I didn't completely fall off the wagon, perhaps slipped off to the side a bit. This isn't replacing anything in the stable, just an additional bike in another category. The ST1300 will still serve as my primary bike and touring mount. The KLR may have to share short ride and around town duties, though. (The DRZ is still my unused off road bike. Maybe it needs a more appreciative, or dirt capable, owner...)
The new bike is a 2012 Harley Davidson XR1200X. (
http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Content/Pages/2012-Motorcycles/sportster/xr1200x/xr1200x.html) Mine's the black model. Most people, including the “Harley guys,” have never seen one. Harley is discontinuing US distribution of this model, so I figured I'd better act now if I wanted a new one. This is probably as close to a sport bike as HD comes. The XR1200 was initially introduced for the European market, and later (2009) offered domestically. It was upgraded to the XR1200X in 2011 with fully adjustable Showa front and rear suspension (preload, compression and rebound damping,) floating brake discs, and a few other improvements (the blacked out engine hasn't changed internally, but looks better in my opinion.) The 1200 Evo engine has apparently been breathed on a little, as it puts out ninety horsepower and seventy-four ft-lb of torque.
I first saw these when the motorcycle magazines were bemoaning yet another bike that the Europeans could buy but was unavailable in the USA. I've watched them race the last couple of years at Indy in the AMA Pro/Vance and Hines (
http://www.vanceandhines.com/xr1200/) series, and had the chance to get a closer look in August when the XR paddock was open to public view. In race trim, the XR1200 looks a bit like a grownup XR750 flat tracker. Everyone uses the same equipment in the XR1200 series, which makes for fairly tight racing.
The local dealer didn't have a bike in stock, but did have a used '09. It hadn't “been through the shop” yet, wasn't available for a test ride, and no one seemed to care about a guy who was interested in a non-traditional HD. Fortunately, Cary had a contact at an independent shop who was aware of a used bike at the Topeka dealership. After a couple of phone calls, Desmo Steve and I drove to Topeka (where they seemed more accommodating) a little over a week ago for a test ride. (Great people at Topeka HD, by the way. They also have a pretty good BBQ restaurant in their building.)
The bike handles well, has really good power, and is fun to ride. The ergonomics are a bit tighter than the ST, but it felt pretty comfortable after a couple of miles. The engine is surprisingly smooth, especially once you reach 3K. And, it's just plain cool. (A frivolous point in many instances, but a legitimate consideration for motorcycles.)
I wanted a new 1200 “X” model; upgrading the '09 suspension would have added at least $2K to the used bike price and new is, well, new. The Topeka dealer found a new bike for me in Nebraska, close enough to trailer back without encountering additional freight charges.
Desmo Steve and I made the trip back to Topeka today in the pickup truck, and hauled the XR home. (I didn't want to start the break-in of a new air cooled engine at eighty miles per hour on the Kansas turnpike.) Steve thinks that I should invest in the race kit (
http://vanceandhines.com/xr1200racing/race-kit/) that Vance and Hines offers for the AMA Pro series, but then he does have a history of enabling irrational behavior.