Indian FTR750 flat track racer revealed

This is the new Indian FTR750 flattrack racer which the American company hopes can continue the onslaught against Harley-Davidson as a home-grown rival on track.

The bike has been revealed at the 76th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in the Black Hills of South Dakota, USA.

Until now, only the engine has been seen so this is the first time the finished competition bike has been revealed ahead of starting a new racing campaign in the hotly-contested AMA Pro flat track championship.

The FTR750 features an all-new liquid-cooled 750cc V-twin with four-valve cylinderheads and has been slotted into a bespoke competition frame.

TOP STORIES

• BSB’s Luke Mossey vs seven year old Josh Bannister
• Six days until the Brackley Festival!
• Advanced training: Improve your skills and save money
• Duchinni D705 gives a quality feel on a tight budget
• BSB: Byrne wins race one as Haslam fights back

Indian is making clear the intention to do the racing properly by recruiting multiple champion Jared Rees as the rider.

Indian’s press release states: “On-hand were two surviving members of the legendary Indian Wrecking Crew, Bobby Hill and Bill Tuman, both of whom are AMA Hall of Fame members. The third member of the original Indian Wrecking Crew, Ernie Beckman, passed away in 1999.

The motorcycle was revealed with the #51 of Bill Tuman, the last rider to win a Grand National Championship on an Indian in 1953.

President of motorcycles Steve Menneto said:“A heritage of racing and winning is in the lifeblood of this brand, and everyone in attendance was clearly proud to be a part of this important moment in the historic return of Indian Motorcycle to professional flat track racing,” said. “We have an incredible team of designers and engineers working on this initiative, and all of us are deeply committed to building a world-class racing program that will live up to our legendary history on the track.”

The bike features a high-revving, custom V-Twin engine developed in-house and is wrapped in a unique steel frame that allows for a tight wheelbase, large centrally located airbox and unique lightweight carbon fibre body.

The design of the race-only bike reflects the heritage of key Indian racing models from history including the Big Base Scout; a historic bike that won in Daytona, dominated events across the country and is still raced in vintage competition today.”

Polaris Industries – which owns Indian and Victory – have ploughed tens of millions of dollars into both firms as it attempts to grab a larger slice of the massive America cruiser market. The two motorcycle brands are now heading off in different directions with Indian directly taking on Harley-Davidson in the heritage category and Victory working under the ‘American Performance’ tagline.