Issue #255 Getting A Bead on the XR1200
Written by Nancy Irwin   
Tuesday, 06 October 2009
From the moment I got on Harley-Davidson’s XR1200 Sportster, I thought of it as a pitbull—all muscle, no frivolities. Even the instruments are lean. There’s a dial tach in bold with a small digital speedo on the side. The idiot lights are tiny, as are the turn signal lights—nothing to distract, everything sparse. For someone who spends the majority of her riding time on a classic big BMW enduro, the XR1200 is the most difficult bike I’ve handled in years.
I had to get used to its street-biased suspension, but before I did the bumps and pot holes of downtown Toronto would have me lurching as I accidentally twisted the throttle.
I couldn’t help but think of the BMW HP2 I’d taken for a test ride just recently. Though it’s an extremely powerful and fast bike, I felt in total control of it from the moment I got on. Obviously, I needed to get the Harley under my control too if I was ever going to enjoy it.
I’d been wanting to ride a “new” Sportster since the line’s rubber-mounted engine was introduced in 2004. I was curious to learn whether or not I would be able to see anything in the rear view mirrors at idle. I’m happy to report, on the 2009 model, I could. In fact, there is very little vibration at all in the mirrors, despite the massive engine pulsing below.
But the XR1200 is clearly a muscle bike, of a type I had never ridden before. It’s also something I flat out enjoyed—once I got the hang of it.
The narrow diameter grips are easy to grasp, and so are the large clutch and brake levers, which have a slight bend to make them accessible to small hands. And when I tiptoe on the pegs so my knees can clutch the gas tank,I find myself in a happy riding position. This Harley doesn’t have that ridiculous (okay, I’ve said it) honking-great air filter that requires the right leg to be bent out into the breeze. The air intake is tucked neatly under the tank, a European design assistance perhaps?
As time passed I really began to enjoy the Sportster though I found it was an acquired taste. As I gathered confidence, I started using the throttle. Soon I was slowing for amber lights, to be the first at a red, which means first at the green. Wow, can this bike rocket! Zero to 40 in two seconds or so it seemed. I’d run it to second and 60 and then drop the throttle to avoid tickets.
In all the excitement that came from riding the bike that is Harley’s tribute to its flat tracking history, I thought of Don Taylor, a local flat track racer whom I met last winter at a bike show. At age 23, he has now entered the US ... meaning the international class. He rides an XR 750 Sportster (the XR1200’s direct influence), for which he turns his own wrenches. The Welland, Ontario resident has been sponsored for years by Clare’s H-D of Niagara, but now has Deeley on his side (along with others).
In 2008 he won the Canadian Motorcycle Association’s Number One plate for the fifth consecutive year and during his career he has broken all existing records for dirt track. However, he had expected his debut in the US Grand Nationals would be a whole different game as he diced with the world’s best in 450 Expert and Open Twin classes. But he’s had numerous top 10 finishes in the 14-round AMA flat track series since it kicked off in Daytona in March.
Don is living a dream. He’s been racing since he was 12 on the Niagara Motorcycle Raceway where he moved into the 450 Expert and Open Expert categories. A gas fitter by trade, he’s also putting the finishing touches on his apprenticeship as a refrigeration mechanic. He works Monday to Friday, then squeezes in racing on the weekends. Imagine leaving for Tennessee on Friday after work, racing Saturday and driving home on Sunday? Good thing he’s only 23. Don invests all his sponsorship money into racing and 90 per cent of what he earns, as he cuts costs by living with his parents who got him into racing in the first place. They supported him for years. Now he pays the way but has taken over 95 per cent of their garage—yet another risk in having kids!
I asked if the 750 is faster than the 1200, wondering what it must be like on the track. Don says he doesn’t know because he has not yet sampled the XR1200. In fact, he doesn’t have a street licence. He’s a guy full of heart who says that some day when he retires from racing he’d like to help up-and-coming riders and perhaps form a team. For now he’s thrilled to be a professional racer. But unlike many other pro-level competitors, he holds a day job.
As for me, I’m back to reality and my enduro which, as an all-purpose touring bike, the XR1200 can never replace. But as a blast-around-town machine, what a ride!
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