Road Test: 2008 Harley-Davidson XR 1200 launch – Harley’s proposal to Europe!

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Road Test: 2008 Harley-Davidson XR 1200 launch – Harley’s proposal to Europe!

Written: 14/05/2008 : 10:28. Read 6746 times (131/day).

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The XR 1200 has been a long time coming. I was there in Cologne when it was first unveiled to the world in 2006. In Valencia in 2008 I finally got my first chance to ride it. When did you ever see a standard Harley-Davidson being wheelied? The answer unless your name is Craig Jones is never!

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Words: Tor Sagen/Photography: DoubleRed

As far as I know, Harley-Davidson has never before launched a new motorcycle exclusively first in Europe. In Valencia Harley did and the XR 1200 was launched in a big way to virtually anyone that can walk and talk in the European motorcycle press.

The XR1200 is as close to a true sportsbike Harley-Davidson is ever going to make. It’s air-cooled with a modified 1200cc Evolution V45 from the Sportster range. To make it more powerful than the rest the XR 1200 features a larger air-box, downdraft fuel injection and a performance biased exhaust system. The result is a true 90 horsepower @ 7.000rpm and a trademark 100Nm of torque maxing at a low 3.700 rpm.

The enlightened will know that a Buell makes more horsepower than this with similar technology. The reason the XR 1200 doesn’t make a full 100 horsepower was explained to me by one of the Milwaukee engineers as being down to a lower volume air box and different exhaust system. Harley-Davidson would never ever sacrifice style completely over performance and that is the reason.

The XR 1200 sure makes a presence different to most other motorcycles. It’s unique from the Motor Company and the only other motorcycle on the market I can find for some sort of comparison would be the Yamaha MT01!

At the same time, if it hadn’t been for the 1970 launch of the 90 horsepower XR750 for Flat track racing we would not have seen the XR 1200. That the new 1200 makes the same horsepower as a 38 year old bike will have to be forgiven as the modern noise and emission regulations doesn’t allow for much more.

This early morning in April, I have the privilege of following Wrecking crew member number 1 Scott Parker into the mountains on the XR 1200.

Parker is 9 times AMA champion and the most successful rider on the most successful Flat Track racebike ever.

Not long after Scott Parker and Brommie stunt-monkey Craig Jones were doing monos worth a gold medal up in the mountains. There’s no doubt in my mind after doing some of my own, this Harley is the most fun Harley-Davidson I have ever ridden! So it wheelies, b ...

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Comments

aussierob (15-06-2008): Great review. Will be interested to ride one when I can as I traded my Sportster in on an SE Ultra and I miss the wee thing. The small tank size may be a sore point as the configuration looks good for lengthy rides and if it is as good as it looks who wants to be stopping every 120km to fill up?

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