www.jawamotorcycles.com

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 9

Test Ride Indian FTR1200

THIS IS JUST THE

BEGINNING The FTR1200 is a very European bike from America’s oldest motorcycle manufacturer. And it’s only the beginning – there’s plenty more where this came from! But first things first: how does it ride?

WORDS: Alan Cathcart PHOTOGRAPHY: Indian Motorcycle/David Shelleny

H

ad to happen. Indian Motorcycle’s FTR750 racebike enjoyed two seasons of utter supremacy in the 2017-18 American Flat Track (AFT) competition after the company’s 70-year absence from racing. The FTR750 won 17 of the 18 races held in the 2018 AFT season.

Unsurprisingly, America’s oldest motorcycle manufacturer has now

launched a street spin-off of that title-winning racer.

Clearly inspired by the FTR750 in terms of both styling and engineering, the base model FTR1200 and the FTR1200S broke cover at Germany’s Intermot motorcycle show on October 1. They will inevitably usher in a series of Street Trackers from several other manufacturers, but none of them has such a proud history of race track success as Indian. Okay, Harley

10 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

already tried to do it before with the relatively short-lived XR1200 back in 2008, but nothing since. Fuelled by its racing sister’s two seasons of dirt track dominance, the tag line that the new Indian was ‘Born on the Dirt, Built for the Street’, rings true when you ride it.

The FTR1200/1200S are the real deal. A visit to the Minneapolis HQ of Indian’s parent company Polaris Corp, for an exclusive ride on the pre-production prototypes on the

ABOVE: Colour and spec determine the price. The dearest at the front.

PRE PRODUCTION

roads of Minnesota and Indian’s Wyoming, MN R&D Center’s test track six weeks before their Intermot launch, revealed these to be only the first of several future Indian models to be powered by the FTR’s all-new liquid-cooled DOHC 1203cc eightvalve 60º V-twin engine. Measuring 102 x 73.6mm, and delivering a claimed 120bhp at 8250rpm, with 85lb-ft of torque peaking at 6000rpm, this third Indian engine platform

under Polaris ownership (following on from the Chief and Scout) shares little beyond a general format with the Scout motor it’ll inevitably be compared to, says Indian CEO Steve Menneto.

“It’s a totally different engine than what the Scout’s is,” says Menneto, “and I think you could say that it’s a very flexible platform for us to go forward with. We have many opportunities in front of us with this potential family of models. It’s exciting

how we’re going to stretch Indian way beyond Cruiser/Bagger/Tourer – and the FTR1200 is a perfect example of how that’s going to happen. Our focus is not only on the North American market, but about Indian becoming a global brand. And for us to be a credible such brand, we know that we have to enter the European market with great motorcycles that are tailored towards what customers in those countries are looking for.”

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 11

Test Ride

So while rather ironically this all-new engine is making its debut mounted in something as quintessentially American as popcorn, baseball and apple pie, its future will see it powering models aimed at a world audience, with an adventure tourer to rival the BMW R1250GS likely to be up next, then maybe a streetfighter, or sport tourer – take your pick. Menneto and his colleagues on the Polaris board clearly envisage Indian becoming a global brand, not merely a producer of modern American-style V-twin motorcycles of various types, however excellent, and this engine is the platform they’ll be using to achieve this.

According to Indian’s senior international product manager, Ben Lindaman, work on the new FTR1200 street platform began under the Project Apollo codename in March 2016, only two months after development kicked off on the FTR750 racebike – so the two projects were essentially linked from the very start. In the past two-and-ahalf years, the FTR1200 has already undergone more than one million miles of simulated ride testing on a trio of MTS four-poster test rigs, and tens of thousands of actual test miles on the street. As a joint venture between the massive Polaris R&D Center set in 620 acres of land at Wyoming, MN, established in 2004 and now employing 675 staff in 275,000sq ft of covered space, and Polaris subsidiary Swissauto (purchased in February 2010), which entirely developed the FTR750 racer from scratch in its Burgdorf, Switzerland HQ, many of those miles were carried out by Swissauto’s test rider, Spanish former 500GP racer

Juan Bautista Borja, as well as Indian Motorcycle’s championship-winning Wrecking Crew AFT race team.

It has good heritage.

ABOVE: Does it look a bit like the Ducati Monster?

See the next page to compare.

CLIMBING ABOARD

The FTR1200 features a tubular steel trellis frame in which the engine is mounted as a fully-stressed chassis component, with an aluminium rear subframe and a fairly long tubular swingarm which pivots in the crankcases operates a side-mounted Sachs monoshock (fully adjustable on the FTR1200S). Climbing aboard the tall 840mm-high dual seat – though there’s precious little room on it for a passenger – reveals an upright but very commanding riding stance. You feel positioned quite far forward in the bike, which helps to load up the front wheel with your body weight even while sitting so erectly, with very little sense of weight on your arms – it’s a really untiring stance even when you start riding hard, with the wide, flat, one-piece taper-section, flat track-styled ProTaper aluminium handlebar delivering good ergos, and lots of leverage. This motorcycle will be an ideal canyon-carver, despite its quite conservative steering geometry – the 43mm Sachs upside-down fork

12 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

Specification INDIAN FTR1200 (FTR1200 S) Price: £11,899 (from £12,999) Engine: 1203cc V-twin, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder, graded buckets Power: 120bhp @ 8250rpm Torque: 85lb-ft @ 6000rpm Transmission: 6-speed, chain final drive Frame: Tubular trellis steel mainframe, aluminium rear sub-frame Brakes: (F) Dual radially mounted 320mm discs, Brembo Monobloc 4-piston calipers; (R) Single 265mm semi-floating disc, with Brembo 2-piston caliper

BELOW RIGHT: Clocking the difference: analogue/digital dash for the 1200. All digital touchscreen one for the S.

Suspension: (F) 43mm USD cartridge forks, 150mm of travel (fully adjustable on the S); (R) monotube, 150mm of travel (fully adjustable on the S).

Tyres: Dunlop DT3-R Radial (F) 120/70R19 60V; (R) 150/80R18 70V Fuel tank: 12.9 litres Dry weight: 221kg (226kg) Wheelbase: 1524mm Seat height: 840mm Contact: www.indianmotorcycle.eu

BELOW: The front has a unique look.

PRE PRODUCTION Closest rival

DUCATI MONSTER 1200 (S)

Like the FTR1200 the Ducati Monster comes in two variants, the standard and the S. The Ducati packs a bigger punch with 145bhp, and the level of equipment isn’t too shabby either: the stocker comes with cornering ABS, traction and wheelie control, and riding modes which are only available in the FTR1200 S. The Monster S gets a few more toys including fully adjustable suspension.

Prices are £11,795 for the standard model and £14,695 for the S.

is set at a 26.3º rake, with 130mm of trail – and long 1524mm wheelbase.

The footrests are set further back than I’d expected, but the result is a quite distinctive and pretty comfortable riding position, with a great view ahead over traffic in front of you – expect this Indian to rival the Ducati Monster 1200 as the commuter motorcycle of choice for those in a hurry!

But thumb the starter, and get ready to be transported back in time, for the offbeat lilt issuing through the flat track-inspired 2-1-2 stainless steel exhaust’s stacked silencers on the right side of the bike is a necessarily more muted (since Euro 4 compliant) version of what many who rode it and weren’t Ducatisti considered to be the finest European V-twin engine available at the turn of the millennium, the Aprilia RSV Mille motor. Likewise a 60º eight-valve V-twin, this combined a compact build with a broad spread of power and torque, with the only downside the fact that it was rather tall, since there wasn’t the space between the cylinders as on any Ducati to position the throttle bodies between the cylinder vee, while providing appropriate airbox volume.

Indian has fixed this on the FTR1200 by moving the 13-litre fuel tank rearwards to beneath the seat, which not only lowers the centre of gravity and delivers increased space for the airbox to be positioned directly above the twin 60mm Mikuni throttle bodies, but also helps centralise the mass of the bike, in pursuit of more agile handling and easier steering. And the Indian does indeed steer well, especially in tight turns despite that long wheelbase and the 19in front/18in rear 10-spoke cast aluminium wheels shod with Dunlop DT3-R Radial tyres, especially created for this model complete with a lookalike Flat Track tread pattern – they’re exclusive to Indian for the first year of

production. “We originally wanted a 19/19 wheel size, like they have in AFT racing,” says Indian’s senior industrial designer Rich Christoph, designer of the FTR1200 who also styled the FTR750. “But we couldn’t get a suitable 19in rear tyre, so we tried 17/17, and it just didn’t look right. So 19/18 gives us the look as well as performance.”

That it does – but at the expense of some notable tyre noise from the block tread pattern when running on the highway, as well as a distinctive handling characteristic that acts as an early warning system. The flat profile of the 150/80-18 rear Dunlop makes the FTR super stable in cornering action, at the risk of running off the edge of the tyre. The 43º lean angle before anything touches down – thankfully, the FTR duo have much more ground clearance than on the Scout Bobber, which is currently Indian’s best-selling model in the USA, ahead of the Scout and the Chieftain – is enough to give you the feeling that the tyre is talking to you as you near the edge of the tread pattern when cornering hard in slower bends, when the tread blocks definitely seem to start squirming.

I’m listening, l’m listening!

ABOVE LEFT: Testing the FTR1200 at the Polaris Product Development Center in Wyoming.

BELOW: Pre-production being turned into massproduction.

GOING FASTER

In faster turns the FTR feels very reassuring, just totally planted without that conservative geometry heavying up the steering unduly, and nor does the handlebar wobble even slightly in your hands, as some fast nakeds with imperfect steering geometry have been known to do.

But in fast 70mph sweeping turns as shown on the analogue speedo with an inbuilt LCD panel for the tacho – the base-level FTR1200 carries this, while the S-model has a 4.3in customisable LCD touchscreen digital dash with phone connectivity and Bluetooth for easy mobile device pairing – I noticed it was always better to go back a gear to fifth, and drive through these on at least part-throttle. This makes the Indian hug the line without ever washing out the front wheel even just a little.

Test Ride And you can indeed use that wide handlebar to hustle the FTR1200 through a series of tighter, slower corners both quickly and safely – oh, and entertainingly, too. Señor Borja did his job very well, and he and his test colleagues really dialled in the Sachs suspension excellently, with a massive 150mm of wheel travel at either end which you’re very aware of over bumpy Minnesota back roads, especially via the compliant cantilever rear shock. Yet despite that there’s no sense of pitching back and forth, even under heavy braking or hard acceleration. Indian and Sachs have together produced a very well balanced motorcycle, where either end of the bike works in harmony with the other. Coupled with the centralised mass delivered by the architecture of the bike as a whole, the Indian changes direction effortlessly – it’s a really nice handling package.

“We knew this bike was going to be ridden primarily on the street, on highways, and on curvy roads, so we optimised our suspension to be at home doing that,” says Lindaman.

“But we also made sure it’s capable of taking on more than just asphalt if you want it to – it can soak up rough surfaces, cobblestones and speed bumps, and while it’s not a dirt bike, it can handle some light off-road use as well.”

The twin 320mm front discs are gripped by radially-mounted four-piston Brembo Monoblock calipers, which are as effective as always in stopping the 221kg of motorcycle that the FTR1200 represents (dry – slightly more for the S-bike), with good feedback. And taking a handful of front brake while leaned over doesn’t make the Indian sit up and head for the heather, as is

sometimes the case with bikes with a lot of trail dialled in. It’s a very reassuring ride. The ramp-type FCC slipper clutch that’s included as standard on both versions has been set up to provide minimal engine braking, so the Brembos have to earn their keep. Bosch ABS is of course standard, and switchable, although it wasn’t fully calibrated on the test bikes, so stayed switched off. Bosch also provides the ECU complete with RBW, which on the FTR1200S only delivers a choice of three different riding modes, Sport, Standard and Rain, plus traction control, antiwheelie and cornering ABS. By the way, that clutch has a very light action – you can work the lever with just your little finger, so this is a bike that’s completely at home in traffic or city use, and won’t cramp your left hand up.

All that’s good, but this work-inprogress prototype had a few minor niggles, like the hard seat padding that needs to be rethought with such an upright stance – as it will be, say Indian engineers – plus the springloaded sidestand is impossible to pull out without scraping your left ankle on the footrest, and the ignition key is hard to access because the speedo is in the wrong place. All little things that can easily be fixed. But alongside a wide range of 50-plus dedicated accessories, even the base model FTR1200 has cruise control as standard as well as a USB port.

Moreover, on both models the FTR engine has a magnesium side cover and rocker covers as standard, while up front is a distinctive LED headlight, with LED turn signals and tail-light, with the Indian motif illuminated to tell people what just passed them.

ABO VE: It’s not quite like riding the FTR750, but it's the next best thing.

BELOW: The FTR1200 is quick, safe and entertaining.

ONE ENGINE TO RULE ALL

The star of the show is that great engine weighing 84kg – around 18kg lighter than the smaller capacity 1133cc Scout motor – which thanks to the gear-driven counterbalancer fitted has zero undue vibration up until 7000rpm, when you start to feel just a pleasant subdued thrum only through the footrests. But that’s it, right up to the 9000rpm soft-action (because ride-by-wire) limiter – yet this fabulous motor delivers a great sense of involvement, as well as heaps of power and torque. A few weeks earlier I’d been honoured to ride two-time AFT champion Jared Mees’s No.1 plate Indian FTR750 flat-tracker up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in something approaching anger, and as I powered hard on in top gear past The House, I remember saying to myself, “Please, Indian, please put this engine in a streetbike frame with lights and a horn – pleeeease!” Well, they haven’t quite done that, since the FTR750 is strictly a racer – but the FTR1200 is the next best thing, and believe me, it delivers.

So much so, that while riding it I caught myself more than once saying, “Please Indian, please fit this motor in an adventure tourer, and a café racer, and a streetfighter, please, please!”, only to discover that evening that’s just what they intend to do.

All in good time, I guess.

What I’m about to say now may sound like a backhanded compliment, but it’s not intended to be – more a reflection of how things are changing in the US motorcycle industry, where these days Indian is increasingly coming to the forefront.

But while riding the FTR1200 I several times also had to pinch myself to remember I was riding a

PRE PRODUCTION SEAT

The seat on the pre-production bike wasn’t great, but the final version is said to be much better. Best to sit on one for a while to make sure you like it. Either way, not a huge amount of room for a pillion.

COLOURS

The FTR1200 is available in Thunder Black. The S comes in Red over Steel Gray, Titanium Metallic over Thunder Black Pearl, or in Race Replica colours.

motorcycle Made in America, because the engine powering it seemed so European – Italian, even…

It has a 12.5:1 compression ratio, high-flow cylinder heads, and a low-inertia crankshaft 4.5kg lighter than the Scout’s. This allows the engine to pick up revs quickly for an immediate (but not snatchy) response delivering thrilling acceleration, making this a very aggressive flat-track inspired hooligan bike, if you want it to be. Yet there’s also a really flat torque curve delivering power both progressively and predictably, with loads of low-end punch, and super flexibility.

So unless you really want to get it on by selecting Sport riding mode on the FTR1200S – which is precisely what it says on the label, with a vivid throttle response, fierce acceleration and strong power that’s intensely invigorating – it almost doesn’t matter which gear you throw at the FTR1200, it delivers. You can accelerate wide open in sixth gear from just 2000rpm upwards without any transmission snatch all the way to the rev limiter, so you don’t absolutely need to keep working the sweet-

DASH

GADGETS

The FTR1200 features an analogue speedo with an inbuilt LCD panel for the tacho, while the S-model has a 4.3in customisable LCD touchscreen digital dash with phone connectivity and Bluetooth.

ENGINE

The FTR1200 has cruise control as standard as well as a USB port, but the S-model ups the game with ride modes, lean angle sensitive ABS, traction and wheelie mitigation control, and Bluetooth connectivity.

The 1203cc V-twin engine is light, only 84kg.

It delivers an impressive claimed power of 120bhp and 85lb-ft of torque. The power builds smoothly all the way up from 2000rpm.

shifting gearbox to make the FTR motor perform – but you can. Your choice. Fuelling is excellent from the Bosch ECU, making the FTR1200 engine a modern, capable and refined power unit, which it’s a pleasure to ride with. Note by the way that it can be detuned to be A2 licence legal in Europe. Riding the first performance motorcycle from Indian, which is

TYRES

The original equipment tyres are Dunlop DT3-R Radial with 120/70R19 60V at the front and 150/80R18 70V at the rear.

also the first model using the company’s new global platform for future model development, was both enjoyable, and impressive.

Authentic and compelling, the FTR1200 is the first in an all-new family of models aimed at delivering global appeal, yet done in that distinctive American way. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

BELOW: The FTR750: the racebike that made the FTR1200 possible.

Before MSL, there was MCS, part one Maynard Hershon

B

efore there was a Motorcycle Sport and Leisure, there was Motorcycle Sport.

For most of its life, Sport subtitled itself The Quality Monthly, and it was both those things, especially if you cared about BMWs, MZs and Vincents. And cared not at all about Japanese bikes, especially the fast, four-cylinder ones.

What junk. Why, some of them weighed 500 pounds!

Motorcycle Sport’s writers identified themselves by appending their initials to their articles. Sometimes those initials were forgotten when the magazine was printed. A few writers had pen names. Sport’s pages were numbered annually, page one in January’s edition, page 500 in December’s. Charming, huh?

I have a small collection of those old Quality Monthlies. I read through them once a year, I guess.

You scarcely have to scan a paragraph to beam yourself back to those innocent times when a bike 35 years out of production, with NO overhead cams, TWO valves per cylinder, NO electric starter and NO disk brakes could nonetheless be called state-of-the-art.

I was ill almost all of December, stuffed-up, tired and housebound. Thanks to my old Motorcycle Sports with their covers bordered in red, I had plenty to read and think about.

If nostalgia could cure a cold, I’d have been out on my ZRX, instead of reading articles about lovely old bikes written by men whom I hope are riding today, somewhere warm, dry and sunny.

Every Motorcycle Sport featured a columnist known as One Track. His work was admired by nearly all the readers, averaging as they did 68 years old, having ridden in all weathers on 12-horsepower bikes for a typical 59 years.

One Track’s identity was secret. If anyone knew his real name, that individual dared not reveal it in the letters section. I certainly have never known but perhaps everyone knows but me. If YOU know who One Track was/is, write me via Mikko, my editor. I’d be delighted to find out, and I may well send him a Christmas card. He’s delighted me more than Santa ever did.

One Track’s columns were in sections with varying focuses. I particularly identify with the one I’ve chosen, having as I do a task much like his – that on my best days I do half as well as he did.

Here’s One Track, bless him, from September of 1985. The section is called Dealing with Mr Initials: “I am hurt, mortally wounded, and if I never write another word it will be the fault of that cad, G.C.D. of Somerset. Some years ago I managed to recover from the suggestion that I was a committee, but I still

16 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

Maynard has his favourite columnists and one of them comes to mind before the rest.

Who is Hershon?

MSL’s Maynard is our man with a very unique view on motorcycling from both sides of the pond. Yes, he is American, yes, he does ride around on a second-hand Kawasaki that causes him grief... and yes, he does have his finger right on the pulse of life on two wheels.

carry the scars. Now to be accused among my peers of not only being a committee but a committee who has never ridden a motorcycle… well, that really hurts.

“The only thing that encourages me to carry on is the recollection of all the appreciative remarks I have harvested from motorcyclists of long standing. If you analyse my fan mail I think you will find that the more miles someone has under his belt, the more likely he is to agree with me.

“It would not surprise me to find that G.C.D. is about 24 and rides a Kawasaki 550-4. As they used to say in the barracks, get some service in, laddie.

Seriously, it is a known fact that your imagination goes into steep decline after you have reached 40, which I demonstrably have reached. Therefore, whatever this column is, it cannot be fiction. I know that for a fact.

“I cannot write well about motorcycling unless I am currently enjoying my motorcycling.

“Interesting point, that, which would be completely lost on anyone who allegedly only does quick flips down the road. If my motorcycle is not well, I am not well. If it is going well, I am full of health. I have recently done a little spot of routine maintenance of the enforced kind, where it takes more than the fitment of a new plug to cure a misfire.

“While I was suffering the symptoms I was living under a big black cloud. When I had fixed the problem everything in the garden was rosy. A little 50-mile blast up the road to blow the cobwebs away and I came back ready to tackle anyone, including Mr Initials from Somerset, who thinks I am a committee.”

I might have said some of that differently, but the last few paragraphs could be my own diary entries, if I kept a diary. My columns are my diary, I suppose.

I’d never suggest that a critic of my columns will, after decades in the saddle, learn to agree with me. Maybe, maybe not.

I have not been accused of being a committee, but an American reader suggested that no American would make the wildly inaccurate statements about motorcycling in the States that I have. Shall I recite the Pledge of Allegiance?

Just like One Track, I don’t feel right unless my bike is right. And 50 miles on a bike I have returned to health will, as real American John R Cash said about that lonesome whistle, blow my blues away.

■ More soul-stirring from Motorcycle Sport next month…

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