HD XR1200 (HD lovers you may want to skip this)

[Amber Lamps]

Have you considered the Streetrod? it's the only Harley I'd buy.

[marko138]

Originally Posted by Amber Lamps

Have you considered the Streetrod? it's the only Harley I'd buy.

Lies. You'd never buy a Harley.

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by marko138

Lies. You'd never buy a Harley.

I've already owned 3 there youngster!

[marko138]

Originally Posted by Amber Lamps

I've already owned 3 there youngster!

Ok, pops. Whens the purchase going down? I'll be there.

[Uma]

Originally Posted by nhgunnut

Ok so like I said in my other Post sometimes I have Too Much free time. So yesterday morning after riding my 05 Busa over for inspection then spending between 90 minutes and 2 hours test riding the New VFR. I was leaving Keene Motorsports when it occurred to me Monadnock Harley Davidson has had their "Come in and Arrange Test Ride sign up. Some of you who know me know that one of my goals is to build a 70's era Cafe Style bike. I have been intrigued by the HD XR1200 since it came here to the states. It looks almost like an out of the box Cafe (squint a little and imagine it with a set of clip ons and a Quarter Faring ) I thought the worse they can say is NO and hell I am twice divorced and married for a third time NO is an answer I am used to!
So I stopped, first the Dealership.
I knew that it had changed hands, and what a positive change! Attentive polite staff who payed attention, knowledgeable enough to to hold l a conversation and smart enough to say "I don't know , let me find someone who does."
Sure enough they had a Used XR 1200 they would be happy to let me ride.
If HD is your thing these seem like very nice people to do business with.
The Bike
So after copying my licence, they rolled out a orange 09 with 7k on the odometer around. The bike sounded great, I got the walk around from Candy the sales person, and it was time to throw my leg over. OK , so with the bike stationary and the engine off, I got my first surprise, when I leaned it side to side and the kick stand popped up. It has a European style stand that when pressure come of the stand it snaps up. (I am glad I found this out this way not later by some ugly surprise)
Ergo's
All I can say is holy 1975! Great upright seating pegs put your feet slightly ahead of your hips but none the feet way out in front of you that pounds my back so badly Instrumentation is minimal a analog style tack and and digital speedometer. Bars a bit wider than necessary but not overly so. All the controls are easily reached and right where 35 year old muscle memories tell me they should be. I love the feel of the bike and I am excited.
The ride
So I fire her up and right away even though the engine is rubber mounted the vibrations tells you its a Harley. Rolling out of the driveway i get a hint of what is to come (don't shoot me HD guys) Disappointment . It feels slow coming out of the driveway. I think Ok you rode a Busa over and you have been playing with with a VFR give yourself a few minutes to get acclimated. Riding down route 12 the vibration becomes a bit more noticeable but not unpleasant. Running the bike up through the gears I experience the few seconds of sweet spot the engine offers then it is gone slumping back into an anemic lope that made the Honda CB 750 the bike of choice in the 70's.
The ride it self is great no wallowing or diving it corners very well and suspension eats up the bumps with out leaving you feeling numb. The brakes are good and solid (far superior to anything we had in the 70's this has the potential to be a very fun bike except they have crippled it with the motor. As I rode along I kept thinking. How hard would it have been to plop a Buell engine and tranny on to this thing? Give us a bike worth buying! I so wanted to like this bike and up until I turned the throttle I loved it. after about 40 minutes I rode it back to the dealer and apologized for having wasted their time. As I was leaving the tech was there about to pull it around to the back and I asked out of curiosity who much rear wheel horse power it has and he said "I think it is rated at like 80hp way more then any other Sportster!" I thought "geese kid you might want to keep that a secret" When he asked how I liked it I told him with a smile, I loved the ride but it needed the engine from a V Rod to make it a motorcycle. He chuckled.
I So wanted to like this bike!

I'm a HD lover but not all HDs are created equal. I'm not a bike genius like hubby, but I'm not a total moron either. Lol. If ur looking for speed, and what I think is a hot bike, try test riding a night rod. Hubby test rode both and I think there's a link on here somewhere he could send to u if you're interested.

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by marko138

Ok, pops. Whens the purchase going down? I'll be there.

I'm just saying that I've owned Harleys previously, that's all. heck, if it would get you out of Pa, I might consider it for that reason alone.

[Homeslice]

Originally Posted by Cutty72

To put a Buell engine in it, they would have first have to not have axed Buell.

Put a Rotax engine in it.

[goof2]

Have you tried a Triumph Thruxton? You do give up some power (though I wonder how much is truly lost) but you get at least a similar reduction in weight over the XR1200. The Triumph parallel twin may be a bit more interesting as well. It certainly looks the cafe racer part straight from the factory.

[nhgunnut]

Originally Posted by Uma

I'm a HD lover but not all HDs are created equal. I'm not a bike genius like hubby, but I'm not a total moron either. Lol. If ur looking for speed, and what I think is a hot bike, try test riding a night rod. Hubby test rode both and I think there's a link on here somewhere he could send to u if you're interested.

Like I said what drew me to the XR1200 is my desire for a 70's style Cafe.The XR1200 is 2/3rd s of the way to what I want. Love the style. Speed isn't my goal I have two bikes already that will easily spank most of what is out there. Original idea was to user either a CB 750 ( I have a 77 750 Supersport that was just to good to cut up and sold it to a collector.) I would also love to to do a Triumph style machine.
The V Rod and its derivatives are are now probably the only HD I would ever consider . Again I loved the style , suspension and brakes of the XR1200, I was just shocked that in the 21st Century poor a drive train they (with all the better choices they have) put on to what could be a a great crossover bike. Its a shame too.

[marko138]

Tigs...I'll meet ya in VA. Name the day.