The 2009 Harley Davidson XR1200 motorcycle is bringing a whole new style to the Sportster family by departing from the sport cruiser look. Its styling is based on the race-built XR750 designed for flat track and street performance. The result is a motorcycle that has the form of a sports bike with the heart of a Harley Davidson.
Drivetrain
The similarities between the XR1200 and the Sportster 1200 Custom begin and end with its engine. Both motorcycles are powered by an air cooled 73.4 cubic inch Evolution engine while the 1200 Custom boasts more torque with 79 lb-ft compared to the 73.8 lb-ft made by the XR1200. The big difference in the two engines is in horsepower. Although Harley doesn't publish horsepower numbers for many of their bikes, the XR1200 generates an advertised 90 horsepower. In comparison, the Sportster 1200 Custom typically measures in the low 70-75 horsepower range. The difference in power is due to the addition of a larger air box, downdraft fuel injection, and a higher flowing exhaust system along with an increased compression ratio.
Harley decided to give both the XR1200 and the Sportster 1200 Custom models a 5-speed transmission and a chain drive but upgraded the XR1200 with a more aggressive drive ratio to go along with a lower gear set in the transmission to increase acceleration. The result is that the XR1200 is quicker bike overall but comes with the trade off of having lower fuel economy than the Sportster 1200 Custom.
Suspension and Braking
The 2009 XR1200 and the 2009 Sportster 1200 Custom use a duel sided swing arm layout with dual coil-over shocks in the rear. In the front, the two models share a similar telescopic fork design, but the suspension of the XR1200 is tuned more for high speed handling than the 1200 Custom, which is tuned for ride quality.
Another area where the two motorcycles differ greatly is the braking system. The XR1200 uses a dual disc setup in the front with 4 piston calipers where the 1200 Custom has a dual piston single disc layout. In the rear both motorcycles use a single piston, single disc design. This gives the XR1200 features greater balanced braking along with stronger braking which allows the 2009 XR1200 to really demonstrate its track inspired design.
Physical Styling
This is where the two Sportsters are clearly differentiated. The Sportster 1200 Custom has classic Sportster styling with the footpegs out in front of the rider and a seating position that has the rider upright. The 2009 XR1200, on the other hand, puts the rider in a typical sports bike position with the pegs tucked under the rider and the seating position leaning the rider forward over the tank.
The front fenders are similar in style, although the XR1200 has a sport fender which is quite a bit shorter than that found on the Sportster 1200 Custom. The rear fender of the two motorcycles are very different, as the 1200 Custom has the full fender wrapping around the tire while the XR1200 has a rear fender area that extends up away from the tire. The final touch of race-inspired styling is the wheel selection of the XR1200, using 18 inch wheels in the front and a 17 inch rim in the back. Both wheels display a 3-spoke lightweight design finished in matte black.
The 2009 XR1200 and the 2009 Sportster 1200 Custom are in the same family of Harley Davidson motorcycles but come with two distinct experiences. The XR1200 brings the sports bike look and feel back into the Harley lineup while the Sportster 1200 Custom continues to provide riders with the vintage Harley styling.
Do you think that the sports bike styling of the XR1200 will be as popular as the classically styled Sportster 1200 Custom? Talk about it here!!