If Harley wants to increase XR1200R sales..

[atadaskew]

They should make it look like the V&H bike.  The kit is 'only' $3500.



Why can't it look like this stock?

[Prubert]

10-4!!

I want to do the V&H thing to my XR....drooled over it at Indy.    

[atadaskew]

10-4!!

I want to do the V&H thing to my XR....drooled over it at Indy.    

Whoa, how did I miss that you have an XR?
Unless of course, I didn't, you posted about it, I commented but the meds made me forget...

Seriously, did you post some pics?  Impressions? etc.
I demoed one at the Long Beach show, 2 years ago and liked it.  One thing I 'think' I'd want to change is the handlebar position - to what the V&H bike is like.  I found the stock position just a bit too high and wide.

Have you done any mods to the bike?

[Prubert]

Yes Sir!  Got mine back on 6/30, have just over 4400 miles on it now.

The XR is a fun ride, not a ground pounder or anything...but a good basic motorcycle.  I will be putting on the Street Rod bars on it (that is what the VH bike has on it), the stockers are too wide and have a funky bend at the grips.

The only bad thing I can say about the bike is that you can only go 110 miles and you need to start looking for gas.  It has not really hurt me that much (ran out of gas once), but it is a pain because you just start riding and forget to remember to fill up.  The reservoir on the right side does get in my way sometimes, but it is not something I have to change...more like 'oh yea, THAT is right there' when I'm riding it.

The bike is very stable in the turns but is rough over sharp bumps, some new shocks and maybe work on the forks will fix that (X suspender kit from hd might too).   I have thought that my Uly was an eager puppy on the road...always looking for the next turn and quickly changing direction, it was nervous but controllable.  The XR is the mature dog that is very good and mellow, it knows what it has to do and gets it done.

The engine revs quicker than the standard Sportie, but not as quick as the Buell XB.  It doesn't have the top end power that you may look for coming out of the corners, but it can be more than enough from 20-75mph.  It has some power up over the ton, but it is still a Sportster air cooled motor.

I can hold my own in the tight stuff.

It is a fun bike, I like it more each time I ride it.  It is not a replacement for the FJR, but it is a excellent 2nd bike.  It could be my main ride if I decide that I'm not going to be doing any touring or carrying lots of stuff with me when I travel.  I think converting it into the VH like back road scratcher would be lots of fun, but I would have to do it cheaper than what the kit would cost.

Overall, I would recommend this bike to anyone if you can find one for under $9K.

Attached is a pic of it when I took it for a week long 1800 mile trip that included the Indy MotoGP.  It has the Sport windshield, tail rack and I have the H-D XM radio and my 2720 on it.  All set up for Sport-Touring.

Later.

[1KPerDay]

So they replace the front wheel but not the rear?

[UFO]

Why can't it look like this stock?

Three letters:  D.O.T.

[atadaskew]

So they replace the front wheel but not the rear?

The front is a 17, replacing the stock 18.  Yeah yeah so why didn't it come like that to start with? etc etc
Not sure of the size of the rear but in the V&H catalogue there is a replacement..

[Prubert]

The XR comes with an 18in front tire, H-D went this way because it looked better in their eyes.

The race kit has a 17in front tire to give riders a wider selection of rubber. I like the look of the 17in, but I don't work in styling.

[scottzilla]

The frame mounted steering damper looks 1989.

[atadaskew]

The frame mounted steering damper looks 1989.

Well, I guess that's a big step forward for HD seeing most people claim their tech level is at 1949.

[1KPerDay]

I'd settle for the trophy replica.

[chornbe]

Well, I guess that's a big step forward for HD seeing most people Experts in Everything ^(r)(tm)(c) claim their tech level is at 1949.

Fixed that for you.

In all fairness, the internal combustion engine IS a pretty old design, unlike all those cutting edge mills found in those eur... oh wait.

[atadaskew]

I'd settle for the trophy replica.

What's the difference between that and the regular model?  Is is just the slip-on pipes, rear shocks, belly pan and number plate?

[1KPerDay]

The number plate looks to be paint; that's the stock tailsection. The pipes and belly pan and shocks, and front brakes, from what I can tell. Really it only needs new pipes, IMO. The stock bike is pretty good looking. Particularly the XRX black version.

[atadaskew]

The number plate looks to be paint; that's the stock tailsection. The pipes and belly pan and shocks, and front brakes, from what I can tell. Really it only needs new pipes, IMO. The stock bike is pretty good looking. Particularly the XRX black version.

Yeah. I'm diggin the XRX in matte black w/ blacked out everything.  For me it just needs the V&H bars ($90-ish) as the stockers feel to wide/high, and the V&H Black Widow/mamba/cobra snake/whatever they call it full system as that gets back a lot of clearance on the right due to the different shape of the headers.

I dig the Guzzi Griso 8V too, butt this XRX is $3K cheaper, and I can (eventually...) skateboard to the local dealer as opposed to having to drive 50 miles..
Plus, it's going to be a footnote in a couple o years too which will make it even cooler..

[1KPerDay]

Plus, it's going to be a footnote in a couple o years too which will make it even cooler..

May I refer you to your previous commentary on the cool factor of obsolete harleys?  

[atadaskew]

May I refer you to your previous commentary on the cool factor of obsolete harleys?  

What did I say?  Seriously, most of the time I'm typing without paying any attention whatsoever...
 
 

[Geoff]

Good idea. Only problem is it would push the price out of the reach of younger buyers. H-D should add a kit to their 50,000-page P&A catalog.

[atadaskew]

Good idea. Only problem is it would push the price out of the reach of younger buyers. H-D should add a kit to their 50,000-page P&A catalog.

I don't see why it would cost more if that was the style they originally went for.
And I think it looks better with the 17" front wheel.  The back already is a 17.

[DogBoy]

Race tail = sexy. Stock tail...uh...not so much. Great looking bike and the smaller tail and aftermarket exhaust really step it up.

[scottzilla]

I don't really see a tremendous difference.  The front end is basically the same (The fork reflector is gone on the stock bike and the handlebars are lower).  Other than that, the front looks the same; it's not like you notice the 17" front rim.  The rear looks like a typical Japanese race replica. Meh.
The most striking visual difference is the V&H exhaust which looks very cool.

[staedtler]

 

[atadaskew]

I don't really see a tremendous difference.  The front end is basically the same (The fork reflector is gone on the stock bike and the handlebars are lower).  Other than that, the front looks the same; it's not like you notice the 17" front rim.  The rear looks like a typical Japanese race replica. Meh.
The most striking visual difference is the V&H exhaust which looks very cool.

It nearly is always just the few small changes that make all the difference in the way a bike looks.  That's what makes it a bit frustrating that the bike did not look like the V&H one from the factory to start off with.
Single seat, narrow tail section.  Why couldn't this be stock?  Harley sells lots of bikes with no passenger accomodations and as this is their sportiest, why not?
The lower handlebars would be great too.
Granted, some of these changes are really easy to do in your own garage - the pipes and handlebar.  But the 17" wheel is pricey.  The tail section would need work done to accept tail lights etc.  Do-able, butt again annoying as it should have looked like this anyway!

[scottzilla]

It nearly is always just the few small changes that make all the difference in the way a bike looks.  That's what makes it a bit frustrating that the bike did not look like the V&H one from the factory to start off with.
Single seat, narrow tail section.  Why couldn't this be stock?  Harley sells lots of bikes with no passenger accomodations and as this is their sportiest, why not?
The lower handlebars would be great too.
Granted, some of these changes are really easy to do in your own garage - the pipes and handlebar.  But the 17" wheel is pricey.  The tail section would need work done to accept tail lights etc.  Do-able, butt again annoying as it should have looked like this anyway!

I think HD is the exception to the rule of making a bike that fits "Everyone".  They offer single seat models but this is something no other mfg really does, particularly on a volume-based machine.  Yes, companies like Ducati turn out single seat versions but these are for limited-production (IE: limited customer), rather expensive models.
So I think it's unreasonable to expect HD to make the XR1200 a single seater.  I do not see single seat FZ1's, ZX1000's, etc.
One of the biggest complaints you hear today about new bikes is their horrible exhaust systems.  As riders, we've been tossing exhaust systems since the day of the flood, so I fail to see how their choice in an exhaust system is a big deal.  
The lower handlebars probably make the bike more uncomfortable.  'Nuff said about that.  A 600lb pseudo race replica?  Yeah, right.
The ONLY reason the V&H bike has a 17" front rim is to accept race rubber.  That's it.  The bike handles WORSE with a 17" wheel.  Seriously, there's an article in Cycle World right now that supports this statement.  The bike handles fine, why does it have to have a 17" rim??
As I stated earlier, the V&H tail section simply does not look "Better" than the OE tail section.  It looks Japanese, that's all.
Throw the V&H system on a stock bike (Something many owners will do anyway) and you have a winner.

[atadaskew]

 
The lower handlebars probably make the bike more uncomfortable.  'Nuff said about that. ...

Throw the V&H system on a stock bike (Something many owners will do anyway) and you have a winner.

About the handlebars, I rode one with the standard bars and found it too wide and too high for me.  IMO it made the bike less comfortable than it should be for its purpose.  It felt like it was a sporty bike but someone thought they had to put cruiser bars on it, maybe to expand its appeal?

Anyway, you're right.  The bulk of the changes are two easy fixes  - the pipe and the bars.
Interesting info about the 17' wheel making the bike handle worse.  I was under the impression that that was because they jacked up the rear with much longer shocks, not because of the smaller diameter wheel.
Just for street use, having a 17 on the front would vastly expand the selection of tyres.

[staedtler]

 



the italians were tricking them even more back in 08...both rims, brakes, forks, clamps, pistons, the frkn kitcn sink...

[atadaskew]

1st video was spoiled by some crappy music so you couldn't hear the bikes.

2nd one - cool.  Damn that's a large grid!