Harley Davidson XR1200

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HYPERR · #1 Unread post by **HYPERR** » Wed May 28, 2008 3:46 am

Anyone heard any news of whether this bike is ever be going to be produced? I first heard about it 2 years ago and I haven't really heard anything about it lately. Did Harley ax the project?

I think it is one great looking bike and something I would be very interested in.

http://www.cycleworld.com/article.asp?s ... cle_id=223

ro7939 · #2 Unread post by **ro7939** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 11:25 am

'08 XR1200 for sale now; move to Europe & buy one!

I owned Buell's HiPo version of the Sportster motor...personally I think it badly needs a 6th gear for freeway droning. Also, of course, H-D A/C motors shake like a bag of jumping beans at idle & low RPM. A friend/AMA pro flat-track race-bike builder says anything shaking that much will break apart before it gets high miles. Even if longevity is not a priority (low annual mileage), the 5-speed limitations are always present at higher speeds. Personally I suspect H-D maintains the Sportster's 5-spd limitation as a "marketing tool" to convince Sportster owners to trade up to the 96ci motor.

Beyond that, obviously the XR1200 looks el special, yes? I've been dreaming about the new for '08 FXDF Dyna (best handling) Fat Bob, which has the 6spd 96ci motor & a drool-inducing bad-boy late-'60s muscle car look (one drawback though is that it looks FAR better on the right/dual-exhanust side vs. the naked transmission side). Denim (flat) black looks fantastic. But $15k is ouchy! Plus it's still a 700+ lb curb wt pig w/ el crapo handling & no cornering clearance compared to what I'm used to. Finally, there's something stuffy about H-D; meaning I have the suspicion people may think the rider's a dummy for spening so much for so little performance.

Am I beginning to sound a bit picky? That's what happens when you're age 53 & have owned about 65 bikes.

My 2c.

HYPERR · #3 Unread post by **HYPERR** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 9:04 am

ro7939 wrote:
Am I beginning to sound a bit picky? That's what happens when you're age 53 & have owned about 65 bikes.

My 2c.

No your opinion is certainly valid; probably more so than mine as your experience seems quite vast.

I was not aware that it was finally released in Europe. Is is selling well? Any plans to release it in the US?

ro7939 · #4 Unread post by **ro7939** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 3:03 pm

Have not heard or read about sales numbers. I suppose a European could report on the supply at H-D dealers.

H-D keeps well hidden their future plans till they are publicly announced. (Actually, just talked to a dealer a couple days ago & H-D will be releasing info on some '09 models in a couple weeks.)

I imagine such plans are only known by employees having a specific "need to know" as they say in business; also employees w/ access to such information have signed legal forms that would lead to their almost immediate & complete, catastrophic financial ruination & possibly even criminal charges if they leaked the information out prematurely. (Can you imagine the H-D lawyers the employee would be up against?) In other words H-D would consider it an illegal disclosure of a trade secret.

I've dreamt about the HyperMotard...a friend says his friend has owned street legal real race bikes & says its the best handling bike he's ever ridden on the street. Did you test ride the S version? If yes, what is your opinion about value for the extra money?

HYPERR · #5 Unread post by **HYPERR** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 7:58 am

ro7939 wrote:
I've dreamt about the HyperMotard...a friend says his friend has owned street legal real race bikes & says its the best handling bike he's ever ridden on the street. Did you test ride the S version? If yes, what is your opinion about value for the extra money?

Yes the Hyper handles amazingly well. I always thought no street bike could handle as well as my CBR. I cannot decide which handles better between the CBR or the Hyper. The CBR deifinitely seems more stable but has less feedback than the Hyper. The Hyper is actually not hyper at all and it is actually quite forgiving. You can correct your lines without much drama. You can trail brake sooo smoothly too. It's not as stable as the CBR but has better feedback. Plus the torque is so much more broad on the Hyper, you can be in the "wrong" gear yet corner pretty fast. The CBR, you have to be in the "right" gear but when you are, it is definitely faster than the Hyper.

I never test rode the S. The Ohlin shocks and the lighter forged wheels are very nice but the carbon pieces look cheap and the coated forks do nothing IMO. This is not a track bike and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to justify the $2,500 difference for the Ohlin and the forged wheels. I think if it was going to be a track bike, I think it's worth the $2,500 for the Ohlin and the forged wheels but IMO for the street the regular one is sufficient....unless you are Ruben Xaus.

ro7939 · #6 Unread post by **ro7939** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 8:31 am

Wow! What an analysis! Megathanks! Every word you wrote makes perfect sense, esp the comparisons between the Hyper & the CBR. Ducati's best handling bikes definitely seem to have the reputation for supreme rider feel for exactly what the tire contact patch is doing on the riding surface.

Maybe there is a HyperMotard in my future after all. Considering my current riding trends I could probably live w/ the 100mi fuel range.

HYPERR · #7 Unread post by **HYPERR** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 2:20 pm

ro7939 wrote:Wow! What an analysis! Megathanks! Every word you wrote makes perfect sense, esp the comparisons between the Hyper & the CBR. Ducati's best handling bikes definitely seem to have the reputation for supreme rider feel for exactly what the tire contact patch is doing on the riding surface.

Maybe there is a HyperMotard in my future after all. Considering my current riding trends I could probably live w/ the 100mi fuel range.

As you know, the Hyper has a very strange riding position. It almost feels like you are sitting on top of the front wheel. A lot of people have likened it to riding a unicycle. It's totally bizarre at first but you get used to it very quickly and once you do, it feels so right.

I think on a very tight curvy road, the Hyper is definitely better. On a high speed sweeper, I originally thought the CBR may be better....but not totally sure now. On one of my favorite high speed decreasing radius sweeper, the CBR holds it like it's on rails. It feels so solidly planted. However, it feels somewhat vague in certain ways in terms of feedback. The Hyper on the other hand, does not feels as well planted but I get better feedback on what the tires are doing.
Also on the Hyper I have to totally concentrate on looking ahead exactly to where I want to go in the turn. Just a split mili-second shift in the eye could upset the Hyper where the CBR would maintain the turn like nothing had happened. This also means that with the Hyper, looks where you want to go and you are pretty much there. Don't get me wrong, like I said before, the Hyper is not really as hyper as the name would indicate; and is quite forgiving in certain ways.

I forgot to mention another upgrade you get with the S model is the ultra sticky Pirelli Diablo Corsa III rather than the Bridgestone Battlaxes. I am quite surprised at how much I like the Battlaxes however.

As far as the range goes, I think the guys that are getting <100miles have the full system Termis. The Termis seem to really kill the mileage.

The air cooled 2V 1100 engine may be the perfect "motorcycle" engine. It has tons of charisma, very smooth with just the right amount of lumpiness and sounds totally awesome. Off the chart grin factor.

And talk about torque! Wheeliles at your command! It's tuned for less horsepower than the 1000cc engine but more torque and the torque curve is absolutely delicious! It is also smoother than the 1000cc engine too.

Go for it as your 66th bike. You will not regret it.