[uwgdrb]

Love the looks and really like my local dealer. I would be trading a Ducati Supersport in. That being said I am not a huge naked bike fan. Does the mid windscreen make a large difference.
Just for reference I am 5’11”. How tall you are should be part of all screen discussions.
Is the most recent Indian remap good or do I need to go external? What are the major advantages to the external maps?
I have to be honest, I have test ridden the bike and I really hate the stock tires. IMHO it’s a major reason these have not sold. I do not want to change wheel diameters. Has anybody put on the Pirelli Scorpion Trails? Did you notice a major change?

Thanks for your input in advance.


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[Dieseldoc]

Am running the mid size windshield and just put on the Scorpion Trail II tires.I’m6’2” and the windshield blocks the windblast to the chest but my head is in the wind.Haven’t noticed any buffeting to my helmet,just steady wind.Just got the Pirelli’s on yesterday and have only done about 100 mi but they feel more planted when I take short curved on and off ramps.May find out more next wknd when I go down to NoVa and get in some good hills.

 

[R. Warshawsky]

I am 6' even, and no windshield. Don't feel it needs one. Will switch to Pirelli tyres when needed. Indian re-mapping only with Remus slip-ons.

 

[Scarecrow]

Can’t answer any of your questions about the windshield or the tires. I just bought mine last Thursday, but I can say they are a blast to ride imo.

 

[rikosintie]

Here is a thread that discusses several tire options
Alternative to stock tire

I went with Dunlop Road Smart III touring tires because I do a lot of commuting.

I can't say enough good about the FTR. I picked mine up on 6/22 last year and have almost 8500 miles on it. Smooth, fast, stops well, wheelies well, handles great.

 

[SlowBoB]

The holdup for me is tank size, Not expandable.
Everything else is a wear item or personal preference.
Let us know how you go.

 

[R. Warshawsky]

Here is a thread that discusses several tire options
Alternative to stock tire

I went with Dunlop Road Smart III touring tires because I do a lot of commuting.

I can't say enough good about the FTR. I picked mine up on 6/22 last year and have almost 8500 miles on it. Smooth, fast, stops well, wheelies well, handles great.

What size rear tyre?

 

[murr2k]

Love the looks and really like my local dealer. I would be trading a Ducati Supersport in. That being said I am not a huge naked bike fan. Does the mid windscreen make a large difference.
Just for reference I am 5’11”. How tall you are should be part of all screen discussions.
Is the most recent Indian remap good or do I need to go external? What are the major advantages to the external maps?
I have to be honest, I have test ridden the bike and I really hate the stock tires. IMHO it’s a major reason these have not sold. I do not want to change when diameters. Has anybody put on the Pirelli Scorpion Trails? Did you notice a major change?

Thanks for your input in advance.


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1. I've been running the mid windscreen for 7 months. Didn't realize how horrible it was until I removed it! For me, it caused so much buffeting and wind noise in my helmet at highway speed, and I had to physically fight the crosswinds so hard. I replaced it with the small windscreen so that at least the back of my TFT is protected. Much better, especially on the highway, and it looks cool!
2. If you are NOT using an external (aftermarket) tune, then the new ECU update from Indian is a modest improvement over the old one. It stalls less during warmup, but the exhuast gas temp is still very high (as it needs to be to make the catalytic converter work) and the fuel-cutoff when you roll off the throttle is still pronounced (as it has to be, to satisfy fuel efficiency requirements). But, if you ARE using an aftermarket tune, then DO NOT get the Indian ECU update just yet! Please wait because there are some quirks introduced by Indian's new tune that have confounded the aftermarket tuner's efforts. Something about "axis" errors. With feedback from the aftermarket tuners, Dynojet will be working to compensate for these changes, but I understand it may take some weeks to get things back on track.
   
   The major advantages of an aftermarket tune are
   1. No stalling during warmup, and no stalling when sitting at idle after warmup
   2. Same engine temperature (about 79C) , but cooler exhuast temp, so less pipe discoloration. Unfortunately many pollutants will now flow thru the cat without being catalyzed because it's not being made hot enough to work fully. But some people just remove their cat altogether and replace it with a pipe, so /shrug.
   3. Far reduced see-saw RPMs. The ride is much smoother instead of like riding a swing.
   4. No fuel cut-off when rolling off the throttle. Makes shifting a bit slower, but much smoother.
   5. No surging. The engine used to give me a kick in the ass whenever it thought it was about to stall. Horrible effect while cornering.
   
   I use my FTR for Moto Gymkhana, so low rpm performance is important for me and that's why an aftermarket tune for me is mandatory. Others like to flat track race, or cruise the highway, or do other stuff, so their needs may be different.
   
   If you have installed a different muffler, and especially if you have replaced your cat with a pipe, then of course you will need an aftermarket tune to compensate for the change in engine dynamics, otherwise you won't enjoy the performance.
   
   
3. Pirelli Scorpion Trail II will be my next tire when it's time to change the factory DTR3's. Indian used an odd size combination, so choices are limited if you want a matched set of tires in the original size. The DTR3's are extremely squirrely on grooved highway! Otherwise I have liked them just fine. I have been using them to practice Moto Gymkhana, and they haven't let me down on the dry or in the wet. But like the mid windshield, I will probably notice a huge improvement when they are gone! Also, those Pirellis are available from fortnine.ca in Canada so that is a good shipping advantage for me.

 

[uwgdrb]

Another question, I saw one review where it said the bike runs hot. Is this true? I know vtwins generate heat but they said this was unusual. May have been during the break in period.


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[murr2k]

Another question, I saw one review where it said the bike runs hot. Is this true? I know vtwins generate heat but they said this was unusual. May have been during the break in period.

This is my opinion: Water temperature no (about 79C while moving) but exhaust temperature yes, however no hotter that any other bike in this regard. Manufacturers purposely run the fuel mixture lean to make the exhuast gas hot enough to more fully activate the catalytic converter, which in turn reduces unwanted emissions low enough to meet standards. This lean mixture causes cold stalling and other performance issues. It's a tradeoff required to meet emissions standards. Every bike I've seen has these same issues for the same reason. Nothing to do with a break-in period

 

[Hatt]

Another question, I saw one review where it said the bike runs hot. Is this true? I know vtwins generate heat but they said this was unusual. May have been during the break in period.


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It's a bit warmer than others. But I don't find it "hot"..

 

[Max Kool]

The engine actually stays pretty cool (by shedding a lot of heat!)

 

[murr2k]

I do notice that while standing still and idling, water temperature will eventually climb to about 97C, at which point the radiator fan turns on. This is what blows hot air on my leg. I feel that a little bit. and I feel some radiant heat from the engine, but never enough to bother me. I always wear riding pants so it's never an issue.

Some people have added heat shielding under their seat. That won't help with radiant heat, because there is none, as the seat is shielded from radiant heat from the engine by the fuel tank, which is sandwiched between the seat and the engine. What people may be feeling while not moving is convective heat... hot air that rises and transports heat from the engine/exhaust manifold and blowback from the radiator fan, which collects under the seat, or maybe blows on the leg.

 

[rikosintie]

I live in the Southern California desert. I picked mine up on 6/22/19 and rode it almost every day through November. It was 105+ on several occasions. As has been stated, it ran about 175f while moving and about 205 while stopped in traffic. It never got any hotter than that.

At 100f+ ambient temp, it does warm your legs a bit but I didn't see it as a serious problem. I thought there was more heat coming off the rear cylinder head on the left side than the pipes on the right but I can't swear to it now since it's been pretty cool for CA this spring. I think @murr2k is right and it was heat from the radiator fan at a stop.

I rode it while working nights in November and it was nice on the 39f rides home to have a little heat. Too bad there is no way to route it up to my hands!

I say buy it! If you like the torque and sound of a twin you won't have any regrets.

 

[rikosintie]

What size rear tyre?

It's 160/60-ZR18.

I was at the Chaparral Motorsports sidewalk sale in October and they had them for $40.00 each. I didn't have time to do much research but for that price, I bought 3 of them. These are the Road Smart IIs, so they were on blow out pricing. I have about 4500 miles on it so far and really like it.

I have had it break loose a few times but that was 1 block from my house on cold mornings making a 90° right turn from a light and grabbing a handful. Other than that, they have stuck pretty well. I'm no @Max Kool or @C. Dolan for sure, you won't see scrap marks on my header, but there isn't a chicken strip on it.

I did check the tach just for you yesterday, but CRS has kicked in and I cannot remember. I think it was 4500 at an indicated 70 mph. If I remember correctly, the GPS vs Indicated that Max posted match my testing.

I don't have any onsite jobs lined up this week so I'm not commuting but I will try to make a run after work tomorrow and get the tach readings.

 

[reinie]

Those coolant temperatures are about the same as my Scout which I would expect. Exhaust routing & location probably is a lot of the reason heat is more noticeable.

 

[Hatt]

Those coolant temperatures are about the same as my Scout which I would expect. Exhaust routing & location probably is a lot of the reason heat is more noticeable.

The scouts engine is more forward of the seat than the FTR as well.

 

[rikosintie]

I did check the tach just for you yesterday, but CRS has kicked in and I cannot remember.

@R. Warshawsky
Ok, at 70 indicated,
GPS 66
Tach (The round display) 4125. Centered between 4000 and the first mark.

 

[R. Warshawsky]

@R. Warshawsky
Ok, at 70 indicated,
GPS 66
Tach (The round display) 4125. Centered between 4000 and the first mark.

Well done, thanx.

 

[Wmurphy]

I'm running the low wind deflector and it makes a huge difference. Without it, the wind wants to pull you off the bike at highway speeds. I don't get a lot of buffeting on my helmet, but it is definitely in the wind. Feels like a smooth flow coming off the deflector.
I'm also running Bridgestone T31 tires now and I love them! The stock tires were better than I expected, but didn't last long (about 4500 miles on the rear). Now when I go around a corner, the bike feels much more planted on the road than it did before.
Since I'm a bit late to the discussion, I won't rehash everything that has been said here before. I will say that for my $0.02 buy the bike, drop the cat & get an aftermarket exhaust (I run S&S), swap the tires out to a sport touring set, and get the aftermarket tune. Then just get out and ride! The bike is an absolute blast!