Harley-Davidson XR1200 2009, I have ridden sportbikes for 26 years, and finally, here's a Harley I could be interested in. Though I would never have been caught dead riding a cruiser (except for the odd bike swap with my friends) because they're woefully underpowered, way too heavy, slow, and ill-handling and braking, I have always liked the look of the XR 750's. And what's with that friggin' primary tumor on the left side of the big twins?!?! So, for HD to finally come out with a bike that, while not exactly a powerhouse, seems to be powerful enough to be entertaining, and handle pretty well, and look great, hats off to them. As I said, this is the only one I'd ever consider as a second bike just for a less frantic pace. I'd take the black and orange. You can keep the ego, bad attitude, clothing and accessories, and "lifestyle" thank you. And as far as the suggestion of using the Porsche-Rod motor....Ugh! Even though it's true it's more powerful, the XR 750 theme is far more faithfully executed using a more stylistically correct sporty motor. HD's only gaff is releasing "our" bike to the Euro's first. Overall, 2 thumbs up!
Coming from a different perspective - i tried the XR1200 and came away quite impressed. Strangely - although i dont think the bike is particularly eye-catching, it certainly got some rubber-necking as i moved through town. Its too quiet of course, but seems to have presence. The handling is fair - the back-end is a little squishy when pushing hard, and didnt enjoy road irregularities when cranked right over at speed. The brakes were fine. A most surprising thing - i found the riding position cramped and uncomfortable. The pegs are oddly placed... cramped for me. I admit however that i am 6ft4' but i was expecting a relaxed position. Power - dont think its anywhere near 90 HP. Will have to see what the independent dyno's indicate. But then - it may be the delivery that masks the grunt - after all, the engine is simply massive, and this must translate to the internals and their resultant inertia too! Concern - is this thing not too close in nature to a Buell? In a sense - a retro Buell? That would be strange wouldnt it?! I mean - Buell being a futuristic interpretation of HD, and the XR being a retrospective return from Buell back to HD. Price is good. I personally would like to see at least 90 HP on the rear wheel - but not gonna happen with air-cooling? In summary - it has Honda RC51 and KTM 990 Adventure S bike fanatic (in his early 30's) scratching his head! A Buell fan confused! I would consider one - and i find that confusing. Now thats what i call good marketing analysis, and niche filling. Neil Durban, Republic of South Africa (the land of Mandela).
