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

nhgunnut · 06-15-2010, 10:29 AM

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!

smileyman · 06-15-2010, 10:40 AM

Actually the engine runs quite well for a design out of the early 1900s. To say it felt bad by 1970 standards is a compliment...

Homeslice · 06-15-2010, 12:43 PM

Dude you need one of those new Norton Commanders

MILK · 06-15-2010, 12:50 PM

SURPRISE!

nhgunnut · 06-15-2010, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Homeslice

Dude you need one of those new Norton Commanders

At 18k for a Commando it seems unlikely. I really wanted to like the XR but HD crippled it , so maybe I am back to building something from scratch.

marko138 · 06-15-2010, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nhgunnut

At 18k for a Commando it seems unlikely. I really wanted to like the XR but HD crippled it , so maybe I am back to building something from scratch.

Get a Buell Lightning and be done with it.

tached1000rr · 06-15-2010, 03:09 PM

I've wanted to test ride a HD XR 1200 just because...

Cutty72 · 06-15-2010, 04:33 PM

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

bastards.

marko138 · 06-15-2010, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cutty72

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

bastards.

True story.

Phenix_Rider · 06-15-2010, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cutty72

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

bastards.

Wow- look up bad grammar in the dictionary

The Commando at least has full Ohlins and Brembo. And looks like a two wheeled goddess

06-15-2010, 10:29 AM	#1
nhgunnut gun totin redneck Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South West New Hampshire Moto: turbo busa 999 Duc Goldwing & Victory Posts: 1,130	HD XR1200 (HD lovers you may want to skip this) 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! __________________ Evolution requires a body count, Count or be Counted!

06-15-2010, 10:40 AM	#2
smileyman White Trash Hero Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: NW Arkansas Moto: Buell 1125R Porco Rosso Edition Posts: 4,895	Actually the engine runs quite well for a design out of the early 1900s. To say it felt bad by 1970 standards is a compliment... __________________ Arkriders.com To be the best you must first be willing to risk the worst!

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06-15-2010, 12:43 PM	#3
Homeslice Elitist Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: SF Bay Area Moto: Gix 750 Posts: 11,351	Dude you need one of those new Norton Commanders

06-15-2010, 12:50 PM	#4
MILK The cows want you dead. Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 2,087	SURPRISE!

06-15-2010, 03:09 PM	#7
tached1000rr WERA White Plate Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: NC Moto: 2009 GSXR 1300 Posts: 2,448	I've wanted to test ride a HD XR 1200 just because...