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Indian Motorcycle’s latest giveaway for riders living in Europe, the United Kingdom, and South Africa has generated quite the buzz.

  • one of the custom built FTR is up for a special giveaway. 
  • the custom built FTR is purely aesthetic. 

The prize includes one of two FTRs designed by custom shop Tank Machine and nine-time World Rally Championship champion Sébastien Loeb, with the matching bike remaining in Loeb’s possession.

At the time of the announcement, only renders of the FTR Loeb design were available. But as of April 27, 2023, Indian Motorcycle has officially released photos of the completed FTR Loeb design, which are now available for viewing.

The changes in this design are purely aesthetic, with the custom saddle featuring contrasting red stitching and a discreet French flag, along with the stylized numeral ‘9’ on the front headlight cowl and the tail cowl at the rear. The two fenders have Tank Machine’s name under the Indian Motorcycle logo against a chunky carbon fiber background, with a bold blue Loeb logo that darts from the middle to the tip of each fender.

If you’re eligible and interested in entering the contest, there’s still time. The drawing is currently open and will remain so until May 15, 2023. Eligible riders from Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom can visit the official Indian Motorcycle webpage in their country and fill out the FTR Loeb contest form.

To enter, riders must also head to their nearest Indian Motorcycle dealer and take a test ride on an FTR, with no purchase necessary.

One lucky winner will be chosen at the end of May 2023 to win their own FTR Loeb and receive a VIP trip to Wheels and Waves 2023 in Biarritz, France. There, they will meet both Tank Machine and Sébastien Loeb, who will present the FTR Loeb to them in person.

Don’t miss your chance to enter this exclusive contest and possibly win the ride of a lifetime.

Indian Motorcycle has revealed the debut of two extremely limited edition motorcycles, the 2023 Pursuit Elite and the Chieftain Elite. Both bikes will be produced in small numbers and available for purchase worldwide.

  • Only 150 units of the Pursuit Elite and 175 units of the Chieftain Elite is produced. 
  • The Indian Pursuit Elite and Chieftain Elite is available for purchase worldwide. 

The 2023 Indian Pursuit Elite will have a production run of just 150 bikes and comes in a Super Graphite Metallic and Black Metallic paint scheme with Shadow Bronze Chrome accents. It is powered by a 1,768cc PowerPlus V-twin engine that delivers a claimed 120.7 horsepower and 131 pound-feet of torque.

The Pursuit Elite boasts features such as a Fox rear suspension with electronically adjustable preload and a seven-inch touchscreen for managing the suspension. It also has a Bosch inertial measurement unit that governs traction control, ABS, and torque.

The motorcycle is equipped with full LED lighting, a Ride Command infotainment system with Apple CarPlay integration and Bluetooth connectivity, and remote-locking weatherproof saddlebags and top box.

The Indian Chieftain Elite, which will be produced in a run of just 175 bikes, comes in a Super Graphite Smoke colorway with Shadow Bronze chrome accents. It is powered by Indian’s air-cooled Thunderstroke 116 mill, which delivers a claimed 126 pound-feet of torque, and features an Adaptive Pathfinder LED headlight and LED saddlebag lights.

The Chieftain Elite has a seven-inch touchscreen powered by Ride Command, with Apple CarPlay integration and Bluetooth connectivity, and weatherproof, remotely lockable saddlebags.

The Pursuit Elite has an MSRP of USD39,999 (RM176k) in the US, while the Chieftain Elite is priced at USD35,499 (RM156k). Both bikes are expected to be in high demand due to their limited production numbers.

Indian Motorcycle fans will want to act quickly to secure one of these exclusive machines, as they are sure to sell out fast.

Indian Motorcycle is launching a new model in its Chief range later this year called the Indian Sport Chief. 

  • Indian Motorcycle to expand its Indian Chief range with the new Indian Sport Chief. 
  • The Indian Sport Chief offers a wide range of accessories and will be available in three exciting colours. 

It is designed to be sportier and comes with premium suspension from KYB, inverted forks at the front, and Fox for the rear shocks that extend wheel travel by 100mm over standard. 

The Brembo braking system features radially-mounted, four-piston, semi-floating calipers on dual front brake discs, providing confidence and capability for a more aggressive riding experience. 

Other new additions include a quarter fairing, moto-style handlebars, machined triple clamps, 152mm risers, and Night Dragon tires from Pirelli. 

The bike comes with a 15.1-litre fuel tank, LED lighting, keyless start, and three selectable riding modes: Sport, Standard, and Tour. It is powered by the twin-cylinder Thunderstroke 116 motor, providing 162Nm of torque, and features a steel tubular frame. 

The Indian Sport Chief also has a range of accessories available to customize your ride to your liking, including fully-adjustable Fox rear shocks, windscreen options, luggage bags, and a variety of seat options. 

The Indian Sport Chief is available in three colors: Black Smoke, Ruby Smoke, and Stealth Grey.

While waiting for Indian Motorcycles to officially announces the brand’s arrival in Malaysia, the American motorcycle company has introduced the 2023 Indian FTR Stealth Gray Special Edition in Europe.

  • The European continent will only receive 150 units.
  • Features special trendy grey with fluorescent red FTR badge. 

The 2023 Indian FTR Stealth Gray is a European-exclusive model with a special livery that combines a trendy grey base colour with a red FTR badge across the tank.

According to the American company, the FTR Stealth Grey is limited to 150 units and built specifically for the European markets.

“This factory exclusive, designed by our internationally staffed design teams, takes the FTR’s American heritage and iconic silhouette and combines its dynamic performance with understated, under the radar, styling,” said Indian Motorcycle’s International Vice President Grant Bester. 

Despite the exclusive colour and graphics, the FTR Stealth Gray is a repackaged FTR R Carbon and features the same 1,203cc V-Twin liquid-cooled engine that makes 123hp and 120Nm. 

Power is delivered to the rear-wheel via slip and assists clutch equipped six-speed gearbox with final chain drive. 

Other exclusive features include:

  • A 4.3-inch TFT touchscreen capable display.
  • Akrapovic exhaust.
  • Three riding modes.
  • Wheelie control.
  • Cornering ABS, stability control.
  • Traction control and cruise control.

Meanwhile, braking is done by radial-mounted Brembo four-piston callipers at the front and a single two-piston calliper at the rear. Suspension is fully adjustable with 43mm front forks. 

Indian Motorcycle welcomes its latest addition to the FTR range with the Championship Edition to celebrate the FTR success at the American Flat Track race series.

The FTR Championship Edition debuted last week during the opening of the AFT season at the Volusia Half-Mile. With just 400 made, the 2022 FTR Championship Edition features a mechanical combination of existing FTR models.

First and foremost, the FTR CE gets the Scrambler tall seat height, longer suspension travel and 18-inch front and 19-inch rear wheels, fully adjustable Sachs front fork and piggyback shocks.

The FTR CE also fitted with the same ride mode selection, ABS and TFT instrument cluster with touchscreen capability found on the S and the R Carbon variants. This, in turn, made the FTR CE a different variant altogether, not just an esthetic upgrade.

Nevertheless, FTR Championship Edition does not fall short on the cosmetic end either as it gets exclusive red spoked wheels, red frame, colourful tank and tail accents, and a championship commemorative bezel mounted on the tank.

By the way, the bike also features a host of carbon fibre components, including the front fender, seat cowl, airbox covers, and headlight.

According to the American firm, the FTR Championship Edition is priced at USD16,499 (RM70k).

Indian Motorcycle has launched the new eFTR Hooligan 1.2 electric bicycle in partnership with ‘American lifestyle adventure brand’ Super73.

The eFTR Hooligan 1.2 is based on the Super73-S2 platform and features a similar removable 960Wh battery that resembles an FTR fuel tank.

Other features include an inverted front fork, moto-style handlebars, LED headlight, and an FTR 1200 Rally-inspired windscreen.

The eFTR also features a gold chain and an all-terrain Super73 GRZLY 20-inch tires to create the ‘hooligan’ look.

According to Indian, the eFTR Hooligan 1.2 can deliver 65km of range at 30 km/h in throttle-only operation and more than 120km when using Eco pedal-assist mode.

Similar to the Super73-S2, riders can select four riding modes via the Super73 mobile app:

  • Class 1 – pedal assist with 30km/h max speed
  • Class 2 – throttle operation and pedal-assist at 30km/h max speed
  • Class 3 – pedal assist at 45km/h max speed
  • Off-Road – up to 2000W of power and speeds more than 45km/h

The Indian eFTR Hooligan 1.2 is available for USD3,999.99 (RM16k) and will be offered in Spring 2022.

Indian and Workhorse Speed Shop has officially unveiled the FTR Black Swan, which the American firm described as a radical take on the company’s FTR range.

Interestingly, the bespoke design was not a recent adaptation instead, Brice Hennebert – founder of Workhorse – revealed that the inspiration behind the Black Swan came up several years ago.

According to Indian, the thought process was a combination of multiple ideas from 1990s superbikes to Rauh-Welt tuned Porches.

“I had the vision to build a sports bike for road use, really sporty, built like a GP bike.

“It’s deeply inspired by 90s sports bikes, all made from carbon fibre. It’s pretty unique, and the most complicated build I’ve done to date,” said Hennebert.

It is complicated that Hennebert had to travel to Slovenia in 2021 to produce a custom exhaust with Akrapovic.

Workhorse also collaborates with Formae Design to make the bike’s bodywork, which is then 3D-printed in carbon fibre.

Hennebert also laid down his own touch by working on the fuel tank and air intake.

The FTR Black Swan also gets CNC-machined components – from Vinco Racing Engineering – including the chassis plates, fuel cell parts and swingarm.

 

Meanwhile, the suspension setup features one-off, blacked-out Ohlins rear shocks.Nevertheless, Hennebert says that the most complicated parts were the concealed headlight.

“That was one hell of a struggle for me. It may look simple and easy for some people, but for me, that was quite a challenge.

“The ‘eyelids’ are driven by two stepper motors controlled by an Arduino (electronic software) for cinematic opening and closing,” he added.

American motorcycle company, Indian Motorcycles is set to be fully operational in Malaysia this coming May, as reported by Paultan.org.

The initial plan was to begin operations earlier but was hampered by the pandemic and the nation’s movement control order (MCO).

Nevertheless, Paultan.org reported that the first batch of bikes is set to arrive in the country next month comprising of six units of the Indian FTR, four units FTR Race and a selection of the Indian Scout.

Featuring a 1,203cc V-twin engine that punches out close to 125hp and 120Nm of torque, the FTR also features some cool modern features such as cruise control, dual disc Brembo ABS brakes, traction control, full LED lighting, 4.3” LED touchscreen dashboard (with Bluetooth & USB fast-charging port), lean-angle sensitive stability control, traction control, wheelie mitigation control, and many more.

In the UK, the Indian FTR 1200 is priced at GBP14,699 (RM82k), however, due to Malaysia’s import duties and taxes, we are looking probably around the RM100k-ish mark.

(Source: Paultan.org)

It’s been many moons since we heard anything from Indian Motorcycles, especially here in Malaysia. There’s no doubt that they have many excellent bikes, like this latest 2020 FTR 1200 Ruby Smoke Limited Edition which is only available in France and nowhere else. (more…)

Indian Motorcycle has unveiled what’s arguably their sexiest bike yet, the 2020 Indian FTR 1200 Carbon. The already impressive standard FTR 1200 has been further enhanced with some good old-fashioned carbon fibre parts as well as a sweet-looking black exhaust, courtesy of Akrapovic. (more…)

When it comes to Indian Motorcycle, the Indian Scout Bobber is certainly one of favourites bikes in terms of design but what happens when it is taken way over its limits? Well, that’s exactly what happened when they collaborated with Workhorse Speed Shop and unveiled the Appaloosa v2.0, the craziest Indian Scout Bobber in the world! (more…)

  • Indian Motorcycle patented their variable valve timing (VVT) system.

  • It will equip a new Euro 5-compliant engine.

  • The technology is the best solution in delivering power with low fuel consumption and emission.

More and more manufacturers embrace variable valve timing technology as Euro 5 looms. Indian Motorcycle is next up.

As Euro 5 seeks to cut more emission, motorcycle manufacturers are forced into looking for other solutions. It was either that or downsizing the engine or reducing power production (god forbid!).

Right now, VVT offers the best answer. Variable valve timing and variable valve lift controls valve overlap at the correct engine loads and timing, yielding power while saving fuel and limiting emission at the same time. Please click the link below to learn more about variable valve timing/variable valve actuation.

2019 Ducati Diavel 1260 to Feature DVT

VVT usually finds place in motorcycles with “sportier” deposition such as the BMW S 1000 RR, Suzuki GSX-R1000, it’s made its way into other types of motorcycle engines. Ducati uses their proprietary Desmodromic Valve Timing (DVT) in the 1260cc V-Twins, while Yamaha employ the tech in their scooters. BMW has now equipped the new 1254cc Boxer (flat-twin) with their own “ShiftCam” technology.

Photo credit – United States Trademark and Patent Office, Motorcycle.com

A new Indian engine was spied months back, but patents revealed that the American manufacturer is pursing VVT technology as well.

Indian’s VVT looks different in because the engine employs overhead valves (OHV) and pushrods rather than overhead camshafts (OHC). Therefore, the VVT phaser is situated at the of the crankcase.

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