Eight months after its initial European launch, the 2008
Harley Davidson XR1200 motorcycle makes its debut in the United States.Interest in the motorcycle has grown
domestically, thanks to its strong pedigree and positive reviews overseas.The XR1200 is Harley Davidson’s attempt to
bring one of its classic motorcycles to the current generation of riders.
Styling
The XR1200 is arguably the closest thing to a sports biketo be badged as a Harley Davidson. The
motorcycle is fairly short and low, as was the 1972 XR750 that it calls upon
for its styling, with seat offering more of a forward position and the foot
rests more towards the rear of the bike. In the design process, the motor company’s goal was to make a production
bike that could be raced while maintaining comfort for daily riding.The result is a motorcycle that very well may
be one of the best handling Harley Davidson has ever offered.
Handling and Braking
While the layout of the Harley Davidson XR1200 has a great
deal to do with the bike’s abilities, the suspension and braking components were
designed for racing purposes.The front
fork uses a Showa 43 mm inverted fork design, and the rear suspension
has a dual adjustable coil-over setup.The
XR1200 rides on a set of Dunlop Qualifies tires designed specifically for this
bike, with an 18 inch wheel in the front and a 17 inch tire under the
rear.This suspension allows the XR1200
to have a lean angle of 40 and 39 degrees, left and right.
The original XR750 did not come with brakes for their dirt
track purposes, but the XR1200 uses very modern braking components.The front has dual disc, 4-piston fixed
caliper setup in the front and a single piston floating caliper in the rear.
Drivetrain
The original XR750 made 90 horsepower, and 30 years
later the XR1200 comes with the same power. Interestingly, a similar engine build in the Buell lineup shows more
stock horsepower.Harley Davidson
engineers have suggested that the difference in the power is due to the more
cruising friendly exhaust setup.The
engine is an air cooled 1202cc Evolution fed by an electronic sequential port
fuel injection system, allowing the XR1200 Sportster to make 73.91 lb-ft of
torque.One of the key features of the
XR1200 is the exhaust system, which uses a 2-1-2 straight shot.The power is sent through a 5-speed manual
transmission and is chain driven with a 57/34 ratio.
Stay tuned as HDforums.com continues to provide the latest
news and updates on the Harley Davidson XR1200 motorcycle, including
head-to-head comparisons with other Harley Davidson models, as well as the top competitors
offerings.
