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View Full Version : Photos, or it didn't happen! (Harley Davidson XR1200)



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!

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riffer
25th October 2011, 18:31
I'd buy one. I very nearly did, but the Bandit was too good a price to turn down.

My favourite Harley.

Ocean1
25th October 2011, 18:42
Today I was offered a choice of a “dark side” ride, which I accepted.

Nice. Cheers.


I'd buy one.

I may well yet. If and when I'm finished with the Buell...

Shadows
25th October 2011, 22:28
After three years I've built a list of XR niggles, although it is still pretty short.

The leading bottom edge of the stock exhaust heat shield contacts the road in right handers which is not only disconcerting, but downright dangerous. A V&H exhaust solved the clearance issue, and along with a Power Commander and dyno work it's yielding another 5 hp and 5 ft/lbs, and doing it all ½ a second faster. The only problem now is that even though the replacement exhaust has actually made the bike safer to ride, I now have to shop around in order to get a WOF.

The chrome on top of the rear shocks is flaking off. It must be one of those Japanese H-D parts everybody keeps talking about. Any way, suspension is next on the list for upgrade, although it isn't bad it could definitely be better, along with a bit more travel in the rear.

The Dunlops stick nicely in the dry but provide ridiculously poor mileage and no real indication that they are wearing paper thin until they start delaminating. Great around the edges but far too soft in the middle to suit a bike and rider combination weighing the best part of 350kg, spewing out truckloads of torque. They are also absolute shithouse in wet conditions. I've given several sets a chance and have decided I'm going to try Pilot Road 2s next.

The bike also needs one more tooth on the front pulley which should not only provide it with the longer legs it needs, but also add something to it's miserable 160km tank range (in fairness I think I was getting 200km out of a tank before I fucked around with it). A 6th gear would be even better.

The steel fuel tank expanded, most likely in one of those 40ºC garage days we experience from time to time down here. As a result the plastic tank cover has detached itself at the rear and cannot be clipped back down again.

The fuel warning light should be a painfully bright red strobe, and accompanied by a siren of air raid proportions. Should this light come on it is time to panic as you have about 3.026 seconds to locate a petrol station.

The automatically cancelling indicators refuse to automatically cancel most of the time, at least, it seems, until one decides to cancel them manually because the intersection they were employed for is now nothing more than a legend passed from generation to generation in song, at which time one finds that he has just turned them back on again.

That's about it really. Still a hoot to ride.

scumdog
26th October 2011, 17:11
A most excellent report Mr H.

Makes me wish I had a Harley...

Oh wait, I do.

Crasherfromwayback
26th October 2011, 17:58
Cheers, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Nice pictures too!

caspernz
26th October 2011, 18:08
Yeah, at present I can't see me owning a Harley....yet.

One of my colleagues had the same opinion, thinking he'd be on his Triumph for a while yet. Then one day he turns up on (I think) an XR1200X, the blacked out version. Listening to his changed tune makes me think it might happen to more of us....

willytheekid
26th October 2011, 18:33
:drool:.....such a nice Harley!
That model is one of the few Harleys I would love to currently own (Im saving myself from Harley ownership...till Im as old as scumdog :laugh::innocent:)
Great write up Hitcher, thanks for sharing :niceone:
.....I certainly hope Pete's coffee wasn't ingested!...you'll be feeling "that" tingling for much longer :killingme

JimO
26th October 2011, 18:47
:drool:....
till Im as old as scumdog :laugh::innocent:)


scummy is only 35 but he has had a hard life

scumdog
26th October 2011, 18:55
scummy is only 35 but he has had a hard life

Welllll......(in Maxwell Smart voice) would you believe over 55 and with an easy life???

banditrider
26th October 2011, 19:56
Bringing it Saturday Mr H? :devil2:

Hitcher
26th October 2011, 20:07
Bringing it Saturday Mr H?

Erm, no. We're heading northwards tomorrow. I hope that this crap weather clears.

willytheekid
27th October 2011, 08:30
scummy is only 35 but he has had a hard life

:killingme...yeah...and Im 21! :innocent: