Rennie Scaysbrook | November 7, 2017

Click here for the Cycle News 2019 Indian FTR 1200 and 1200 S Review story.

Is this the most bad ass Indian of all time?

There’s so much “yes” in this picture it’s hard to know where to start!

The EICMA Show in Milan got something of a treat today, as Indian Motorcycle took the wraps off the Scout FTR 1200 Custom, a one-off prototype that Indian will be using on a global tour to gauge public interest ahead of a possible production model.

Using the same engine found in the base Scout, the FTR 1200 Custom closely mimics the design lines of the factory FTR750 flat track racer that Jared Mees took to a record-breaking season in the 2017 AMA Grand National Championship, taking 10 of the 18 races and a record 17 podium finishes.

“We built this bike to celebrate the FTR750’s dominant performance in American Flat Track and Indian’s return to racing,” President of Motorcycles, Steve Menneto, said. “To come up with this one-off custom, we worked closely with the Indian Motorcycle Racing team to execute a vision of what a bike could look like if we brought the FTR platform to the street.

“We’ve built a strong foundation in the Cruiser, Bagger, Tourer (CBT) segment over the past five years and we are excited by the positive feedback on the FTR750 and the opportunities to grow the brand globally in the years to come.”

Don’t be surprised if Indian does indeed make the FTR 1200 Custom into a production model, although it likely will need a couple of design tweaks to pass the various design laws (not least run a catalytic converter) to be eligible for street use around the world.

Here’s hoping Indian listens to the public’s cry for a proper street-based flat tracker in the same guise as what is raced in the AMA GNC. Too often the production model looks nothing like the prototype it originated from, so, if Indian Motorcycle is listening, please, for all that is holy, build this bike (if you say it in a Ronald Reagan “Tear Down This Wall” voice, it has more clout).

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