I had a adventitious to booty a ride on the fresh 2009 Harley-Davidson XR1200 Sportster, so I jumped at the befalling to ride this avant-garde booty on an American classic.
It's been a while aback I've ridden a Sportster—I've been benumbed mostly sportbikes and sport-tourers lately, so I wasn't absolutely abiding what to expect. I accept to accept I was abundantly afraid by the power, handling, actualization and all-embracing affection of the XR1200
Appearance
Whether you like the looks or not, the 2009 Harley-Davidson XR1200 Sportster is an amazing attention-getter. People chock-full to ask about the bike, and added motorcyclists did quick U-turns to analysis out the bike and ask questions while we were cutting photos.
Fair warning: this bike isn't actual subtle, so you aren't actual catlike while applique about town. You adeptness appetite to accumulate that in apperception afore you do annihilation 'unexpected' with the XR1200.
Controls
The controls are appealing abundant area I accepted to acquisition them. The turn-signal controls were fresh to me and the manual- and self-canceling affection was not what I was acclimatized to, but I grew accustomed with them bound enough. The XR1200 is able with simple, yet anatomic instrumentation.
The handlebars are advanced compared to the bikes I usually ride, but it took alone a few moments to get acclimated to the setup. I've ridden abounding accepted bikes in years accomplished so this had a actual natural, adequate feel that evoked able memories of accomplished rides.
Riding impressions
I'd abandoned how attenuated Sportsters were. The benumbed position acquainted actual accustomed and the bench was adequate during my abbreviate ride (I'm about 5'9" tall.)
The brakes formed well. They hauled the XR1200 bottomward from aerial acceleration in a big hurry, and the ascendancy seemed excellent. I didn't apprehension any cogent achromatize in abbreviate tests; that will accept to delay for our abounding alley test.
Yeah, the agent is still a paint-shaker, but the agent abreast arrangement makes it added of a concern than a above annoyance. The accordance at the footpegs accomplish the bike a bottom massager at 2000 RPM and a 'foot tingler' at 4000 rpm. Beating mostly disappears at college RPMs acknowledgment to the abreast system. The mirrors were appreciably accessible because the apparent beating levels at some rpm ranges—not absolutely bright but absolutely added good than expected.
I charge say I absence the adeptness to ability bottomward and blow my duke on a naked bike's motor while cruising—there's article abatement about affecting the motor through gloved hands, activity the twin's adeptness pulses added anon than usual. Brings aback memories of my youth...
The bike runs like a afraid rabbit. There's affluence of adeptness on tap from aloof off abandoned to redline. The agent revs eagerly; I bounced off the redline in aboriginal and additional added times that I appetite to accept (hey—I'm not attractive at the tach—I'm watching the road!) I bound abstruse to adjudicator agent RPMs by sound, giving the rev limiter a well-deserved rest.
What about the transmission? Shifting was brittle but not the cleanest I've tried—I anticipation it was a actual appropriate gearbox. Clutch activity was absolutely nice and progressive, with a bland assurance and action. There were times back it was adamantine to acquisition aloof at idle, though. The manual kept jumping beeline from aboriginal to additional or additional to first—a slight bleep of the burke while hunting for aloof apparent that problem, but I admiration why it should appear in the aboriginal place.
Handling
Handling was ablaze and neutral. A bit slow-feeling at low speeds, but hey, this bike weighs about 600 lbs. decrepit wet. The advanced handlebars fabricated for accessible council at low speeds, though. The XR1200 was actual abiding at speed, with aloof confidence-inspiring administration during my abbreviate back-country ride. The banal tires offered accomplished alley feel and grip, and there's abounding arena approval for all but the best advancing benumbed styles. I managed to scrape the pegs already about a actual bound right-hand about-face but that was the alone time.
Miscellaneous bits
I begin the kickstand a bit touchy—it absolutely wants to cast up with actual little movement off the stand, so I had to be actual accurate to anticipate a tip-over.
The burke cable had far too abundant comedy for my tastes. I didn't accept time to acclimatize it.
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