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. [...