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I think the FTR will be great, especially in its stripped down form. The XR, which a friend has and I’ve ridden, has a plastic tank which ethanol swelled on too many bikes, a seat that too soon felt like plywood and a good motor but not as good as an overhead cam motor. It is indeed heavy but is fun to ride. The FTR could possibly be amazing and blow the XR into the proverbial weeds.
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The FTR 1200 doesn't really work for me but I hope they sell a ton of them.
The XR1200 is probably my favorite Harley (that I don't own) and I'm still mad at myself for passing/missing out on the last one I found. I realize now that I was evaluating it using the wrong criteria, it doesn't matter if my knees are a little cramped as it would only be for short rides anyway.
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I was hoping Harley or Indian would bring out a sport tourer before I was done buying bikes. I would have seriously considered one. Too late now though because I've already bought my new sport tourer. The demise of my ST forced my hand and I couldn't wait any longer.
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(06-19-2018, 12:36 PM)The ferret_imp Wrote: I was hoping Harley or Indian would bring out a sport tourer before I was done buying bikes. I would have seriously considered one. Too late now though because I've already bought my new sport tourer. The demise of my ST forced my hand and I couldn't wait any longer.
If you're looking for an American made sport tourer, then you have to look at Motus. It's pricey, but by the time you did all the upgrades to get what comes standard on a Motus, you'd be close to the price, anyway. And that pushrod V4 is absolutely beautiful.
https://www.motusmotorcycles.com/mst
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I'm familiar with Motus, and have followed their journey for maybe 5 years. Too expensive, too excusive, too small dealer network, and have my doubts they will survive as a manufacture. I know some pretty serious sport tourers. Guys that ride 40,50,60 thousands miles a year. Not one has bought a Motus, and that's not a good sign for the brand.
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Christ on a cracker. I like finding out about manufacturers I didn't know existed. Especially when they make 1650cc v4's
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I dunno, Ferret. They've had a waiting list since they started delivering bikes five years ago. And all of their partnerships are successful--Pratt & Miller, Brembo, Ohlins, Akrapovic, Sargent. If they're still around when all the kids are out of the house and I can afford one, I'm buying
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Well looking at their dealer network it looks as though you might be ok east of the Misissippi or in California. Washington has 1 dealership, California 3, Arizona 1 and Colorado 1, no more until you get to Missouri or something. I just looked it up and they claim 35 dealers in the whole country.
I just can't see them being a commercial success. They are going against sport or touring bikes from Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, BMW, Ducati, KTM and Aprilia with a motorcycle that costs five- ten thousand more than the competiton, and a very small dealer network .... chain drive on that bike seems sheer lunacy to me. I wish them luck but think they are following in the footsteps of Buell, Excelsior, Norton and others making very expensive niche bikes for a very small market.
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Motus gets around their limited dealer network by allowing owners to take their bike to any motorcycle dealer. They will ship parts to that dealer and pay for warranty work. Considering this bike has what amounts to a halved small block Chevy motor with hydraulic lifters, servicing this motor is as easy as it gets. Compared to premium bikes from HD, Indian and even Honda's Gold Wing and considering the use of only premium suspension and brakes the price seems reasonable even if it's too high for me. If I ever get a windfall of cash, I'm buying.
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Yesterday's write up of the FTR 1200 by Gear Patrol:
[url=https://gearpatrol.com/2018/06/20/2019-indian-motorcycle-ftr-1200/]The Motorcycle Harley-Davidson Is Too Afraid To Build.
