Honda goes electric?sort of?and Indian launches a limited edition FTR to celebrate its flat track successes. We also take a look at a Vincent-powered beauty from the French artisans at Godet Motorcycles, and have news of The Quail Motorcycle Gathering?

Indian FTR Championship Edition It?s not often you get the chance to compare dozens of motorcycles side-by-side. But a few weeks ago I was in one of New Zealand?s largest showrooms, with new models from several brands displayed alongside a dizzying array of secondhand machines.

It was an illuminating exercise. Some of my preconceptions were confirmed, and many others were thoroughly debunked. But the machine I kept returning to was the Indian FTR 1200.
It just looked ?right,? with great stance and style, good paint and build quality, and none of the bloat that seems to afflict most American V-twins.
It?s now three years since the FTR 1200 was launched, so Indian has juiced things up with a new ?Championship Edition.? It?s a tribute to the all-conquering FTR750 flat track racer, and the cost is $16,499.
The mods go further than just a snazzy paint job, because the CE uses a mix of parts from the other four FTR models. The suspension is ZF Sachs, fully adjustable and with 150mm of travel front and rear. That?s the same as the FTR Rally model, and 30mm more than the Öhlins kit on the FTR Carbon.

The Championship Edition also gets the touchscreen and electronics from the existing S and R Carbon models, red frame ...