Harley-Davidson's XR 1200 provides a wild ride
Published Friday June 26th, 2009
New Sportster model blends retro styling with futuristic design
When I was a kid back in the '70s, I had a special kind of admiration for the late-great Evel Knievel and the cool-looking modified Harley-Davidson XR-750 he used for jumping over buses and fountains, often with disastrous results.
And while I'd never think about jumping buses at my age, riding a new-age motorcycle that traces its roots back to Harley's famous speedway racing bikes of the past has more than a special kind of appeal.
This week, while covering the Atlanticade Motorcycle Festival, I'm riding a very cool XR 1200 Harley on loan from Toys For Big Boys on the Salisbury Road. This machine sells for around $14,000 and blends the retro-styling of old-school race bikes with futuristic details.
The XR 1200 is certainly turning heads around town this week. Maybe it's the bright orange plastic gas tank (with Knievel-esque Harley logo) and rear fender, the gleaming chrome twin exhaust, black mag wheels and huge twin-cylinder engine. The look certainly harkens back to the golden age of flat-track racing, where riders speed around an oval track and put their feet down to guide their slide around the corners.
But look closer and you'll futuristic design details like the plastic air scoop tucked neatly under the gas tank that captures the wind and drives it straight into the air filter. The engine, swingarm, pipes, disc brakes, belt drive and other features of this cool design also look futuristic and retro at the same time.
The XR 1200 caused a stir in motorcycle circles as Harley said it would be released only to the European market. But the manufacturer relented when customers in North America started demanding it be made available on this side of the pond. This smells like a clever marketing to me.
I've only ridden a few Harleys but this one is definitely the most powerful one I've ever been able to test-ride, if not quite as nimble as its smaller siblings in the Sportster class. The big twin 1200 CC engine roars to life with the mere touch of the starter button and feels its racing roots from the moment you slide it into first gear of the five-speed transmission. You can barely roll on the throttle and it leaps into action, as if instinctively searching for a checkered flag somewhere. Around town, and even on the highway, you couldn't begin to unleash its raw power and stay within the limits of the law. Once you get used to it, the Sportster is amazingly well balanced and flows through corners and turns. A beginner could learn to ride this bike but they would have to learn some heavy-duty restraint with their throttle hand to keep all that power under control.
Unlike most Harleys that allow the rider to stretch out and put their feet up for highway cruising, the seat and footpeg alignment on the XR 1200 forces the rider to settle into a tightly-crouched position. And the bare-bones design gives you only a tachometer and digital readout speedometer to look at. There's no extra bells and whistles on this machine and the tiny passenger seat doesn't look too inviting. Even the headlight seems disproportionately small and the horn emits a really wimpy blaatt sound. But there's nothing wimpy about the XR 1200. In typical Harley fashion, the handlebars, grips, levers and other features are big and solid.
Harley fans and critics alike have been giving the bright orange XR 1200 a good looking-over at this week's Atlanticade and everyone seems to like its cool design. According to manufacturer specs, the XR 1200 will burn 4.44 litres per 100 kilometres on the highway and 6.19 in the city. The fuel tank carries 13 litres. The warning light went on yesterday and it cost $13 to fill it up.
Riding a motorcycle comes down to balance, hand-eye co-ordination and paying attention to what's going on around you. It also gives you a sense of freedom and movement you just don't find behind the wheel of a car or truck. Yes there is a sense of danger and vulnerability while riding in city or highway traffic, but you've got to get over it.
Riding a motorcycle requires the constant co-ordination of both hands and feet. The right hand controls the front brake, throttle and starter. The left hand controls the clutch and turn signals. The right foot controls the rear brake while the left foot works the gear shift. So you are constantly moving all four limbs to roll on the throttle, pull in the clutch, shift and work the brakes. At the same time, you use your body weight to lean into the corners. When the bike is in motion, your body actually becomes part of the machine, working in conjunction with the natural centrifugal force created by the spinning gyroscopes.
The annual motorcycle festival brings many styles of bikes and custom machines into Moncton and people in this town love looking at them. At Highfield Square the other night, hundreds of people turned out to look at all the bikes and the vintage cars in the parking lot. It's a great opportunity for bike fans and people thinking about buying a bike to ask questions of the people who ride them.
n Times & Transcript editor at large Alan Cochrane's Easy Writer column appears daily during the Atlanticade Motorcycle Festival. He is riding a Harley-Davidson XR 1200 from Toys For Big Boys on the Salisbury Road.
Disabled
Search Articles
More CE Network Sites & Partners:
