Either nobody has ponied up $100,000 for two bikes or buying FTR750s is like getting Honda kit parts; they are nominally for sale but no one can buy them.
HD is starting from a different place. The Indian is a clean sheet design with no relation whatsoever to a production engine. HD's XG is at least based on the Street 750. Development hasn't stopped. HD and V&H might still get there. My concern is whether Indian is in it for the long haul. Will they throw big bucks at a bike and star riders, dominate for season and then bail like so many MLB team owners have done to win a World Series? Will KTM, Triumph, BMW or Ducati even consider getting into the twins class with a production-based package while the Indians are so far ahead of everyone else? Will Yamaha finally come through and spend real money on the very promising FZ-07? Michael Lock and AFT claimed making the top class Twins-only would attract Euro brands and maybe the Japanese.
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Had a good time at the Mile. All the Singles races were good. The Indians seemed to be sandbagging in the heats. Coolbeth even stayed close to the front in his heat. Come the Semis and Main, the Indians were in a different class. Halbert was several seconds back. Even Zanotti's Kawasaki (with some help from Bill Werner) couldn't see the front. Spectacular racing between Mees, Baker and Smith. Goosebumps watching them enter Turn 1 every lap of the Main. Was really pulling for an upset by Baker but Smith knows every trick in the book for Miles.
The FTRs and XGRs are beautifully turned out bikes. So much attention to detail and build quality is way, way above even very well built privateer bikes. Cool to see and I appreciate the work put into the bikes and the teams.
Finally, AFT announced they would enforce a long winked at sound limit after Round 3. They huge mufflers some of the teams (including Mees's Rogers Racing FTR) are hideous. Ugh.
