Hitcher
25th October 2011, 18:28
When one has friends who ride Harleys and one doesn’t, one is within one’s rights to give them a bit of stick occasionally. There’s only so much chaps and tassel wearing that one should be expected to entertain. And Harley riders expect no less from the Great Unwashed, so it would be rude to disappoint.
Today I was offered a choice of a “dark side” ride, which I accepted. A Harley Davidson XR1200 no less. No chrome in sight. Indeed extremely this bike is quite minimalist for a Harley in all respects. Lots of orange and brushed stainless, with matt alloy engine covers and finned piston sleeves.
“Bring it back later,” were my operating instructions.
I have ridden Harleys before, so knew about the left hand/right hand turning indicator switch business. And, as mentioned earlier, there’s not much in the way of accoutrements on an XR1200 that requires switches and sundry geegaws.
A reason for riding this particular Harley was that it doesn’t have peg-forward cruiser ergonomics. Its rider pegs are in the place usually reserved by the manufacturers of most other types of bike. I like normal. It also looked like it had lashings of ground clearance. I had my doubts about the comfort that may be afforded by the seat.
Swinging a leg over and taking a seat ready for action, everything seemed to be in the right places. Key on. Starter button hit. The engine burst into life in the form of a primeval syncopated thrashing rumble. Goodness me. It’s alive!
First gear selected, clutch eased, and we were off. The engine responded nicely to the throttle and the frolicking engine smoothed out nicely once 3,000rpm were attained.
The brakes worked nicely too. Discs front and rear, indeed twin front discs even. Nice initial bite with a predictable and reassuring stopping touch. My confidence rose, safe in the knowledge that this Harley would stop quickly and true when asked.
Off up SH2 we rode. It would have been nice to have gone over the hill for a play in the Wairarapa, but the summit roadworks on the Rimutakas would still have been wet and sloppy from the weekend’s rain, and there are things bike shop staff would rather do than clean baked on crud out of nooks and crannies.
So I turned at Te Marua onto the Maymorn road, emerging a while later at the bottom of the Blue Mountains. This backroad through lifestyle blockville is scenic and demanding. It’s not a quick road, but its terrible surface conditions, off camber corners and tight steeply downhill Blue Mountains stretch is a great test for any motorcycle.
The XR1200 acquitted itself rather well. The front suspension juddered markedly on some of the rougher corners, but was uncomfortable rather than unsafe. It tracked nicely and predictably. I think that the choice of Dunlop Qualifiers as OEM tyres is a good one.
A five-speed gearbox connects the v-twin to the belt final drive. The engine will lug but prefers a few revs to help it along.
Back onto the motorway and home I rumbled. As a highway cruiser, the XR1200 is excellent. Today was marked by wind gusts of up to 100kmh. The Harley was largely untroubled by these. After a couple of hours continuous saddle time I was also starting to quite like its fit. By the end of the day I was starting to quite enjoy it. This is a bike a solo rider could tour on easily and moderately effortlessly.
Arriving at home base, the World’s Best Pillion (WBP) was keen to hop on and go for a canter. Nothing too onerous to start with, so we headed off around the bays to Eastbourne. WBP’s first impression? “One would either have to be desperate or infatuated to ride pillion on one of these.”
With my hopes pinned on the latter state, I decided to take WBP further afield. On this trip she discovered the saddle strap and the seating options that that afforded, rather than having to rely on rider girth grappling. So off to Pauatahanui we rumbled. From there we circumnavigated the inlet of the same name, before turning at Judgeford and setting sail up and over the Moonshine Road. Our Harley steed behaved faultlessly on what is a very demanding stretch of road, not to be traversed by the faint of heart. It’s narrow, tortuously windy and steep. Not to mention the low visibility corners that provide no advance warning of oncoming vehicles or wandering stock.
From there it was time to take it back to its patiently waiting retailer, after another very enjoyable run down the motorway and back into the city.
I enjoyed this motorcycle much more than I thought I would. It’s not endowed with woosh but isn’t a gutless wheezer. It’s adequately suspendered. The rider ergonomics are very acceptable. It shifts nicely and stops brilliantly. Cornering is predictable and true, turning in more if needed with a bit of extra weight applied to the wide-set handlebars. The basic instrumentation is easily viewable -- analogue tach and digital speedo, warning lights for fuel and engine failure, as well as for indicators and high beam. That’s it. I quickly got the hang of the self-cancelling indicators too.
The XR1200 is pillion tolerant, rather than pillion friendly. The vibrations from the engine when stopped at traffic lights are epic. Today I rattled in places where previously I didn’t know I had places, including eyeballs and eardrums. My toes are still tingling a couple of hours later.
Fuel range isn’t great, so a trip into the wilderness would have to be planned, rather than verging on the spontaneous. There’s no gauge. A dashboard light signals when the last couple of litres are being sipped.
With a few dollars spent on suspension enhancements, the XR1200 would be a cracking ride and great value for the buyer’s dollars. It has its limitations but it’s that much fun those are easily overlooked. Nice work, Mr Harley.
Thanks to the WBP and to Pete McDonald at Wellington Motorcycles for what proved to be a most enjoyable day!
249336249337249338249339249340249341
Today I was offered a choice of a “dark side” ride, which I accepted. A Harley Davidson XR1200 no less. No chrome in sight. Indeed extremely this bike is quite minimalist for a Harley in all respects. Lots of orange and brushed stainless, with matt alloy engine covers and finned piston sleeves.
“Bring it back later,” were my operating instructions.
I have ridden Harleys before, so knew about the left hand/right hand turning indicator switch business. And, as mentioned earlier, there’s not much in the way of accoutrements on an XR1200 that requires switches and sundry geegaws.
A reason for riding this particular Harley was that it doesn’t have peg-forward cruiser ergonomics. Its rider pegs are in the place usually reserved by the manufacturers of most other types of bike. I like normal. It also looked like it had lashings of ground clearance. I had my doubts about the comfort that may be afforded by the seat.
Swinging a leg over and taking a seat ready for action, everything seemed to be in the right places. Key on. Starter button hit. The engine burst into life in the form of a primeval syncopated thrashing rumble. Goodness me. It’s alive!
First gear selected, clutch eased, and we were off. The engine responded nicely to the throttle and the frolicking engine smoothed out nicely once 3,000rpm were attained.
The brakes worked nicely too. Discs front and rear, indeed twin front discs even. Nice initial bite with a predictable and reassuring stopping touch. My confidence rose, safe in the knowledge that this Harley would stop quickly and true when asked.
Off up SH2 we rode. It would have been nice to have gone over the hill for a play in the Wairarapa, but the summit roadworks on the Rimutakas would still have been wet and sloppy from the weekend’s rain, and there are things bike shop staff would rather do than clean baked on crud out of nooks and crannies.
So I turned at Te Marua onto the Maymorn road, emerging a while later at the bottom of the Blue Mountains. This backroad through lifestyle blockville is scenic and demanding. It’s not a quick road, but its terrible surface conditions, off camber corners and tight steeply downhill Blue Mountains stretch is a great test for any motorcycle.
The XR1200 acquitted itself rather well. The front suspension juddered markedly on some of the rougher corners, but was uncomfortable rather than unsafe. It tracked nicely and predictably. I think that the choice of Dunlop Qualifiers as OEM tyres is a good one.
A five-speed gearbox connects the v-twin to the belt final drive. The engine will lug but prefers a few revs to help it along.
Back onto the motorway and home I rumbled. As a highway cruiser, the XR1200 is excellent. Today was marked by wind gusts of up to 100kmh. The Harley was largely untroubled by these. After a couple of hours continuous saddle time I was also starting to quite like its fit. By the end of the day I was starting to quite enjoy it. This is a bike a solo rider could tour on easily and moderately effortlessly.
Arriving at home base, the World’s Best Pillion (WBP) was keen to hop on and go for a canter. Nothing too onerous to start with, so we headed off around the bays to Eastbourne. WBP’s first impression? “One would either have to be desperate or infatuated to ride pillion on one of these.”
With my hopes pinned on the latter state, I decided to take WBP further afield. On this trip she discovered the saddle strap and the seating options that that afforded, rather than having to rely on rider girth grappling. So off to Pauatahanui we rumbled. From there we circumnavigated the inlet of the same name, before turning at Judgeford and setting sail up and over the Moonshine Road. Our Harley steed behaved faultlessly on what is a very demanding stretch of road, not to be traversed by the faint of heart. It’s narrow, tortuously windy and steep. Not to mention the low visibility corners that provide no advance warning of oncoming vehicles or wandering stock.
From there it was time to take it back to its patiently waiting retailer, after another very enjoyable run down the motorway and back into the city.
I enjoyed this motorcycle much more than I thought I would. It’s not endowed with woosh but isn’t a gutless wheezer. It’s adequately suspendered. The rider ergonomics are very acceptable. It shifts nicely and stops brilliantly. Cornering is predictable and true, turning in more if needed with a bit of extra weight applied to the wide-set handlebars. The basic instrumentation is easily viewable -- analogue tach and digital speedo, warning lights for fuel and engine failure, as well as for indicators and high beam. That’s it. I quickly got the hang of the self-cancelling indicators too.
The XR1200 is pillion tolerant, rather than pillion friendly. The vibrations from the engine when stopped at traffic lights are epic. Today I rattled in places where previously I didn’t know I had places, including eyeballs and eardrums. My toes are still tingling a couple of hours later.
Fuel range isn’t great, so a trip into the wilderness would have to be planned, rather than verging on the spontaneous. There’s no gauge. A dashboard light signals when the last couple of litres are being sipped.
With a few dollars spent on suspension enhancements, the XR1200 would be a cracking ride and great value for the buyer’s dollars. It has its limitations but it’s that much fun those are easily overlooked. Nice work, Mr Harley.
Thanks to the WBP and to Pete McDonald at Wellington Motorcycles for what proved to be a most enjoyable day!
249336249337249338249339249340249341