FTR1200

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I honestly don't see the point of it, it's too heavy for a flat track bike, and looks useless as a road bike, you might as well buy a Harley.

[MrLongbeard]

They look like a laugh and appear to get 'up there' well enough

[G.P]

What KTM is that that has an 18" rear wheel? Neither of mine do.

SHows how much attention the amercians give to going round corners?

18" rear is a daft choice. I see there are 17" available now from BST and suchlike. A very expensive way to be able to get decent rubber,

[Couchy]

I like the FTR, the look, the quality and the general concept. What would stop me buying one is the stupid wheel rim sizes which severely limit tyre choice. The OE tyres reportedly have next to no grip at all, even on a dry road, yet it's a punchy engine (characteristics and figures are comparable to a 990 Superduke) and a highly capable chassis. It should be a riot and it's crying out for sticky sports rubber but they won't fit and you're stuck with hard, wooden and skatey semi-knobblie flat-tracker lookie-likie rubbish that'll put you in a ditch and kill you if you even try use a fraction of the bike's capabilities. It would drive me mad.

This bike has the same size tyres on so tyre choice is not an issue tbh.

What KTM is that that has an 18" rear wheel? Neither of mine do.

It's a special 18-1 size

TBH you can get a sticky tyre in 18" same as the 19" front on the KTM, any sports touring tyre will do

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

You can get race tyres in 18" if you look a little, Conti, Avon and Metzeler make them, probably Dunlop as well.

[Skub]

I wonder if it's as reliable as a Buell......

[Rp1]

[mention]Couchy[/mention]

Think you should go and demo a V4 Street fighter

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I wonder if it's as reliable as a Buell......

That's a bit harsh

[weeksy]

@Couchy

Think you should go and demo a V4 Street fighter

One of the 1290SDR lads did yesterday, he wasn't terribly impressed.

[G.P]

I wonder if it's as reliable as a Buell......

Indian is owned by Polaris who make Snowmobiles - they know how to screw stuff together. They also give a 5 year warranty on all their bikes

[Couchy]

@Couchy

Think you should go and demo a V4 Street fighter

Tbh I was gonna buy a Harley after a demo, I may still as it suits my slow and old riding style now. The FTR was maybe a step closer to what I'm used to but would still be ridden slowly. The V4 looks lovely but is massively removed from what I want out of a motorbike. My mountain bike fulfils the adrenalin side of 2 wheels now

[Couchy]

You can get race tyres in 18" if you look a little, Conti, Avon and Metzeler make them, probably Dunlop as well.

Yup I've got a set on my classic race bike

I don't want or need sticky tyres on the road as pretty much any modern tyre gives me enough grip

[millemille]

I wonder if it's as reliable as a Buell......

Indian is owned by Polaris who make Snowmobiles - they know how to screw stuff together.

Have you not heard about the Eskimo who took his Polaris snowmobile into the dealer because it wasn't running right?

The mechanic took a look at it and said to the Eskimo "yeah, the problem is you've blown a seal".

"Fuck off!" says the Eskimo "It's just my breath freezing on my moustache!"

[G.P]

^^^^^ are you here all week?

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Yup I've got a set on my classic race bike

I don't want or need sticky tyres on the road as pretty much any modern tyre gives me enough grip

I did a track day on a set of Maxxis Sport Touring tyres, they were fine, a little slidey when they got seriously hot, but you'd never get them that hot on the road, so any similar tyre from Michelin or Metzeler etc. are going to be more than good enough for road riding, though I do like the stiffness of race tyres compared with more flexible road tyres, grip wise I don't think there's a lot in it.

[Rp1]

@Couchy

Think you should go and demo a V4 Street fighter

Tbh I was gonna buy a Harley after a demo, I may still as it suits my slow and old riding style now. The FTR was maybe a step closer to what I'm used to but would still be ridden slowly. The V4 looks lovely but is massively removed from what I want out of a motorbike. My mountain bike fulfils the adrenalin side of 2 wheels now

Yeah yeah I understand all that and the FTR does look pretty cool, but still think you should demo V4SF just for shits and giggles

[Mr Moofo]

I sat on one in Jo'burg a year ago as I was sorely tempted. ( and yes, it was because the are Buell-esque)

But it was tiny ....

[Gimlet]

You can get race tyres in 18" if you look a little, Conti, Avon and Metzeler make them, probably Dunlop as well.

You can, but the FTR isn't a tarmac racer and it isn't a competitive flat tracker. It's a perky roadster, styled with flat-tracker-ish styling and nothing more. America's equivalent of the Ducati Monster, if you like, and there's nothing wrong with that. Very pretty it is too. But is was only ever intended to be ridden on the road, not a race track and certainly not a cinder track. Its tyres will never get near the temperature of dedicated track tyres therefore it needs good regular road-going sports tyres like a Continental Sport Attacks, Pirelli Diablo Corsas, Dunlop Sportsmarts etc, or the sportier touring tyres like Road 5s, Conti Road Attacks, Roadtec 01s etc. None of those are available in an 18" rear.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

You're wrong, it isn't pretty.