Apologies in advance - no pictures yet other than what I posted in my uncrating thread here. On the other hand, if you want to see some very up close and personal pictures of the XR stripped down, check 'em out here. Also, I've already posted some preliminary review comments in ZZZ's thread here.

As of this evening, I've only been able to get about 200 miles under my belt but given that most of my riding is around town and freeways anyway, I think I have a pretty good handle on the what I'm liking and what (unfortunately) I'm not as crazy about.

First the good stuff:

• Fit and finish. Not sure why MCN gave such low marks to the XR's fit and finish. It's top notch and even though the body work is all plastic, it still looks and feels very solid. Personally, I feel plastic is a good choice for a sport bike.
• With the exception of a possible very small flat spot just off idle, fueling is solid. At first, I thought I'd detected some surging but I've not been able to repro since my first ride so I'm chalking that surging up to me just getting use to throttle control. ("Repro". You can tell I work in tech.)
• Exceptional handling for a Harley. (Yes, this is like telling your date she doesn't sweat much for a fat girl but the fact is that the XR does very well - especially in lower speed maneuvers like tight u-turns.)
• Lean angle. I've yet to touch down any hard parts - even when turning into the Starbucks parking lot. Those of you familiar with the DFW area are probably aware of the 635(west) exit ramp off of northbound I35. It's a 360 degree overpass loop that is popular with the sport bike crowd as it just begs you to drop your right knee. The XR is the first Harley I've taken on it that didn't touch down - or even come anywhere near close. The XR's generous lean angle is very confidence inspiring.
• Exhaust note: This is both good and bad. At low RPMs, it's as inspiring as a wet fart. However, when you're on the highway and roll on the throttle and the active airbox kicks in, the exhaust note sounds phat. (I say "phat" because I'm down with the young people.)
• The instrumentation is pretty slick - while it doesn't include all the data of say the Buell 1125, the digital speedo is actually pretty cool - no more guessing at your speed and you don't have to shift your eyes from the road to see the speedo and tach. (Tank mounted instruments should be outlawed.)
• Brakes. Best. Brakes. On. A. Harley. Ever. (See earlier post about sweat and fat girls) The brakes are drop dead effective and have a very tactical feel - not the vague "wooden" feel so common to cruisers.
• The stock seat is typical of a sport bike - relatively little padding but gives you enough room to shift your body weight for cornering. Surprisingly, I found the XR's relatively comfortable - at least for about 80 miles (which is as long as I've gone so far on a single ride). If XR sales warrant it, I'm sure we'll see some after market replacements but at least the stock seat isn't a total POS. *cough*BMW 1200GS factory low seat*cough*

Now the not so good stuff:

• Low gearing. WTF the Harley??? At 70mph in 5th, you're between 3800-4000 rpm. The engine is begging you to drop it into 6th - but there is no 6th. And unfortunately, it's at about 4k rpm where the buziness and vibes start to be a problem. If Harley isn't going to throw in a 6th gear, they at least need to match the gearing of Buell's XBs.
• Buzziness/vibes - The XR has the typical Sportster "shaking like a crack *****" at idle. And like a typical rubber mounted Evo or TC, the vibes disappear with just a little throttle. However, once you hit the magical 4k rpm mark, 3 things happen: Your feet feel like someone is using a sex toy on them, your rear views become pretty much useless and you start to feel tingling in the grips. It may be that once you get past 4500 rpm or so this goes away - but at that point, you're now struggling with the wind. See next bullet.
• Wind protection. None. Knew that when I bought the XR but until you're going about 60mph into a head wind, you can't appreciate what a good shield and fairing can do for handling. At several points today, I was riding 65 mph into a 10-15 mph headwind and the XR was dancing. At about 220 lbs, I'm no lightweight and the bike is pretty heavy too (at least it doesn't sweat much) but the wind was playing havoc on the handling and the seating position turns you into a human sail. Tucking in helps to some degree but if you have to resort to that for any length of time, you might as well be riding a true cafe racer. In all fairness, when there was no headwind, the bike felt planted and was a total blast to ride.

Jury still out:

• I'm not real crazy about the design of the oil cooler. At the very least, I'd like to see it replaced with the cooler from the Buell XB. Those coolers are mounted perpendicular to air flow so they're not directly exposed to road debris, bugs, etc. - but they have a scoop which forces airflow through the coils. Also, the XR only has a 6 coil cooler - Buell upgraded to an 8 row cooler last year - I'd think they'd use the same parts. I'm also not sure how well the cooler will hold up to a left side tipover. It seems that you could potentially be screwed by something as simple as a parking lot get-off if the cooler impacts.
• Gas mileage. This ordinarily wouldn't be a big deal but with only 3.5 gallons, the difference between 38 mph and 45 mpg can be crucial. I'm not going to start monitoring mileage until I get at least a few more tanks of gas under my belt.
• Engine heat. The temps here have been in the 50 and 60s and I've not yet been caught in stop and go traffic. I'll revisit this next year after my first encounter in DFW rush hour traffic in 90 degree heat. I have a feeling this is not going to turn out well. (The fact that the XR includes an oil temperature lamp makes me nervous.)

Bottom line: If you're looking for a touring bike or a bike that will hang with the Gixxers at the track, the XR ain't it. But if you want something with sane ergos, something that won't drag hard parts and a bike just tailor made for whipping through public traffic - while looking badass doing it, the XR is a total hoot. I just hope that enough US buyers step up to the plate and demonstrate to Harley that not all of their customers are assless chap wearing chrome polishing doo raggers. (I know I'll get hate mail for that.)

Just my $.02 (and worth almost every penny of it)

 

nice review...thanks

 

You did your homework. Thanks for the great review.

 

i saw 4 of these on my way to long beach for IMS, but they were not part of the demo rides, they were riding solo and i encountered them one by one on the freeway, not in the same group.

bike is completely silent when your riding next to it on the freeway, well, at least i couldnt hear it.

im interested to see what will be offered for the bike in the aftermarket. i foresee weight reducing kits and ways to increase the lean angle, hopefully a roadrace style fairing like on the old ironhead racers (not the dirt track versions, the fully faired ones)


id like to see a huge weight loss and a improvement in torque. there should be no reason that a modern bike is barely making as much power as the 30 year old bike its based off, especially considering the original was a 750 and this is a 1200...

 

I almost traded this weekend for one, they offered me $7500 for my 07 Nightster. The dealership really wants to get a XR. I guess I have till the 15th to decide.

 

Your milage should go up as you put miles on the bike. The first 500 miles are a bitch, not fun. Once you click 500...let er rip!!!

 

Very good review. Thank you.

I saw an XR in person at a local dealership, and had the very same concern regarding the oil cooler and a tip over. A minor tip-over could result in a stranded bike.

 

I wonder how it would look slammed and raked out with some 16" apes....

Seems as though this is the Harley trying to be a BMW.....

IMHO...no thanks.

~Joe

 

I have NEVER seen a single BMW that looks like the XR.

Seems you are trying way to hard to go against the grain on this one.

If you dont got nothing nice to say...

 

What are you guys paying for the XR?