#they’re twins ftr

[bruxatta]

a humble offering of more starshatters for your trouble

#world of warcraft #warcraft oc #sin’dorei #blood elf #belf oc #belf hunter #belf priest #wife tag #they’re twins ftr #pls dont be weird #artists on tumblr #my art

[softersinned-arc]

i think that as much as astoria likes most of the de clermonts her relationship with many of them grows tense with the passage of time. philippe’s death isn’t the cause of it but i think that’s when it starts to become clear, and irreversible. she and matthew get along well enough when they’re arguing but i don’t know if she ever fully forgives him for keeping the knights; she certainly doesn’t forgive him for refusing to let baldwin have his justice for philippe’s death. by time time diana arrives on the scene, astoria has been quietly seething for decades: matthew has been allowed time and again to endanger the family, his blood rage controlled but still present, and in her eyes his vices and failures are allowed and even indulged because of philippe’s whims and ever-shifting favor. she likes marcus very much (he’s her favorite nephew) but she thinks he’s a fool for trusting matthew as he does, particularly after new orleans, and then again after finding out he’s been lied to for so long. she like gallowglass but he’s never around, and with diana’s return she resents gallowglass’ willingness to ally himself with matthew above baldwin. same with fernando. i don’t think she spares ernst enough thought to have an opinion on him besides “entertaining company.” and i don’t think she quite knows what to make of jack.

          as always her relationship with the women in the family is the most complex. i don’t know how she’d feel about miyako or frejya or stasia yet, but i think she’d like them all. verin makes her uneasy, particularly considering the conditions under which she and ernst are mated, but she can tolerate her for the support she offers her brother. there’s a fair amount of tension between astoria and ysabeau as well—astoria as the head of the family’s consort means that she becomes the highest ranking woman at sept-tours when they’re there. astoria makes an effort not to blatantly disrespect her by making demands regarding the running of the household, but she also will gently correct anyone who refers to anyone but her as ‘madame de clermont,’ as if she can understand the confusion and it’s an honest mistake but one that needs to be remedied all the same, and any deference to ysabeau’s decisions is very clearly that (a gesture, a gift even, out of respect for her husband’s mother—not because she should rank higher than either of them). and she likes diana in theory but she’s furious that diana’s willing to risk the entire family for the sake of her own desires, and her disdain for matthew feeds into a disdain for diana. the formation of a separate scion doesn’t help matters. like ysabeau, diana is treated as having rank and deserving respect as a result of her rank, though unlike ysabeau, diana has not earned that respect, in astoria’s eyes. she’s much more willing to pull rank over diana. phoebe has done nothing wrong ever in her life, and while she shows diana the respect necessitated by her role and rank, it’s phoebe to whom astoria shows the affection and respect she would a sister.

          the twins, ftr, can do no wrong in her eyes.

#i. she had a marvelous time ruining everything. ( about ) #(i'm watching s3 and astoria's sitting in my brain furious about matthew at the head of the table talking about ~the darkest of days~) #(mostly she's angry that so many members of the family are willing to behave as though baldwin is an irrational tyrant)_ #(while still being SO willing to call on him to fix the problems they create and the messes they make) #(even as diana and matthew are preparing to separate and form their own scion specifically because they don't trust baldwin —) #(— who do they call to fix things? baldwin. even as ysabeau shows obvious disdain for baldwin who's her first choice to save the day?) #(it's not her blood son whom she insists is fit to run his own family! when matthew can't sort shit out long enough to find diana —) #(— whose number is being dialed? that's RIGHT. tho on a personal level astoria's pleased to know that now they actually can say —) #(— 'figure it out yourself it's YOUR scion' when they're getting interrupted constantly) #(it also makes her very relieved that her own daughters would never be in line to run the family bc the de clermonts are fucking insane) #(and if her girls get spared that all the better)

[ravs6709]

Kwami Sitting- Alya and the Kwamis

Alrighty, major spoilers from Gang of Secrets! Like, major.

But yeah, I've been having feels for that entire episode and because there was the reveal, it means kwami sitting! So here's some kwami content featuring platonic alyanette. Mentions of food.

Ftr, I made the zodiac kwamis all use they/them pronouns, though I don't think it ended up being too relevant in this fic. The main ones though do have genders.

Enjoy!

•~•~•~•~•~•

It had only been a day since Marinette had revealed her identity, and Alya liked to think that she was taking the news well. After all, that was Ladybug, the superhero that she'd wanted to unmask for so long, until she realized that it would hurt more than help. She still couldn't believe that she also happened to be her best friend.

But it made so much sense though. Both Marinette and Ladybug were strong, courageous, intelligent, and incredibly good friends. It explained why Marinette was always late to class or making excuses.

It also explained why she looked so broken. Because she wasn't just Ladybug, the only person who could undo the damage caused by Shadowmoth. She was also the Guardian of the Miraculous. She was someone who hated lies, but had to lie in order to keep everyone safe.

But she told her secret to Alya, and Alya vowed to help ease the burden that she was carrying.

"See this?" Marinette pointed to the large pink box, before it expanded to show dozens of coloured bottles. "This is where I keep the miracle box. And this is how I open it."

She then pressed down on a bunch of the bottles, before a drawer opened.

"Woah!" Alya gasped, before remembering that Marinette had been defensive about the dollhouse. "It took you less than a day to make that?"

"Uh... yes?"

"That's so cool!"

"Focus, Alya." She picked up the miracle box. "Each of the miraculous are stored in here, but the kwamis don't have to stay inside of it. And-"

She was interrupted by both her and Alya's phone buzzing. There was a notification about an akuma attack.

"You go, I'll look after the box! I'll also cover for you in case your parents come!" Alya told her, and she nodded.

Marinette transformed- woah it looked so cool!- and made her way to the roof. But before she left, she turned back to face Alya.

"If things get dangerous, I might have to come for one of the miraculous. Keep your phone in case I need to text you."

"Got it! I won't let you down, Marinette!"

Even though she would be missing out on a chance to film for the Ladyblog, this was an opportunity to properly meet the kwamis! She'd seen glimpses of them before, but her priority had been comforting Marinette over her curiosity. But now she actually had the chance to meet them all.

"Alright!" She called out. "You're all under my watch now! Can you like up so I can figure out who is who?"

She knew about the main miraculous, and some of the others, but she wasn't prepared to see just how many kwamis there were. She only recognized four. Trixx, Tikki, Wayzz and the bee whose name she didn't know. Others looked vaguely familiar, like the snake, horse and dragon. But she didn't know there was one for the pig, rooster, tiger (wait were they for the zodiac?).

"Ooh, you're Alya, right!" The pig kwami asked. "I'm Daizzi! It'd be really cool if you were my holder!"

"I told you, she's already taken!" Trixx replied.

Alya looked at the two kwamis. Were they fighting over her? It took all of her willpower to not scream, only because she didn't want Tom and Sabine to hear and get concerned. Then she'd have to explain why she was screaming, and Marinette's sudden absence. Yeah, she definitely should not do that.

"I'm very flattered that you'd like me as your holder, Daizzi" she said instead. "But as Trixx said, I'm taken. I like being Rena Rouge."

The other kwamis began to introduce themselves, and a brief summary of their powers. There was so much to take in and she wished she could talk to someone else about it, but knew that she couldn't, and wouldn't ever betray Marinette's trust like that.

After that, she sat on the bed and pulled out her phone. The kwamis were insanely old, so they'd probably be well behaved, and she could start writing down notes for her next Ladyblog article.

Or well, that's what she thought. Apparently all those years of living meant nothing, because as soon as she got distracted, she heard something fall to the floor.

It was a good thing that Alya had two devious sisters that had a tendency to cause destruction, otherwise she'd be fuming.

But because she had the experience, all she did was casually look back at her phone as if nothing had happened.

"Oh," she began, faking sweetness into her voice. "I was planning on getting you all some snacks, but I guess not."

The twins were starting to grow old enough to not fall for the tactic, but she suspected that the kwamis would. As expected, they turned towards her with wide eyes and sad expressions. They whispered amongst each other, before they moved to start cleaning up.

Trixx seemed to be participating half-heartedly- he probably knew what she was trying to accomplish, he was perceptive like that.

"Okay, what are your favourite snacks?"

She already knew that Trixx liked fruit, but she was not prepared for the variety of foods listed. Pollen liked peppers, Wayzz liked drinking tea, and there was a lot.

"Okay, I can't say that I'll be able to get food for all of you, but I'll do my best. Wayzz, I'm leaving you in charge."

She figured that since Wayzz was the previous guardian's kwami, he would be the wisest.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Alya took a deep breath, then tip toed down the stairs. The bakery wouldn't have everything, but taking a large variety of stuff would be weird. If it was just sweets, it'd be fine. But to take fruits and crackers and popcorn? She had to sneak the food back upstairs.

She looked into the kitchen and didn't see anyone.

"I haven't seen you in such a long time!" Sabine said from the front. "How have you been?"

Perfect! While they're distracted with the customer, I can get what I need.

Surprisingly, the kitchen raid went better than she'd expected. She managed to find even more food, and was able to carry it upstairs with ease. When she opened the trapdoor, the kwamis all beamed.

There was also no damage, fortunately.

"Before you eat," she said, chanelling all her authority into her tone. "I'm going to set up what we humans call a movie. Let's watch the Ladybug and Chat Noir movie."

It was easy to access it, since she already bought it online with an account. She got comfortable then started the movie.

The kwamis were fixated on the movie, impressed with the animation and the capabilities of the computer. However, there was a slight problem.

"How did they get the idea of the miraculous so wrong?" Baark asked.

"Remember, humans don't know that we exist. They have very little to work with," Wayzz answered.

Except that the others ignored him, and started critiquing the movie even more. Alya groaned. She was never going to be able to enjoy the movie again without thinking of the conversation going on around her.

•~•~•~•~•~•

There were footsteps on the roof, and then the trapdoor opened. Alya didn't look back at Marinette, even when she detransformed.

"Oh wow, you're good at this," Marinette remarked.

Alya only hummed as a response, and reached for the last of the popcorn. "I like stole a crap ton of food from the kitchen though. Hope you don't mind."

"Are you kidding me? I haven't seen them sit still in ever!"

Alya felt arms wrap around her from behind, and she smiled. "I told you. If your load gets too heavy, I'll carry it with you. Even if it's by doing something as simple as babysitting these cute kwamis."

"Thank you Alya, thank you! I don't know what'd I'd do without you."

"I love you too Marinette."

•~•~•~•~•~•

Ml taglist- @subrosasteath

Want to be added/removed from the taglist? Just let me know!

#ml spoilers #kinda #alya cesaire #ml kwamis #marinette dupain cheng #platonic alyanette #ml #miraculous ladybug #ml fanfic #fanfiction #ravi writes a thing

[the-obnoxious-sibling]

so i'm an mcu cynic, right

saw wanda and vision a) introduced in the same movie b) have a Moment in said movie, said to myself "ah, they're planning on getting to young avengers eventually"

no thought that they might do this romance for its own sake - the mcu has never done a romance without a secondary purpose, even if that purpose was just heteronormativity - and certainly no thought that they had even introduced the characters for their own sake, given how little character or agency either got.

no. i was certain that wanda and vision (and wanda/vision) were put in aou so that, years down the road, marvel could present the world with gay teen superheroes as a fait accompli (underestimating, i think, how quickly fans would tire of that very straight white male first generation of mcu heroes)

anyway. none of that is the point of this post. (i like wanda and vision plenty, ftr. i just couldn't unsee the future of the franchise hanging over their heads, which spoiled my enthusiasm a bit.) the point of this post is, i was thinking about all that as i was doing the dishes earlier.

because, with time skips and magic and all, we seem to be headed towards that YA future faster than i expected.

wandavision giving us the twins, hawkeye giving us the good hawkeye - heck, i'll be surprised if loki's show doesn't provide the origins for kid loki. the only upcoming show that doesn't seem primed to introduce one of those kids is the sam & bucky show.

so ofc my brain decided this meant that obvs the sam and bucky show is gonna be eli bradley: origins: the show, and that's a sufficiently wild idea that i decided to document it for posterity.

#i do not even care about the mcu anymore #but if i smell the slightest whiff of red white and black a/o patriot my hindbrain just. perks up. #what can i say. #it's a good story to movie-canonize brent. #anyway i wish young avengers fans a pleasant three to five years waiting for their team to get assembled #i for one will be reading summaries and giving disney as little of my time or money as possible #mcu #wandavision #fatws #(just speculation but. you know.)

[crazy4tank]

2020 Indian FTR Rally First Ride Review

New Post has been published on https://coolcarsnews.com/2020-indian-ftr-rally-first-ride-review/

2020 Indian FTR Rally First Ride Review

Whenever Indian announced the FTR Move model a few months back and said it was destined just for Europe, we sorta sulked, but additionally held out some hope the one thing would come Stateside eventually. And wouldn’t you know it, the company recently introduced it would be bringing the new scrambler-styled model to United states for 2020 too. The best part? We unexpectedly lucked in to a quick ride on the newest FTR just after Indian showed it away in-person at this year’s The One Show in Portland, Oregon.

Related: 2020 Indian FTR Rally Very first Look

First, a quick renew on what this bike’s about. The particular bones of the 2020 FTR Move are still that of a base 2019 FTR , but they’re gussied up with exactly what Indian ’s calling “authentic retro design, ” which in this case contains many of the bits used on the (US) Rally Selection introduced last year. Since it riffs on the lowest-spec FTR design, you’ll get an analog speedometer on the FTR Rally instead of the touch screen display found on the S, and no grip control or ride mode choices either (though you still can rely on lean-sensitive ABS). The Rally sells for $13, 499, so it slot machine games between the top-line S ($14, 499) and the base FTR 1200 ($11, 999).

Associated: Indian Announces Accessory Kits For FTR 1200

The Rally’s scrambler vibe strikes hardest with the new aluminum spoked wheels (though in the same 19" front, 18 rear sizes) which usually get a red pinstripe and put on super-chunky Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires. Other accessories distinguishing the particular Rally from its stablemates include the 50mm-taller ProTaper handlebar, a short “rally” display, and slightly stepped brown seat (Indian calls this vinyl-clad perch an Aviator saddle, don’t request me why). That’s the aesthetic stuff. The beating heart continues to be a meaty 1, 203cc V-twin engine with a claimed 120-plus horsepower and loads of low-end punch, located in a black steel trellis body. Suspension setup carries over in the base model as well, with a completely adjustable inverted fork and a back monoshock (preload and rebound adjusting only). Radially mounted dual Brembos also provide stopping power up front, therefore all in all, there hasn’t been any kind of sacrifice in the name of style on the 2020 Rally.

Regardless, I have to admit the Rally’s cut looks damn sharp. The Titanium Smoke paint job is fantastic in person, with the full Indian headdress graphic feeling appropriately subdued. It had been striking how large an effect a few well-placed changes made between models; the particular Rally literally carries just brand new paint, tires, and bars. That will brown seat gives a nice take to the matt gray paint, with all the black frame tying it all with each other. Just don’t look for serious protects, high-mounted pipes, engine protection, or maybe the like—that’s not what this bicycle is about. It’s a 527-pound streetbike with tires better suited to lightweight off-roading and a graphic scheme that’ll probably appeal to a certain urban market.

When the Native indian rep I bumped into in the One Show jangled a set of secrets in front of me, I was more than prepared to throw a leg over the Move. Turns out I had no problem settling directly into that Avia—er, brown saddle quite easily; Indian lists it because 33. 1 inches tall, but it appeared way lower (and more manageable). The taller bar hit the hands just right for a more straight riding position, and felt like a much better angle for round-town ripping. Vacation cruise control, an USB port, plus LED headlight comes on the FTR as well as the base model, so I had been all set.

Turning the key and punching the particular starter, you can’t help but experience the growl pumping out of the double pipes, with a touch of vibes coming from the 60-degree V-twin. Ten moments into my route along the moss-encrusted esses of Northwest Portland’s turning Germantown Road and I realized the particular Rally’s ergos were a way much better fit for back-road bombing compared to base model’s—at least for me. The particular taller bar combined with the neutral-footpeg straight position are comfortable yet place you in a stance that gives a person great leverage and control and will be offering a commanding view of the street. It all made for a solid rider triangle from where I could plan the next turn, and because the bicycle carries its weight well, seems like a much lighter machine on speed (even though it’s somewhat heavier than the base model). The particular Rally didn’t fight back when starting turns, with neutral steering as you go along and the chassis holding a steady collection throughout. On drier stretches associated with road where we’d dig much deeper into turns, you could feel the tires’ profiles a bit, but we did not encounter any missteps (though the particular lean-sensitive ABS did come in handy as soon as or twice) and cornering measurement was more than ample. With the exact same quick throttle response as its FTR brothers, the Rally readily squirts out of the turns, and even the large tires stuck better than expected within the sometimes moist corners (they trip more like street rubber, though anticipate some movement with that blocky follow pattern). The 123 horses upon tap ( 111 on the Cycle Globe dyno ) are almost immediately accessible on the twist of a wrist, and they replied eagerly at most any rpm.

There were some niggles though. I found the bike sometimes coughing and sputtering in the very first 20 minutes or so of the trip, but fueling seemed to settle down considerably as things warmed up. I’ll chalk that up to the fact that these were preproduction models; the Indian rep managed to get clear that’s what we were upon. Ride quality felt nicely well balanced in general, but I would have enjoyed some more compression damping up front, for that rutted urban portion of our 55-mile route. Other dings include gasoline capacity—that small 3. 4-gallon container means range for this somewhat large bike can be a downer—and a license dish mount that’s downright hideous. Thankfully Indian does offer a relocation package, which of course will cost you.

The bottom line is the new FTR Move was an unmitigated blast on this short trip. The subdued product packaging and overall vibe will attract some folks, even if the Rally’s price, bodyweight, and range won’t. If you remember that the FTR Rally is mostly a design exercise—along the lines of the THE CAR R nineT Scrambler (but a lot more affordable)—and, like most scramblers, is made to take more time on road than off, it’ll probably make sense. It makes for a strong back-road ripper and a decent sufficient forest road scrambler, and individually, I’m looking forward to another ride.

2020 Indian FTR Move Specifications

MSRP $13, 499 Motor 60-degree liquid-cooled V-twin Displacement 1, 203cc Transmission/Final Drive 6-speed/chain Fuel system Electronic fuel injection Claimed Horsepower 123 hp @ almost eight, 250 rpm Claimed Rpm 87 lb. -ft. @ 5, nine hundred rpm Frame Tubular steel trellis Front Suspension 43mm upside down cartridge fork; 5. 9-in. traveling Rear Suspension Monoshock, flexible for preload and rebound; five. 9-in. travel Front side Brake Brembo Monoblock 4-piston calipers, double 320mm discs w/ ABS Rear Brake Brembo 2-piston caliper, 260mm disc w/ ABS Rake/Trail 26. 3°/5. 1 in. Wheelbase 60. 0 in. Chair height 33. 6 in. Gas Capacity 3. 4 gal. Stated Wet Weight 527 lb. Get in touch with indianmotorcycle. com

#2020 #first ride #Hot Bike - Custom V-Twin Motorcycles #indian #review

[noendcomic]

Sorry if you have already answered something lile this, but the regions the accents you said the characters have come from are quite spread apart. All across what would be America and in England. I understand why a one group with a military background may be from different places in the country, but what about the rest? Is this because of the geography of the world or another reason? Thank you!

Originally the area No End takes place in was very multicultural (think of the US), and several characters have different cultural, ethnic or racial backgrounds. Although their world is not ours it’s meant to correspond in many ways to our world and they all speak the same language in the area, like in the US (whether or not that’s actually English, we don’t know). Obviously the apocalypse took its toll so people don’t USUALLY go out of their way to preserve their ethnic heritage and most of the cast are mixed race.

So e.g. Modra comes from a predominantly Jewish, eastern European family, Jenn and Wight have pretty strictly Nordic roots (both families have been strict to preserve their heritage, although Modra himself is very secular – just another reason for him to be considered a “failure” by his family. This is somewhat common in old military families), Cotton’s family comes from Iran, Benny’s family is South-Korean and white, think of them as e.g. American Koreans, etc. Their accents are just something that someone in their family has spoken for one reason or another or they come from an area where the accent is common (Cotton picked up his mother’s accent: his great grandparents were Iranian, his grandfather – the Amir Khouri whose diary entries are in the first chapter extras – married an Arab Muslim woman. Cotton’s mother was mixed race and spoke with a Southern American English accent). Note that Modra, Benny and the Reid siblings have no discernible accents and they’re from Zeus or from military families. You can pretty much assume most of the military speak “regular American English” (e.g. Crow and his second-in-command Rajni, who, ftr, has mostly Indian family), which is also why Cotton’s accent is so subdued and only comes up as barely noticeable Southern note and some differences in dialect or pronunciation (his pens and pins sound the same).

There are also some clearly geographical differences: both Jerry and Abby who speak in more or less British accents are originally from Hecate, which is the southernmost zone close to the coastline, so you can assume they’re from old immigrant families. Same with Maverick and Ramona, although you can pretty safely assume Maverick has picked up Ramona’s accent.

If I remember correctly the twins speak with vaguely British accents as well, so you can assume they’re originally from south as well.

Note that none of the characters are bilingual: Benny’s mother was never taught Korean (only Korean she knows are names of the foods she occasionally makes), even Cotton’s great grandparents probably didn’t speak Persian and the Reids’ Nordic heritage goes so far back who knows when was the last time any of them actually spoke Icelandic. That doesn’t mean that NO ONE in the world is bilingual: there are plenty of bilingual folks who have either picked up another language while studying or have been taught by their families. The university in Zeus employs dozens of linguists who attempt to preserve foreign languages. Sarah is bilingual (Spanish) and other upcoming multilingual characters are Mitch (Spanish and Italian), Moreau (French) and Brooks (Spanish), to mention a few. Rajni speaks Hindi as well.And people who are from the continent south from the area No End takes place always speak with a foreign accent, so they obviously speak a different language as their mother tongue and it’s possible the language that is spoken in No End used to be the lingua franca of their world before the apocalypse.

- Kromi

#answers #characters #worldbuilding

[ntrending]

These are the top 10 new motorcycles we’re dying to ride in 2019

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/these-are-the-top-10-new-motorcycles-were-dying-to-ride-in-2019/

These are the top 10 new motorcycles we’re dying to ride in 2019

This article was originally published on Cycle World.

Once all the new models have been unwrapped at EICMA and Intermot, it’s time to start looking forward to another year of testing, riding, and comparing. Right now, they’re all good motorcycles fresh off their press release blasts. But as the year unfolds, we’ll see which ones don’t live up to the hype, and which ones shine beyond their spec sheets. Of course, 10 models don’t cover everything for 2019, so drop your favorite in the comments. For now, let’s look at what we believe are the most compelling bikes for 2019.

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For 2019, KTM is bringing the 690 SMC R back to the United States, wheelie fiends rejoice. It comes packing much of the componentry we enjoy in the Husqvarna 701 Supermoto. The engine is the same double-balancer 692cc liquid-cooled single found in the 701 Supermoto and Enduro, and we’d bet our lunch money that output is identical as well at a claimed 75 hp and 53 pound-feet of torque.

With the new motor, there’s also the inclusion of the up/down Quickshifter +, Sport and Street ride modes, cornering-sensitive motorcycle traction control (MTC), and cornering ABS with Supermoto mode. However, it’s not just a twin to the 701, the 690 SMC R is packing an all-new WP Apex suspension

Small changes aside, it’s always awesome to have more factory supermoto options, and welcome a return for a bike that helped define the segment. What would you like to see from a review of this bike?

2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire

Not much is known about the Harley-Davidson LiveWire. The Motor Company previewed a (“production-ready” LiveWire at Milan’s EICMA Show, and confirmed again it will be released in 2019 as a 2020 model. It is also the same model ridden at the 115th Anniversary Celebration last August.

Power, range, weight, and price are all still mysteries, but we did learn the LiveWire will be packing some serious componentry. It appears to be Level 2 charging capable, has the latest Showa suspension, 300mm Brembo brakes, cornering ABS system, traction control, and a TFT dash. All signs point to a premium, and tempting, electric option—and one of, if not the best-looking electric motorcycle to date.

This is on the list as not only an exciting electric motorcycle to ride, but an exciting motorcycle, period. What are you looking for from the Harley-Davidson LiveWire?

We really could have put the entire Kawasaki H2 lineup in this listing. For 2019, Kawasaki threw a treasure chest of tech at its hypersport offerings and expanded the lineup with more models than ever, but it’s the H2 SX SE+ that has us most intrigued.

It’s the sport-tourer out of the lineup, but Kawasaki added more componentry for curves, not just straight-line slaying. The Ninja H2 SX SE+ now has Kawasaki Electronic Control Suspension (KECS), a 43mm inverted Showa cartridge fork, and a Showa Balance Free Rear Cushion Lite (BFRC-lite) rear shock. Along with integration with their Rideology app, riding modes, and self-healing paint.

In Kawasaki’s opinion, this new model offers, “an unrivaled level of performance and comfort, with agile handling akin to its superbike counterparts.” We say, we can’t wait to find out.

Last year, Husqvarna nearly made the list with its neo-retro café, the 701 Vitpilen. However, Husky is now firmly on the board with its flat-track-inspired Svartpilen 701.

The two have most of the same components, but the ride will be quite different. The chromium-molybdenum steel trellis frame is identical. The engine is the same double-balancer 692cc liquid-cooled single found throughout the lineup, and still outputs a claimed 75 hp and 53 pound-feet of torque. The WP suspension is the same, as are the Brembo brakes. But the addition of bars and more rugged look make this a more attractive option, at least initially.

With a revised tailsection, headlight mask, Pirelli MT 60 RS tires, and a more upright riding position, the Svartpilen looks like a proper street brawler, and one rowdy commuter that won’t be uncomfortable in the process. Does this bike have you excited as much as we are?

2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R

It’s shaping up to be an incredible year if you’re in the market for the ultimate in superbike performance, and the Ducati Panigale V4 R may be the most premier of the lot. For one, this is Ducati’s homologation special to go toe to toe in World SBK and bring a championship back to Italy. So it’s got a pretty big mission ahead of it.

To accomplish this, it features a 998cc version of the 90 degree V-4 that generates a staggering 221 hp at 15,250 rpm, and 234 hp with the optional Akrapovic racing exhaust system. It’s equipped with non-electronic Öhlins suspension and Brembo Stylema brakes, along with the full suite of Ducati electronics. And, of course, MotoGP-derived winglets on the fairings.

The price tag is just shy of $40,000 dollars, but this is the razor edge of superbike performance, and a truly staggering package available from a dealership floor. Can’t wait to ride this one.

The other superbike at EICMA should not be ignored however. The BMW S1000RR is a confirmed ground-up redesign for 2019, and is looking to take both the attention, and podiums away from its Italian and Japanese rivals.

Power is touted as 205 hp from an all-new, ShiftCam-equipped 999cc inline-four (up 6 hp from the previous iteration) and 84 pound-feet of torque—with BMW promising peerless throttle response and tons of midrange punch. The whole motorcycle is slimmer, lighter, and features semi-active suspension in a package that is sure to be more exploitable than ever before.

The BMW S1000RR moved the goalposts for the superbike class upon its debut, and the impact of this bike has us excited for a full test, and we’re sure it has its rivals worried. Will it have enough power to satiate the spec-racers among us?

2019 KTM 790 Adventure and Adventure R

KTM took the oxygen out of the room with the announcement of the KTM 790 Adventure and Adventure R. These middleweight ADV entries will have a crowded field to navigate, but unlike the other bikes on this list, we’ve already gotten a peek at what’s in store—and like it.

They come ready to rumble with the LC8c powerplant out of the 790 Duke, premier WP suspension components (fully adjustable on the R), and a bevy of tech. Lean-sensitive traction control, four adjustable riding modes of Street, Off-road, Rain, and Rally, Motorcycle Slip Regulation (MSR)—all standard.

It’s a competitive segment, and KTM looks to be continuing its assault on the off-road space with a total package of the 790 Adventure and Adventure R. However, we’ll have to await a full test to see if they live up to the hype.

We’ve already briefly ridden the FTR 1200, but all eyes are on the FTR 1200 and FTR 1200 S for a comprehensive road test. With flat-track-derived looks and heavily revised Scout motor belting out a claimed 120 hp, Indian Motorcycle is looking to capture hearts and sales from Harley-Davidson with its new street tracker.

During our initial ride, we remarked that the FTR 1200 is dripping in its own model-specific parts and components to create a machine wholly different from the Indian Motorcycle lineup. At EICMA, Indian debuted an extensive lineup of accessories, and curated them into four unique packages for the FTR, showing the flexibility and individuality of the platform. And, yes, it showed that you will be able to get high pipes for the FTR.

It’s a performance, American standard motorcycle, with seemingly few corners cut to get there. We’re excited to ride not only the standard models, but also take the accessory packages for a spin. What will the FTR 1200 and 1200 S have to do to live up to the hype in your opinion?

This is the sleeper hit of EICMA. The CB650R replaces the competent but dowdy-looking CB650F. With the transition, the CB650R transforms into a neo-retro stunner, with sharp lines, upgraded components, refined quality, and a clear relationship between its larger CB1000R and smaller CB300R siblings.

Underneath its looks are a revised 650cc inline-four powerplant with 5 percent more power, an inverted 41mm Showa Separate Function Fork (SFF), a lighter and stronger frame, and a keen eye taken toward engineering evocative engine sounds.

In a field that has largely abandoned the four-cylinder engine, Honda now finds itself with a unique engine option in a field of twins. The components are upgraded, and there’s a fair amount of electronics as well. This may be a surprising hit among riders and fans.

Why would a three-wheeler make it on this list? Well, for one, it’s classified as a motorcycle. Secondly, with our initial ride on the Niken we found it offered a riding experience unlike any other, and can still do wheelies to boot. With the Niken GT, we’re intrigued to see how slight changes to make it more touring ready can enhance the motorcycle.

The Niken GT takes the stated aim of the Niken and adds content to make it more touring friendly. Namely, the Niken GT adds a wider and taller touring windscreen, heated grips, specifically designed comfort seat, and quick-release 25-liter ABS side cases. For added convenience, the rear of the carrier base features integrated passenger grips.

Yamaha added largely tweaks and features to its existing lineup for EICMA 2018, but the Niken GT is an interesting take for the expanding sport-touring class.

BONUS: Top Disappointment

Yamaha made more news for what’s not happening in 2019 than what is happening. Instead of giving us the middleweight contender of our dreams this year, Yamaha announced the 700 Ténéré would be making its debut in, wait for it, 2020—as a 2021 model.

Release date aside, the production version underwhelmed on the spec sheet, with an LCD dash and not much mention of any electronic gadgetry. However, the wheelie-happy and torque-laden MT-07-derived motor is still there, and the looks are seemingly ripped right off Yamaha’s rally racers, which is a good thing.

However, the disappointment was palpable, and left adventure fans scratching their heads as Yamaha’s competitors clinked glasses of champagne in celebration. What’s it going to take for the 700 Ténéré to not underwhelm on its debut, and is the lack of technology potentially a good thing for the ADV space?

Written By Cycle World Staff

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Gigi Hadid & Zayn Malik Morph Into A Clone Couple Black Outfits As They Celebrate His Birthda

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Krugger adds street smarts to the Triumph Scrambler

We love show bikes for their cutting edge design concepts, wild engineering and straight-line performance—but they’re not much use in the real world. On the opposite side of the spectrum, there are customs that aim for maximum usability, by cleverly blending form and function.

Most builders stick to just one of those camps, but Fred ‘Krugger’ Bertrand plays at both ends of the field. The Belgian maestro has won multiple AMD World Championships, but he’s just as happy to build ‘practical’ bikes—especially when the brief and budget both call for restraint.

Krugger has just finished working his magic on this brand new Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE, as a corporate project for Triumph Benelux and the motorsport-focused watchmaker Rebellion Timepieces.

The idea was to make the off-roady Scrambler a little more road-focused, shed some weight, and leave it with a polished factory-like feel.

The Scrambler 1200 XE is one hella capable bike—both on the tarmac and off it. But it’s also tall, with a big front wheel to keep it surefooted in the dirt. So Krugger started by swapping the 21F/17R rims for a set of 19F/18R Excel hoops, laced to the stock hubs.

They’re wrapped in Dunlop DT3-R tires—the street legal flat track items that come standard on the Indian FTR 1200. Krugger then tweaked the stance further by lowering the stock (and adjustable) suspension at both ends.

The bodywork has been tightened up without losing the Triumph’s distinctive shapes. The tank is a modified and retrofitted Triumph Bobber unit, adorned with a flush mounted gas cap.

Krugger also trimmed the Scrambler’s subframe, and topped it with a new seat that’s actually a touch thicker than stock. Wild Hog in Italy handled the upholstery, even though they were operating under a nationwide stay-at-home order due to COVID-19. So Krugger asked them to include a small plaque with the Belgian and Italian flags, as a sign of solidarity.

Another standout piece is the new exhaust system. The original setup has both pipes exiting high on the right side, but Krugger built a new stainless steel arrangement, with twin pipes flanking the tail. And that meant crafting a few details around the exhaust to make everything fit well visually.

The original right hand side cover needed filling in where the twin headers once ran, and the left side cover needed a cutout to make room for the new pipe. Krugger also hand-shaped a pair of aluminum ‘number boards’ to wrap around the mufflers, and a series of skinny heat shields to offer some protection.

The Scrambler retains some of its stock trim bits—like its bash plate—but just about everything else has been replaced or modified.

The stock fender’s still in play up front, but it’s been mounted higher. And rather than retain the original plastic fork guards, Krugger formed a new set out of aluminum, integrating the new fender mounts in the process.

The rear fender is custom too, and just underneath it is a small custom tail light arrangement with two LEDs.

Moving to the cockpit, Krugger kept the stock LED headlight but modified the stock supports to shave off the turn signal mounts. Then he fabricated a small nacelle, to blend with the headlight and hide the stock display.

The switches and bars are original (the Scrambler has a lot of onboard features), as are the heated grips. But the Triumph’s sporting a set of Bobber riser clamps, along with LED bar-end turn signals from Kellermann.

Keen eyes will also spot a pretty unique set of Beringer controls on both ends of the bars. Krugger replaced the entire brake system with Beringer components, and even installed a thumb brake for the rear, which neatly shares space on the bars with the hydraulic clutch control.

When asked, he says he did it mostly to show off the Beringer parts and the fact that the mod was possible, with the added benefit that the area around the front sprocket is now cleaner. Other touches included removing superfluous bits like the heel frame protectors, and lightening up a number of other parts.

For the final livery, Krugger settled on black with a Rebellion logotype and gold detailing. But there’s more than just a paint job going on—parts like the swing arm were redone in black too, and there are custom decals on the rims.

With a vibe that’s a little more street tracker than scrambler, this Scrambler 1200 XE is everything it was supposed to be: clean, dynamic and better than factory. It also strikes us as a sort of blueprint for a Triumph response to the FTR 1200, if the British marque ever goes down that route.

And it’s irrefutable proof that Krugger always brings his A-game, no matter what the brief is.

Krugger Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Thierry Dricot.

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Moose Project: An Enfield street tracker from Bangkok

Royal Enfield’s 650 twins have only been on the market for just over a year. But they’ve become a hit with both buyers and road testers—offering classic style, accessible pricing and just enough performance for a big section of the riding demographic.

Over the past few months, Royal Enfield has been keeping the spotlight on the twins via a steady stream of custom builds from all over the globe.

Right now, they’re focusing on the flat track vibe: a few days after the ‘official’ collaboration with Harris Performance, we have this very sharp-looking effort from Zeus Custom of Thailand.

Mooyong, the owner of Zeus, filled us in on the details. It’s his second project with Royal Enfield, after the ‘Prime’—a classic café racer based on the Interceptor.

‘Prime’ was a relatively conventional reworking of the 650 with clip-ons and Firestones, but ‘Moose’ takes things to a new level with a stripped back and more contemporary street tracker look.

“We took inspiration from the flat track world, and aimed for a stylish bike with elegant curves,” says Mooyong.

The major work is in the back half of this Continental GT, which is completely new. The rear part of the frame sweeps up to meet a waspish tail unit, and the twin shocks are gone—replaced by a YSS monoshock hooked up to a custom swingarm.

The lines are cleverly echoed by the exhaust pipes, which are bent with a millimeter precision worthy of Auto Fabrica and fitted with discreet brass tips. The engine cases are powder coated black to give the pipes extra visual ‘pop.’

To level out the stance, Zeus trimmed the forks by an inch, modified the internals to match, and anodized the tubes in black and gold. The wheels and hubs are powder coated black and now shod with Dunlop flat track rubber.

The bike gets its name from the bars, which curve up like moose horns to provide plenty of leverage for the rider—even though they are clip-ons, rather than one-piece units.

The bars are fitted with grips from Lowbrow, Motogadget m.blaze bar-end LED blinkers, and vintage chromed hand controls.

Sitting right ahead of the bars is a most interesting dual-layer cowl treatment, with concealed lighting between the plates. It’s an unusual styling trick that we haven’t seen before, and would work just as well with a road-legal headlight centered in the cowl.

The tank is essentially the stock Continental tank, and suits the tracker vibe perfectly.

But there are a couple of unusual modifications: a crash bar running the length of the top (there’s a matching mini bar on the tail unit) and a side-mounted gas cap.

We asked Mooyong what his thinking was, and he said: “It’s not a ‘perfect’ design—we needed this bike to unique, We can add gas to around 75% capacity, enough for a relaxing ride (or racing). There is no problem with spillage or overflowing because there is rubber sealing as well, which we have tested.”

The paint is an ultra-classy pearl white and grey, with the saddle finished in a dark chocolate leather.

Right now, ‘Moose’ is destined to be a show bike, but Mooyong’s intention is to make it streetable too. And it wouldn’t take much to make a road-legal version.

With an 865cc S&S Big Bore Kit installed, we could see a market for a production version of this bike—a smaller, zippier version of the Indian FTR 1200, perhaps. Hopefully Royal Enfield’s product planners are thinking along the same lines—or, should we say, the same ovals.

Zeus Custom | Facebook | Instagram

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‘Twins FT’: A Royal Enfield x Harris flat tracker

Four years ago Eicher Motors, the owner of Royal Enfield, bought the famous British company Harris Performance. Since the 1970s, Harris has been building high-performance ‘specials,’ and the Hertfordshire firm had already developed the chassis for the Continental GT and Himalayan.

Harris has now gone back to its racing roots with this very intriguing prototype flat track racer based on the 650 twin engine.

It’s a collaboration with Royal Enfield’s technical center in Leicestershire, and although it’s essentially a custom project, we’re wondering if it could also herald the start of a flat track race program.

“Inside Royal Enfield, we like to have a bit of fun,” says RE’s industrial design boss Adrian Sellers. “So we’ve started working on ‘Factory’ builds, to push the limits of our motorcycles’ capabilities.”

“To date, these have included a record breaking Bonneville Salt Flats racer, two drag bikes, two retro racers and now this new ‘Twins FT’ flat tracker.”

The tracker is probably the most ambitious build yet. Harris has over 40 years of expertise in chassis development, but this is the first time they’ve built a flat track chassis.

The frame is brazed steel tube—an old-school technique applied to a thoroughly modern motorcycle. The steering stem angle can be altered two degrees each way, by using specially machined inserts that locate the stem bearings at a different angle within the headstock tube.

The yokes can be adjusted 4 mm forwards and backwards too, and the swingarm pivot height has 5 mm of adjustment both ways.

“These adjustments can be used to fine tune the chassis,” Adrian says, “altering the stability of the bike, how it turns in, and how it behaves under power.”

“As this is an exploration, Harris designed-in quite a wide scope for adjustment. As the chassis is developed with more testing, this adjustability could be decreased—to reduce costs and component size.”

All the other chassis parts have been developed specifically for this bike by Harris, including the front forks, which are 41mm right-side-ups running Öhlins 30mm valving.

They’re matched to a top-of-the-range Öhlins TTX36 shock, and the 19-inch wheels are RSD Traction race rims—CNC machined from forged billet aluminum. The tires are the ubiquitous Dunlop DTRs, and there’s obviously no front brake. The rear wheel is hooked up to a Brembo twin-piston setup.

The motor has been juiced up by S&S Cycle, who helped with development of the 650 twin. The American company has supplied the exhaust system, a 750cc big bore kit, and a custom ECU mapped to make the best of both upgrades.

It was the UK design team at Royal Enfield’s technical center who made the stylish carbon bodywork though, taking cues from existing flat track practices.

“As much as we wanted it to look good, we also wanted function to take precedence,” says Adrian. “So Harris made a working chassis first, and then our team designed a good-looking body based on that.”

The bodywork was modeled in 3D, and a negative mold was milled directly into high-density foam. The carbon has been laid up directly into that. Royal Enfield’s in-house modeler made the molds, and the carbon was laid up by Scorpion Composites and P3 Composites.

“Once you’ve designed a few motorcycles, you can visualize the final surface from the CAD,” says Adrian, “and be confident in outputting it directly—without going through a physical modeling step.”

The fuel tank is a separate aluminum vessel that sits below the body shell. “This allows us to change the volume of the tank in the future, without affecting the aesthetics.”

There’s some smart thinking going on here, and we reckon Royal Enfield have nailed the looks too. The bike has already been spotted running laps at a speedway track near RE’s British headquarters, and S&S could probably deliver a decent power output—given that they are heavily involved with Indian’s all-conquering FTR 750. But Adrian is coy about the competitive future.

“We’ve done a little testing to see if we’re in the right ball park, and we are, but not much more than that,” he tells us. “We’ll see how further testing goes, and take it from there. We wouldn’t want to go out unless we have something competitive, and racing is an all-new activity for us—so there is a lot of learning to be done.”

We’re even more excited about a potential roadgoing version, given RE’s known desire to expand the 650 line-up, but there’s no word on that.

Still, if you’re in Milan for the upcoming EICMA show, swing by the Royal Enfield stand to check out ‘Twins FT’ in the metal—it’s a must-see.

Royal Enfield | Facebook | Instagram | Harris Performance | Facebook | Instagram

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Custom Bikes Of The Week: 16 June, 2019

This week, we’ve got Ducati’s new Pikes Peak contender, an electric land speeder from the 70s, and a Harley-Davidson XR1000 from Mule. We also look at how S&S Cycle turned the FTR 1200 into a legit flat tracker, and how to improve the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled’s off-road ability. Buckle up!

Indian FTR 1200 Race Bikes by S&S Cycle If you’ve been wondering what it would take to convert the Indian FTR 1200 into a pukka racer, S&S Cycle has the answer. The Wisconsin company has just race-prepped a pair of FTRs for Hooligan class racing in the UK, and they look spectacular.

Each bike weighs 25 kg less than stock, because anything that makes the FTR street legal or practical has been cut out. There’s some serious geometry tweaking too; the swing arm is 25 mm shorter, and the head angle’s two degrees steeper, thanks to offset bearing cups and adjustable offset S&S triples.

Changing the head angle meant moving the oil cooler and a bunch of other things (lest they hit the front wheel). And the shorter swing arm meant the rear tire would hit the under-seat fuel tank—so a new, smaller aluminum tank was fabricated.

The parts list includes Roland Sands Design wheels, a Fox Racing rear shock, a new tail section and ProTaper handlebars. (Fun fact: the rear wheel has extra material in it to make it heavier, thereby mitigating rear wheel spin.) Then there’s the crown jewel: that incredible twin S&S exhaust system. [More]

Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled conversion by Earle Motors The Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled was one of last year’s big surprises. It was one of the first factory retro scramblers that actually came with a measure of off-road ability. But as Alex Earle proved with his ‘Alaskan‘ build, there was still room for improvement.

Now Alex has returned with a ‘Lite’ version of the Alaskan. It focuses on those components that improve the Desert Sled’s off-road prowess the most: bigger hoops. By switching from the stock 19F/17R wheel sizes to a 21F/18R setup, you get better handling in the loose stuff, and more choices in proper dirt-worthy tires.

The conversion hinges on a very special component—a set of swing arm extenders, specifically designed for the Scrambler by Alex. They add enough clearance to wedge an 18” wheel in there (or even a 19” unit, if you’re building a flat tracker). They also add 3” to the wheelbase, bringing it close to the length of the KTM 690 Enduro.

With the swing arm extenders in, you need to re-lace the stock Ducati hubs to bigger rims, fit a longer chain and bigger rear sprocket, mod the rear fender, et voila: fun times for days. As fans of the Desert Sled, this is one kit that’s just skyrocketed to the top of our Christmas lists. (And we’ll take that sweet Earle Motors space grey livery too, please.)

Mike Corbin’s Quicksilver Corbin Saddles is one of the world’s best-known motorcycle seat manufacturers—but did you know that its founder, Mike Corbin, also made electric motorcycles? In 1973, he became the first person in history to ride an all-electric motorcycle on the Bonneville salt flats. And in 1974, he debuted the ‘XLP-1’—one of the first street legal electric motorcycles on the market.

That was also the year that Mike returned to Bonneville for the second time, with a new electric landspeeder: ‘Quicksilver.’ He wanted to push electric tech further, and prove that electric bikes could be fast.

Quicksilver was built with a Honda CB750 front end, and the electric motors from Douglas A-4B fighter jets. Mike wanted to use silver-zinc batteries, so he partnered up with specialists in the field, Yardney Electric. But since he couldn’t afford the silver he needed to build the batteries, he ‘borrowed’ it from (and later returned most of it to) a naval shipyard.

Our friends at Iron & Air have the full story, but it includes gems like how he charged the batteries by clamping a sequence of jumper cables to the power source on a telephone pole outside his motel. And how tricky it was to get Quicksilver started without overdoing it. In the end, he set a speed of 165.397 mph—a new electric motorcycle record, that would take 38 years to top. [More]

Ducati Streetfighter V4 prototype Ducati have long been rumored to have a naked version of their groundbreaking Panigale V4 in the works, and now we’ve finally got a look at it. This is the Ducati Streetfighter V4 prototype, and it looks absolutely mental.

Ducati are pretty much calling it exactly what it looks like: a Panigale V4 without fairings. They haven’t revealed much in the way of technical details—but the Panigale V4’s Desmosedici Stradale power plant makes 214 hp and 124 Nm. So even if it’s a little down-tuned, it’s going to be beastly.

This guy also gets a very Kawasaki-esque headlight nacelle, and a set of aerodynamic wings. And those sharp graphics you see are actually a race livery. That’s right; this prototype’s first outing will be at the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Ducati are entering it into the Exhibition Powersport class, piloted by last year’s premium motorcycle class winner, Carlin Dunne.

It’s a ballsy move, but we’re betting it’ll pay off. Ducati say they’ll release the final production version of the Streetfighter V4 at EICMA this year, and that it’ll hit showrooms by March. If they don’t offer this paint scheme as a special edition color, we’re going to be mad.

Harley-Davidson XR1000 by Mule Motorcycles If you’re into performance-oriented customs, you’ll know Richard Pollock of Mule Motorcycles. He’s one of the best street tracker specialists in the world, and his creations don’t come cheap. They’re packed with high-end components, clever upgrades, and built using knowledge that takes a lifetime to gather.

Right now there’s a rare Mule-built Harley up for sale on eBay—an XR1000 so cool that it caught the eye of Cycle World’s Don Canet back in 2015. It’s based on a low-mileage 1984 XR1000, and after an accident, the owner decided to upgrade it to a whole new level.

Mule worked his magic with Triumph Thruxton forks and RaceTech internals, adjustable-offset billet triple-clamps, top-shelf Italian brakes, a custom rear frame and seat unit, and a Storz alloy fuel tank.

Other goodies include a ceramic-coated twin megaphone exhaust, stainless steel flat track handlebars, RaceTech adjustable rear shocks, and black wrinkle powdercoat on the engine covers.

If you want a dose of that Mule magic at a substantial discount and without the waiting list, head over to the eBay listing. It’s just over $13,000 at the time of writing—which qualifies as an absolute bargain.

[olivereliott]

Review: Riding the new Indian FTR 1200

For a brand that only relaunched five years ago, Indian Motorcycle is making some bold moves. The Scout FTR750 racebike has cleaned up in the flat track scene and Indian has now released a matching flat tracker for the street: the hotly anticipated FTR 1200.

When the FTR1200 Custom concept broke cover 18 months ago, everyone with a pulse and a love for two wheels went all giddy. And even though the production-ready FTR 1200 has been watered down by practical and regulatory considerations, it’s every bit as appealing.

It’s as if Indian have taken the classic ‘win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ approach—but that’s only half the story. The motorcycle industry is morphing, and Indian are looking to attract younger, hipper riders; riders that want a slice of Americana, but have no interest in cruisers or baggers. (And yes, they’re obviously riding the wave of flat track racing‘s popularity, too.)

It’s also no secret that the American cruiser market is struggling. But Indian has seen significant growth in Europe—so the FTR 1200 is a bid to appeal to a wider audience, and pitched directly at European motorcycles.

Does it succeed? Does the FTR 1200 look half as good in real life as it does in photos? And does it go as good as it looks? I headed to LA for a day of Californian canyon carving to find out.

Even when parked up, there’s a lot to like about the FTR 1200. It’s closer to a full-on flat tracker than any other production bike out there. Indian very wisely parked it next to their FTR750 racer at the launch, and the shared DNA is unmistakable.

The FTR comes in three flavors: The $13,499 base model (above), the S version at $15,499, and the ‘S Race Replica’ at $16,999. The S is the benchmark and comes in two colors (below right): the base model sacrifices a number of features and comes in plain black, while the Race Replica adds Akrapovič cans, race replica paint and a red frame (below left).

All three share the same chassis, and the same liquid-cooled, 1,203 cc 60-degree V-twin motor. Numbers are respectable; 123 hp at 8,250 rpm, and 120 Nm of torque at 5,900 rpm. Power is handled by a slip assist clutch, a six-speed transmission and chain drive.

The S models also get a TFT touchscreen display, traction control and three switchable riding modes: rain, standard and sport. And they have additional rider aids like stability and wheelie control. The base model has an analog clock, no traction control, and no riding modes. Its fueling is equivalent to ‘standard’ mode on the S bikes.

All three models share the same Sachs suspension; 43 mm inverted forks and a mono-shock, with 150 mm of travel front and back. Both ends are fully adjustable for preload, rebound and compression on the S models, but on the base model, you only get preload and rebound adjustment at the back. Nothing up front.

The ten-spoke alloy wheels are a perfect compromise between flat track style and day-to-day practicality: a 19” up front, with an 18” out back. (The 18” rear offers a wider tire selection than a 19” would.) They’re wrapped in Dunlop DT3Rs—road-ready versions of Dunlop’s popular DT3 dirt track tires, developed in collaboration with Indian for the FTR.

Rounding out the impressive parts spec are Brembo brakes, with twin 320 mm discs up front. ABS is standard on all models, but on the S it utilizes a six-axis IMU, and is switchable.

Everything’s packaged in a steel trellis frame, with an aluminum subframe. And it’s one hella clean package too. From the cable routing on the handlebars to a distinct lack of visible plugs and gadgets on either side of the motor, Indian’s design team went to great lengths to keep things as tidy as possible.

It’s quite a compact design too. The airbox sits right on top of the throttle bodies to improve airflow, with the 13-liter fuel tank dipping down under the seat. So the faux tank you see up top is really just a set of plastic covers, with a shape that mimics the FTR750’s tank flawlessly.

The FTR 1200 has a premium feel, right down to the paint. The base model’s black is a straight-up gloss black, but all three S bikes have a deep flake that’s just stunning when the sun hits it. And the Race Replica is a dead ringer for the race bike, with multi-colored flake in the black paint that’s downright hypnotic.

The FTR 1200 does stray a little from the look of the FTR1200 Custom prototype. But according to the Indian product team at the launch, this was unavoidable. That concept had a one-gallon fuel tank, no airbox, an uncomfortable seat, and a high exhaust that ran hot—making it impossible to homologate and sell.

Still, there’s a lot to love on the FTR 1200. The LED lights at both ends look great, especially the taillight, which even has a subtle Indian script logo in it. I don’t even hate the chunky dual exhausts—though I will say that the Akrapovič option looks miles better, and the catalytic convertor lurking under the bike is an eyesore.

But it’s only when you swing a leg over the FTR 1200 that you realize just how much thought went into its development. Indian has absolutely nailed the ergonomics. It starts with the beefy ProTaper handlebars: they have a flat track feel to them, but the measurements are more suited to street riding.

The foot pegs are ever so slightly back from mid, and titled a touch forward. Combined with the seat height and bar position, it makes for a rider triangle that hits the sweet spot between comfort and control. Oh, and the seat is remarkably cushy too—even for a full day of riding.

The cockpit area is a letdown though. The TFT display on the S models is hit and miss—it packs a lot of information into an easy-to-read package, but the display itself is a lot smaller than the physical enclosure, and the graphics aren’t particularly great.

On the positive side, the touchscreen works great, and the unit has a lot of functionality—like the ability to interface with your phone and Bluetooth comms. But it’s also tricky to navigate.

There are three buttons on the switchgear, and three buttons on the display itself—some of which do the same thing. Switching modes means hitting one button to flick the display to the next screen, then either using the touchscreen or the joystick (which is on the other side of the bars) to pick your mode. (Oh, and you can’t switch traction control and ABS off independently.)

To be honest, I far prefer the analog clock on the basic FTR. Plus, the actual handlebar switches are incredibly dinky too, and the grips look and feel cheap. Which is a downer when compared the level of finish everywhere else on the FTR.

Can you look past these niggles when you’re out on the road? Absolutely. Indian took us on a route that lead out of Santa Monica along the Pacific Coast Highway, and into the twisty hills above Malibu for some spirited canyon riding.

I spent most of my time on the S model, and it was bags of fun in the canyons—as soon as I got used to a couple of things. I applaud Indian for being brave enough to put street-legal flat track tires on the FTR, but it took me half of the day’s riding to get along with them.

I’m not sure if they just suck when they’re cold, or if I’m just not used to the way they behave, but there’s little to no feedback from the Dunlops. By lunchtime I’d figured them out, and realized I could push them a lot harder than I thought—and from a style perspective, they’re perfect.

The 19F/18R wheel combo is not as sharp as a set of 17s would be, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It just makes for a different ride characteristic. Its compactness also belies how heavy it is. At 222 kg dry the FTR 1200 is several kilos heavier than the BMW R nineT, which is 208 dry and 220 full fueled. It’s a lot heftier than it looks.

To put this into perspective with other roadsters with sporting pretensions, the Ducati Monster 1200 is a mere 185 kilos dry, and the Triumph Speed Twin is 196 kg.

Luckily the FTR 1200 carries its weight well, with the low fuel tank helping to centralize mass. But it does mean that you need to manhandle it—rather than simply flick it—through corners.

The spot-on ergonomics help muscle it from turn to turn, and once you’re pitched over, it holds its line like it’s on rails. With the right kind of riding style, and plenty of body English, the FTR’s capable of setting a fast pace.

Thanks to solid suspension and brakes, it doesn’t get bent out of shape too easily either. Those Brembos are sharp and predictable, and the suspension felt dialed out of the box, even on shoddier road surfaces. (With extra room for adjustment, expert riders should be able to fine-tune it to perfection too).

Twisting the throttle will remind you that you’re riding a chunky American V-twin. There’s a lot of torque, but the throttle’s snatchy—even more so when you switch it into ‘sport’ mode. The FTR 1200 gets enough power down to keep you entertained, but current emissions controls have it sounding a little bunged up (even with the optional Akrapovič units).

The slipper clutch is feather light, and shifts from the six-speed box are rock solid. I’ve been riding a lot of bikes with quick-shift systems lately, and immediately missed it on the FTR—but Indian’s people assured me it’s on their radar.

All in all, the FTR 1200 will give as much back as you’re willing to put in. Whack the throttle, trust the tires and throw your weight into it, and it’ll respond. Even the base model FTR is a hoot to ride, and might just be the ticket for riders that want a simpler bike, and don’t need to fuss with suspension settings.

The FTR’s biggest win though, is what it signals for Indian. It’s a far cry from a cruiser or a bagger, but doesn’t sacrifice one iota of the brand’s heritage. Think of it as American muscle, with a European twist.

As for customization, Indian have launched four accessory packs alongside the FTR 1200. But in my opinion, they add too much fluff to what is essentially a super-clean bike, as OEM offerings go. I reckon customers are more likely to pick and choose individual pieces (like the carbon fiber body panels in the ‘Sport’ kit).

I asked Indian’s VP of Industrial Design, Greg Brew, how much room for pukka custom work there is, and he reckons there’s a lot. He has a point too—at the end of the day, the FTR has good bones, and in the right hands we could see some exciting builds come out of the woodwork.

He also mentioned that they’d been playing with a few configurations in-house, but wouldn’t get into specifics. What’s clear though, is that the FTR hints at a whole new platform for Indian, rather than just a one-off.

It’s also carving out its own niche. Its closest competitors in capacity and price are the BMW R nineT, Triumph Speed Triple or Ducati Monster, but none of those are quite the same bike. And Harley-Davidson’s product line is woefully missing anything that could compete.

And that’s really the FTR 1200’s biggest selling point. There’s nothing else like it.

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Pricing US 1200: $13,499 | 1200 S: $15,499 | 1200 S RR: $16,999 EU 1200: €14,690| 1200 S: €15,990 | 1200 S RR: €17,290 UK 1200: £11,898 | 1200 S: £12,999 | 1200 S RR: £17,290

Wes’ gear Rough Crafts Revolator helmet | 100% Aircraft goggles | REV’IT! Stealth hoody | ICON 1000 Nightbreed gloves | Saint Unbreakable Stretch denims| ICON 1000 Varial boots

[olivereliott]

The biggest hits (and a miss) from EICMA 2018

In Europe, the motorcycle industry is in booming. Sales rose over 7% in the first half of 2018 compared to the previous year, and Germany was the standout country with a rise of over 10%.

Europe’s biggest motorcycle market by sheer volume is Italy though, with 130,000 bikes sold in six months. Fittingly, Italy is also home to the huge EICMA motorcycle show, which has been running in Milan for the past week.

There’s been a real buzz around this year’s show, with dozens of new model debuts and concepts. These are our favorites, plus a potential major dud—and it was a hard job to choose.

Arc Vector Arc is a company you’ve probably never heard of, and neither had we. It’s run by former Jaguar engineer Mark Truman, and after he left the British car maker, Jaguar ploughed a substantial amount of cash into his new startup.

This is the first product: the Vector, a sportbike that weighs 220 kilos and pumps out 133 bhp and 292 foot-pounds of torque. It hits 100 kph in around three seconds, and transmits its instrument data to a heads-up display in a matching helmet.

Top speed is 150 mph (241 km/h) and range is 362 miles of urban riding. Yes, range—this is an electric motorcycle, with the battery cell and motor encased in a carbon fiber shell, and the suspension attached to the outside.

It’s the most advanced electric bike we’ve seen, and is priced to match—£90,000, or around $115,000 in US money. Could this be the Tesla of the moto world? [More]

MV Agusta Superveloce 800 MV Agusta is on a roll. It’s just raised a hefty €40 million ($45 million) in funding, it has a new CEO in the shape of the Russian businessman Timur Sardarov, and it displayed a slew of upgrades and range extensions on its stand at EICMA.

The 205 hp Brutale 1000 Serie Oro looked good, but we’ll take the Superveloce 800 concept, thank you. Due to go on sale in the second half of 2019, it’s based on the F3 800 sportbike—but wraps the existing mechanicals in sublime carbon fiber bodywork.

There’s more than a hint of classic 1970s racer in the styling, with a yellow tinge to the Plexiglas acrylic windscreen and circular LED headlight, and a leather strap over the fuel tank.

The TFT instrument is throughly modern though, and there’s a clever new sub-frame that will allow owners to switch from a single- to dual-seat configuration. Place your orders now—we’re betting that the queue has already formed. [More]

Royal Enfield Concept KX Eighty years ago, Royal Enfield made an 1140cc V-twin called the KX. These days they’re better known for big-value singles and parallel twins, but the Indian company dropped a surprise at EICMA—an 838cc bobber tribute to the original KX.

Royal Enfield has said that the Concept KX is not a pre-production model. We reckon that’s a shame, because it would appeal to riders who find the Indian Scout and Triumph Bonneville bobbers a little on the large side. It would be amazing if the girder front end made it onto a road bike too.

Interestingly, the V-twin engine was developed in association with Polaris Industries, which owns the (American) Indian brand. Polaris is a partner of Eicher Motors, the parent company of Royal Enfield. Make of that what you will… [Video]

Kawasaki W800 Cafe When Kawasaki retired the slightly underwhelming W800 a couple of years ago, we thought that was the last we’d see of the W series—especially when attention shifted to the Z900RS.

But the W800 is now back. It looks much like the previous model, but has a new frame design, a small fairing, slightly beefier 41mm forks and 18-inch spoked wheels front and back. No power figures are available for the 773cc air-cooled parallel twin, but we can assume the engine will be in the same 47 hp ballpark as the previous model.

It all sounds fine on paper. But the MSRP will be $9,799 in the US, which pitches the W800 into direct competition with the upgraded 2019 Triumph Street Twin, as well as established retros such as the $1,300 cheaper Moto Guzzi V7 III Stone. And then there’s the new Royal Enfield Continental GT 650, which will be priced at just $5,999—a whopping $3,800 cheaper. The W800 could be dead in the water as soon as it goes on sale. [More]

Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 Aero Concept Husqvarna is pushing the styling boundaries like no other motorcycle manufacturer at the moment. The Vitpilen and Svartpilen ranges have established a new design aesthetic, and are great to ride as well: we’ve just put 800 kilometers on a Svartpilen 401 in a long term test for a magazine, and loved it.

The Svartpilen 701 production bike was revealed at EICMA, but the visual fireworks came from this 701 Aero concept. It’s a stark, single-cylinder sportbike with styling that looks both retro and futuristic, and like nothing else on the market.

The idea is to explore a new direction: what if 1970s sportbikes had evolved in a different way? We’re all familiar with current bodywork trends that can be traced back half a century, but those trends could easily have spun off into a different aesthetic. The Aero is exciting thinking, and we’re hoping that Husky gives this one the green light. [More]

Triumph Bonneville T120 Diamond Edition Next year will be the 60th anniversary of the T120, and Triumph has revealed a ‘Diamond Edition’ to celebrate. There’s nothing radical happening on the mechanical front, but this limited edition looks stunning—and would fool a casual observer into thinking it’s a genuine vintage machine.

Just 900 Diamond Editions will be built, all with a subtle white and silver Union flag paint scheme on the tank. Plus glossy chrome detailing, polished engine cases and a numbered certificate signed by Triumph CEO Nick Bloor.

Trainspotters will also note the four-bar Triumph badge, which appears on a Triumph for the first time since the 1950s Thunderbirds. But with 80 horsepower on tap, this is a thoroughly modern roadster that will leave many contemporary-looking machines for dead at the traffic lights. We’re sold. [More]

Honda CB125X and CB125M concepts Small capacity bikes are getting a lot of attention at the moment, and Honda has jumped onto the trend with two killer concepts from its European R&D studio.

The bikes are based on the new CB125R, which is the smallest variant to adopt Honda’s ‘Neo Sports Café’ look. We’re not particularly sold on that look, but we love the style of these two mini bikes.

Honda categorizes the CB125M (above) as a supermoto, hence the 17” Marchesini forged aluminum wheels, slick tires and stubby SC Project exhaust. Unlike most sub-250cc road bikes, it looks sharp and balanced.

The CB125X (below) is supposedly an adventure tourer; in reality it’s more of a fun little dual sport that can handle fire trails as well as city streets. Visually, it fits into the aesthetic established by the big-selling Africa Twin, but the white finish of the prototype gives it an air of Scandinavian minimalism. [More]

There were plenty of other beautiful machines on display at EICMA, including several Indian FTR 1200s with different accessory packs, a productionized version of Harley’s LiveWire electric motorcycle, and an updated Diavel from Ducati.

Where would you spend your own hard-earned cash? Or lottery winnings?