Indian might still be a newcomer to water-cooled engines but hot on the heels of its 1131cc and 983cc Scouts, the firm has revealed a completely new 750cc liquid-cooled motor.
At the moment, the FTR750 V-twin is a competition-only engine, due to make its debut in an AMA flat track racebike later this year.
Ringing bells? The engine’s unveiling comes just weeks after Harley-Davidson revealed its own race-only 750cc, water-cooled flat-tracker, the XG750R. But while the Harley is derived from the road-going Street 750 production bike, the Indian engine is completely new.
Developed in Switzerland by Swissauto – the engine specialist that developed the old MZ V4 500cc GP bikes and has been owned by Indian’s parent firm, Polaris, since 2010 – the motor already makes 81kW at 10,000rpm, and it’s still early in its development.
Its narrow 53-degree V-angle makes it a compact proposition, and thanks to AMA flat track rules it uses no exotic materials in its construction. With an 88mm bore and 61.5mm stroke, it can rev to 11,400rpm, with the potential for more.
Like H-D, the official line is it’s only for racing, but we suspect the motor will form the basis of future production engines for both Indian and its sportier sister firm Victory.
By Ben Purvis