H-D XR1200 Review Hot

A Harley that handles? Well, blame it all on everything that’s non-Harley on this Euro-inspired sport(y) American motorcycle.

Ron Lieback
AllAboutBikes.com Content Editor

The moment I felt the V-Twin rumble beneath my worn leathers, I wanted to be part of the untamed few, part of the 1 percenters. I pictured myself roaring along, sparking controversy from whoever’s near.

But by 1 percenters, I’m not referring to the riders covered in tats who refuse to abide by the law, leaving their chromed machines sinking into the blacktop outside the nearest bar; I’m talking about the few who get a knee down on Harley.

Knee down on a Harley?

Yes, it’s possible. I personally put the XR1200 press material to the test and found out on a beautiful apex near practically nowhere that it’s achievable. But though the knee scraped, don’t mistake this Juneau Avenue product for a pure-breed sport bike; my knee only hit the pavement a few times because quite honestly it felt equally scary and awkward, both physically and psychologically (plus I didn’t make it to the track). With that said, the XR is more like an extremely sporty Sportster rather than a sport bike, although Harley-Davidson markets it neither as a sport bike or Sportster, the latter not even mentioned in the XR1200 brochure.

So what’s the idea behind a Harley that actually handles well from a sport bike perspective? Hoping to enhance European sales, Harley wanted to tap into the naked sport bike frenzy that stirs more emotion across The Pond then it does here, and built an unfaired bike based on the iconic racer that won more flat track championships than any other machine, the XR750. Harley figured Europeans would appreciate the XR1200’s sporty suspension and brakes, both non-Harley traits that create some excellent non-Harley handling. So the lucky Europeans, as always, got it first, the XR arriving there in April 2008.

The bike quickly stormed through the press, with videos populating YouTube, and Americans were in dire need of having the XR available at home. After many requests rushed through corporate, The Motor Company listened, and the bike was available stateside during spring 2009.

Like anything that makes a great first impression, the rumors started multiplying, and the public needed answers, including the big one: Was this amalgamation of naked sport bike meets Sportster anything medicating for a handling-junkie’s needs? I needed to know, and three weeks and almost 3K miles later, I found a few answers, most deriving from the “non-Harley” features on the XR.

Besides the looks, the obvious non-Harley features immediately noticed are the hollow-cast aluminum swingarm, the sporty suspension, and the twin Nissin four-piston brakes with sport bike-like 292mm discs up front and a single 260mm disk mounted on a two-piston caliper out rear.

The extremely light swingarm connects to a rigid chassis, providing a firm ride for cornering, but not too firm; it’s claimed to be 40-percent stiffer than the box-section, steel swingarm found on a stock Sportster. But the significant upgrade contributing to the non-Harley handling is the 43 mm Showa inverted cartridge forks, which are the first in production for H-D history. With 4.92 inches of travel, the non-adjustable forks provide good dampening for a smooth ride but also the stiffness needed for sport (or sport-like) riding. Because it was a Harley, I expected that sloppy front-end feeling of a Sportster when plundering through the twisties, but the front end provided a smooth ride. And while transitioning hard from throttle to brakes, the front end felt exceptionally light for a bike from Milwaukee.

As for the rear, the XR1200 features coil-over, preload dual-adjustable shocks that provide 3.5 inches of travel. Due to limited rear travel on the 580-lbs machine (with fluids), potholes and expansion gaps on the highways sent some harsh jolts to the spine. Pillion riders also notice this; when my usual passenger got on, she complained of the same thing over bumps after the first 15 minutes.

But regardless of a sometime uncomfortable ride, the suspension setup, designed by 9-time AMA Grand National Champion Scott Parker, combined with 5.8 inches of ground clearance, creates the unusual: a Harley that handles particularly un-Harley like.

The significant pieces putting this design to the ground are Dunlop Qualifiers specifically made for the XR and mounted on lightweight, three-spoke cast aluminum wheels; from the factory, the XR has a 180/55ZR17 out back, and a 120/70ZR18 up front. Considering the lack of 18-inch rubber available for sport riding, a 17-inch wheel would be nice once you start chewing tires up. I noticed some scalloping on the front after 1000 miles of hard braking and cornering. When I brought the bike back to the York, Pa., Harley plant, the PR jokingly asked if I had ridden Deal’s Gap. The respectable (again un-Harley-like) 39-degree left and 40-degree right lean angle has a bit to do with destroying tires and scrapping down those long peg feelers.

The braking? Massive and unusually responsive for Harley, they provide some great stopping power. They take some time to get used to, considering either 1.) you’re a sport bike rider and are used to a touchy brake lever, or 2.) you’re a Harley man who’s used to the not-so-touchy feeling of a brake lever. I got used to them within the first 50 miles on the bike, even at speeds over 100 mph (FYI: the rev-limiter kicks in at a reported 118 mph).

The power-plant is a basic 1200cc pushrod Sportster motor beefed up by Harley’s former subsidiary Buell. The air-cooled Evo motor’s heads have oil lines connected to them that pass through a five-row cooler, helping to keep internal temps down. The motor delivers a claimed 90 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 73.9 ft-lbs of torque at 3,700 rpm. It has Buell XB12R cams, compression bumped to 10.1:1 from the 9.7 on a stock Sportster, and Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI), all dumping out of a performance stainless-steel, 2-into-1-into-2 exhaust. But don’t think the noise of a typical performance exhaust on a Harley will be there; this bike in stock form is extremely quiet, except for a few mechanical engine noises noticeable around 2,500 rpm.


Adding to this comfort are the high wide handlebar, and rearsets that don’t really shift your weight forward, keeping you in a neutral position. This releases much weight on your wrists, giving a very comfortable ride, although if you’re from the Harley crowd rearsets may at first seem awkward. And on the reverse side, if you’re from the sport bike crowd, these rearsets don’t feel back far enough.

Harley supplied the tail bag designed for the XR on my test bike, but I should have asked for the saddle bags and sport tank bag also specifically designed for the XR; my old Tour Masters didn’t quite fit when I took the bike on a 400-mile trip to NY Wine Country, eventually melting a bit from the exhaust. The tailpack offered enough space for the necessities, and appears sleek, adding to the already attractive body.

Overall, the bike performed well on the trip, but even after a few hundred miles I simply couldn’t get used to the springy throttle. The throttle seems loose; sometimes while turning on the right blinker I revved the hell out of the motor, me being used to both left and right blinker controls on the left side. It was just too springy. But that was the only main gripe during my test. Oh, and the gas mileage due to the small tank. For riders who love to remain on the open road for hours, expect to fill up the 3.5-gallon gas tank every 120 miles or so.

But when it comes to admiration, you speak of a respected motorcycle, you speak of Harley-Davidson, and this became quite obvious within minutes of riding the XR1200. I never had such a response from others—both bikers and passersby—about a bike I was riding. All reactions were a mix, either a love it or hate it response. And some hardcore Harley riders were confused, hearing this quiet machine pulling up and seeing the iconic name on the gas tank. Except for a few, everyone liked the pewter denim finish; the XR is also available in vivid black and mirage orange pearl.

Being a sport bike enthusiast that occasionally steals the old man’s Heritage Softail to get that Sons of Anarchy feeling out, I fell for the unique sporty styling and handling combined with the unmistakable V-Twin vibration. The bike isn’t comparable to true sport bike handling, handler, nor a part of that bold part of Harley attitude that speaks behind many of the machines; but it’s the perfect mix of both, fueling a part of the sporty needs and a part of the Harley needs. This is what The Motor Company desires to attract younger riders, considering the bulk of people riding Harleys nowadays are over 34.

The folks on Juneau Avenue should reinvent their “Fashion is Function” ad campaign for the XR1200, and gear it towards the younger generation; this bike has bragging rights for both the Harley and sportbike crowd. While testing the XR, I found some answers and connections between the Harley name and the sport scene, which include some answers the younger generation may be seeking before purchasing a new motorcycle. But I would love to find out more, much more.

Now if I only had an extra $10,799 for the MSRP…