Just curious how far, longest trip some of you XL1200T, L and C riders have gone. Harley touts the XL1200T as a touring capable bike.

 

Not a T or C, but a L. I would not hesitate to ride it coast to coast.

It is all a matter of if you have it set up for You.

The Comfort Triangle.


I rode around 2000 miles on my Sporty with a bunch of baggers. At the end of each day I was more comfortable than the majority of guys on their baggers.

 

I have the 1200CB here in the UK.
Happily travel across Europe in in the company of 'Touring' Bikes.
1500-1600 miles in a week are done easily. I have 1700 in 6 days coming up in July.
The Sportster can do it all.

 

Our 883L is now similar to a 1200T, complete with qd windshield, highway pegs plus bags and Mrs B has done 4 figure trips on it with ease. We do also have upgraded suspension, although the 'improvements' they provide are modest!

 

I had a 2001 1200C that I had setup for long rides. Saddle bags, good seat and a windshield. Several trips up and down I-95 with FLH bikes and never a problem. Rode it to Sturgis with 500 mile days and never a issue. What the guys on the big bikes found out is they needed a rest stop every 100 miles, so this worked out with my 3.3 tank.

 

I had a 1200R, and it was NOT set up for distance riding. I did 200 miles on it one day. I was very sore the next day!
I have no doubt though that, given the proper suspension and seat, you could do some high mileage days without issue. It just comes down to finding gas stations.

 

I have an Xl1200r not a C, so I stop for gas more often. My first long day, 1000 miles, on it was from Muskogee, OK to Winslow AZ. After that I would regularly ride round trips between Wisconsin and Houston, and Wisconsin and Dallas. Those trips are around a 1000 miles and even if I don't finish them in a single ride (starting late in the day) they can be completed in 24 hours.

I don't see a comfort factor being a problem if you prep the bike for long distance. I have a Sundowner seat, air shocks from a bagger, and a windshield (HD quarter fairing, 14 inch QD, or 18 inch QD). The only limiting factor for me is top speed.

I have learned , over time, that my OTG average speed is what the trucks are running. I pass them repeatedly throughout a day as I pull in for gas hourly+ and they don't. So for me a practical day's mileage is 16-17 hours minus fueling/eating time x 75mph (trucks running just over the limit).

 

I made the north south trip from Rosh-Pina to Eilat in about 5.5 hours on my 1200C, nice ride, at the end felt good not fatigued. (315 miles)
Spent a few days at bases around Eilat & returned (got paid for it) bike did fine, about as far as I can go in Israel, 1 extra hour to the Hermon mountain and that's it, @ 450 miles total.
I have 165,000 KM on the bike, could use some new bearings I'm sure but its Soooooo expensive to get parts that it almost defeats the porous of having a bike!

 

2007 XL1200L. One long summer day I did a little over 600mi from CA to UT. My bike is set up for long distance: windshield, sundowner, 30T transmission pulley, quiet pipes, 13" rear shocks, intiminators, saddle bags and highway pegs with mid controls.

 

A couple of years back a couple of Naval Academy grads rode from Md to Vegas via NYC and back. They posted most of their trip here. Way over 5000 miles.