Motorcycle Comparison: 2009 Harley Davidson XR1200 vs. 2009 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 Custom Spec Comparison

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!!