What is war? Why are they fought? Why are all the ill effects of it not worth considering when engaging in one? It is hard to answer all of those questions and it is pretty easy at the same time. As we mentioned in the previous piece, it is all about wrongly channelling one’s emotions. And this stands true for tiny scuffles, road rage, and full-fledged wars among the greatest powers of the world.
Imagine you have had a rough day and in some situations, you are not able to put forth your point. You feel humiliated or belittled or unheard or all of that at once. But the feelings are pent up. You are out and someone rubs you the wrong way and suddenly those feelings take hold of you and there you have it; a scuffle. On a smaller scale, these are scuffles and on a larger scale, it is a war.
Now imagine that before any of that happened, you let those pent-up feelings out in a different way. If you like to write, you write. If you like to paint, you paint. If you are a competitive rider, you either dish it out on a trail or a racetrack. If you are a tourer, you head out on your motorcycle to explore places unknown. Once you are done, those feelings have been dispelled and alas… no scuffle… or war.
That is the whole point of Make Content Not War. After wrapping our machines in a livery meant for wars and dressing up for wars, we head out and do what we like to do. Photos, videos, graphics… you name it. Again, that is the whole point of Make Content Not War; channelling what can lead to scenarios much worse into something that one can be happy about and be proud of. Constructive forces coexist with destructive forces and it is up to us to choose.
Among all the machines that became a part of #19YearsOfxBhp and Make Content Not War, the one seen here fits the bill just perfectly. In every sense of the word, the Indian FTR 1200 is a motorcycle ready for war but its wars are something we can get behind. From the way it looks to the way it goes, the Indian FTR 1200 is not just a motorcycle, it is a means of expression!
When we first heard about Indian Motorcycle coming up with a motorcycle based on the legendary FTR750, our world was rocked, to say the least. A motorcycle manufacturer known for some of the best cruisers on the planet, coming up with a street motorcycle; we just knew that if it was anything like the FTR750, it would be an absolute warrior. After all, the FTR750 had been waging wars in the flat track scene in the US for a long time… and winning too!
Then, it was unveiled at INTERMOT 2018 and we were smitten. A trellis frame, sporty riding position, a V-twin from the experts at Indian Motorcycle, and a host of modern features including one of the best motorcycle displays that we have ever seen, and so much more! It was a motorcycle that was so Indian Motorcycle and so not an Indian Motorcycle at the same time. We just had to ride one!
We did not have to wait for too long. Soon after the unveiling, we flew to the US to ride the Indian Motorcycle FTR 1200 and we were blown away… again! The tightly packed engine and other components, lithe and minimal body, exposed frame and the slightly raised tail, the FTR 1200 was as close to its track racing cousin as it could be while still being street-legal. The 19” front wheel, 18” rear wheel, tyres from Dunlop that were specially designed for the FTR 1200 and the wide handlebar made the FTR look like it means business. And it did!
The seating position was sporty and the way the 4.3” Ride Command LCD screen greets you is mesmerizing. Moreover, it was a touchscreen display that worked flawlessly even with the gloves on. Then there was the exhaust note guttural, visceral, and everything else you can think of along those lines. A roaring 1,203cc twin, 120 horses and 117 Nm; you can imagine how it goes. If you cannot, let us tell you.
It accelerated like an absolute demon, trying to hoist the front wheel in the air every time you grab a handful of the throttle. It handled like a dream too, a dream you wouldn’t want to wake up from. Though the Dunlops reach their limit before the motorcycle itself, there’s a method to that madness as well. The Indian FTR 1200 can hit the dirt as well! And we took it there as well.
Despite it not being a thoroughbred off-roader, it managed itself with grace and left us surprised yet again. Because of the larger front wheel, suspension setup, and somewhat dual nature of the
tyres, the Indian FTR 1200 makes impressive use of its engine, chassis, and geometry to put up a respectable performance in the dirt as well.
In the end, a rev-happy V-twin, a motorcycle that loves being wrung and rewards spirited riding with utter joy… is the saddle of such a motorcycle not a good place to vent your pent-up feelings? Especially if doing that can save you the hassle of fighting a different kind of war? We’d say it is and that is why, the Indian FTR 1200 was a worthy recipient of this livery and a worthy medium for the message… Make Content Not War.
You can also find this article in the April-May’24 issue of the xBhp Magazine that you can get here.
