| Author | Message | ||
     Towjam |
Harley announced the the US release of the XR1200 for the US today. Orders will be taken starting today through Dec. 15th - or until the first 750 are pre-sold. I wonder how much impact this will have on XB sales...? | ||
| 4cammer |
$$$$$?? | ||
| Towjam |
From the dealer announcement.... Model Model Code Colors Sugg. Retail -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- XR1200 - DOM 1LA619 Denim, Pearl $11,079 Vivid Black $10,799 -------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------- XR1200 - CAL 1LA639 Denim, Pearl $11,179 Vivid Black $10,899 Pre-orders can be placed for the first 750 models between 21 Nov 08 until 15 Dec 08 or when the first 750 models released have been claimed. the bikes release will be held at the IMS show in Long Beach, Ca on 5 Dec 08. Scott Parker and the "King of Cool" Kenny Coolbeth will be on hand for autographs and introduction. | ||
| Anonymous |
As for the impact on XB sales: the least expensive XR1200 is $800 more than a black XB12S, which weighs 100 pounds less and will beat it senseless in every performance category, and only $900 less than a 1125CR which will eat it alive without even a whiff of fur left. The XR isn't a motorcycle, it's an intelligence test. | ||
| 4cammer |
"The XR isn't a motorcycle, it's an intelligence test." Wow....though I do see your point. I will have a XR1200, but in a few years after they sit on the sales floor or in a garage of a fella tired of hearing "get a real Harley". The XR is a neat concept, but I think one that should have been applied to the solid mount Evo bikes and not the way overweight rubber bikes. Stortz showed how it could be done years ago, even sold the name, but the Motor Company gave us a too heavy, too fake XR "inspired" bike. Good try, but I look forward to the first XR1200 rider that tries to take my little XB9R in a corner. | ||
| Towjam |
As for the impact on XB sales: the least expensive XR1200 is $800 more than a black XB12S, which weighs 100 pounds less and will beat it senseless in every performance category, and only $900 less than a 1125CR which will eat it alive without even a whiff of fur left. The XR isn't a motorcycle, it's an intelligence test. Ouch. A little harsh, doncha' think? However, I do think you're right - the typical Buell XB rider is probably not going to be wow'ed by the performance of the XR. And on the other hand, the XR buyer is probably not interested in a higher maintenance, water cooled bike like the CR. (Not to mention the aggressive ergos of a stock CR.) That said, if a younger buyer - or someone not wanting to settle for typical cruiser handling walks into an HD dealership, which bike do you think the typical Harley salesperson is going to point them to? Just sayin'.... | ||
| Court |
>>>>The XR isn't a motorcycle, it's an intelligence test. I absolutely agree. I think they'll sell out in a hurry but let's be honest it's the two wheel equivalent of buying a "Rolex" in Tijuana. The ONLY reason to buy an XR1200 if for the poseur value, looks and looks along. It doesn't handle particularly well and no better than the Sportster I bought for $3,995.00 in 1987. It's not particularly powerful or fast. It's brakes are pedestrian at best. What it is, Ala the Springer, is a grasp at nostalgia offered to a group that has a proven track record of buying things like leather jackets made in the Honduras with HARLEY-DAVIDSON embossed on the back. That being said . . . as a huge old time fan of the REAL XR's I kinda like the looks. Frankly. . . it someone could have kept the feds out of the mix and they didn't have to put that stupid looking pipe on it you could have a decent looking bike. It's not far off base to say
How would you. . . . challenged at the local "hang" explain why you bought it? | ||
| Madduck |
Buying one is easy, I know five people that have dropped checks at dealers already for full amount. Those of us that grew up around the dirt track racing in Illinois will cherish this all Harley version. I expect this to be very popular with dealers that run AMA dirttrack race teams. Mine will come next year when the people with real clout have gotten theirs. Explaining why I bought it will be easy, I intend to park it in my garage with all my collections from 25 years of dirt track racing experiences ie posters, signed racing shirts and the five landspeed records we have on the teams XR750s. Life is very very good. | ||
| Court |
THAT . . . I can accept and admire! | ||
| Towjam |
The ONLY reason to buy an XR1200 if for the poseur value, looks and looks along. Court, I usually agree with you 99.99% of the time on just about any topic. But, this would be the 00.01% time I disagree. There are those (and I am one) who want better handling/performance than what most cruiser-class bike can provide - but aren't that enamored with streetfighters or sport bikes. We're not looking for tourers or a Charley/Ewan long way down dual sport - just something that will a blast to ride on the weekends. The XR reviews (at least in the US press) have been pretty positive. Cycle World even went as far as to say, After reluctantly handing the keys back, one thing was crystal clear: Everyone here who rode the bike was very impressed. Not only did most of us think it was the best Sportster ever, some even dared call it the best Harley ever! Don't get me wrong, I'm not an HD apologist and I have owned 4 Buells - but I think that referring to the XR as nothing more than a poseur is selling it far short. And in the spirit of full disclosure, I do have one pre-ordered. | ||
| Court |
I can kinda go along with that as well. I guess my beef is with the folks who are passing this exercise in aesthetics off as the "new Harley-Davidson performance bike". There is nothing performance about it. I'd be a candidate, based solely on my nostalgic affinity for Sportsters (yeah, I bought 3 in one day in 1988) for another Sportster. In fact, I can dangerously close a couple weeks ago. If I bought one it'd be the bare bones, bottom of the line 883. | ||
| Madduck |
Court, I bought a nightster, added forward control, mini apes and the primary from the 883. That is the closest i will ever get to owning a chopper. It is an abosolute hoot to ride and it will toast damn near anything from stoplight to stoplight. My ULY is easily my favorite bike and if I was restricted to only one bike that would be it. With my next two motorcycle purchases the garage will be full and I will be done collecting. Adding a 1125R for bonneville in next couple of years, race bikes don't count in totals, do they?? | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
i can buy any number of Japanese 600's for considerably less yen than a Buell, air- or liquid-cooled, that will equal (or beat) said Buell in any meaningful performance test. if our purchasing decisions were based solely on outright performance, Buell (and Harley) sales would immediately drop to zero. kudos to Harley (and Buell) for continuing to offer interesting choices in motorcycles in these trying economic times. the new XR isn't particularly me, but i'd own one given the money and garage space, and i would relish the opportunity to attempt to spank a Buell enthusiast's arse with it. :-) FB (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 23, 2008) | ||
| Black |
I say, "Good for Harley"! Maybe this bike will be a first step for Harley riders to get interested in motorcycles and motorcycle performance again instead of the motorcycle as a life style statement. Buell riders know the difference. Anyway, Harley needs to sell every bike they can. | ||
| Court |
Interesting that they TRIED to introduce it during the BEST economic times in history and blew it . . . thus tossing themselves into an intro that occurred on the same day as the largest decline in homebuilding in history. Maybe they stumbled into something but I'm not seeing the frugal opting for a $10,000 Sportster. They'll sell out to collectors who'd buy them at $5,000 or $20,000. | ||
| Slaughter |
I don't understand that whole concept... If you're just going for style points without regard to handling or performance, there are other Sportster variants that don't pretend to have performance - the Nightster comes to mind. Move along... nothing to see here... | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
yo naysayers, pull the blinders back at least a little bit, and try to see what you're really seeing when you look at this bike. better yet, somebody please buy one, wring it out and give your honest opinion. did not Cycle World give this machine high marks in its recent review? dissing this bike based on perception and not on actual seat time holds no more merit in my book than folks who diss Buells without ever having ridden one. | ||
| Crackhead |
wtf?? i though the xr1200 was part of a big internet spam thing. it is real? wtf is harley thinking? harley needs to stay the F away form sports bikes. They bough Buell to fill the sports bike nitch. The xr looks like it was made in a scrap yard out of what ever parts could be found. humm sportster gas tank, buell engine, jap frame, kaw wheels, the exhaust looks like the pipe bender broke half way though and the enginers. and they said, looks good enough. i love the looks of the V-Rod but the xr looks like  | ||
| Black |
You know, a while back I got my 1125 inspected at a local (Virginia) Harley (only) dealership. I went in and paid for the inspection. When I went back to the service area, they had moved my bike. I asked where it was and the head of the service department told me that it was outside with "..the real Harleys." He was not smiling. No problem, I told him that when I got old like him, I would buy one. I am older than him, by the way. Like I said, I am glad Harley is selling a sportier machine. Your normal Harley enthusiast is not going to buy a Buell. I hope they sell lots of them. That keeps the Buell division in business too. Maybe the XR 1200 will make some of them look at Buells. Anyway, if you don't like how Harley does business, buy some stock. Companies listen to shareholders even when they don't listen to customers. Go to their web site under the Shareholders section. You can buy stock direct without a broker. Make 'em listen at the shareholders meeting! | ||
| Madduck |
Court, I've got a couple of friends in finance and was told that about 40% of the usa is not anywhere near a recession. The current recession is largely confined to either coast and the southwest area around phoenix. Those of us in the midwest are doing about as well as always. Local Harley dealers seem to be having a better winter sales year than the last couple around hear due to uptick in farm income. XR1200 maybe designed to sell where there are customers?? | ||
| Court |
>>>Those of us in the midwest are doing about as well as always. I'd echo that for most of the country. Although I'm sure lots of the Wall Streeters would argue, particularly the Lehman folks and perhaps the 40,000 postal workers let go. I'm like you in that if you'd mentioned any economic slowdown 90 days ago folks would have laughed at you. The XR1200 was most certainly, like Bounty paper towels and Ragu sauce, designed to sell where there are customers. The bike was designed in about 2003 with the intent of being confined to Europe. It stumbled, as a result of internal bickering and politics over some engineering bugs that seemed to elude resolution and was eventually rolled out two years late. The US intro is a bit of an after though and the limited numbers, with HD stock opening at $12.63 a share today (down from $42.80 just two months ago prior to the US release) and following last Thursday when Harley-Davidson lost 11.79% of it's value on trading activity that was twice the normal rate. . . I see the XR1200 as a rolling weathervane. Some pockets of HD dealers are doing okay but nationally we're seeing some of the long established legends begin to drop. Santa Cruz closed their doors a couple weeks ago, the dealer in St. Louis is sweetening bike purchased by giving buyers stock and this showed up last week.
It's going to be an interesting next 3 years. I'm afraid we're far enough into this, and with no greater hope than leftovers from the Clinton White House, we're left to ride this thing out. I'd guess given the very small number of XR1200's planned that they'll sell out quickly and, as a result of that small number, have little effect on HOG. It's going to be an interesting ride and interesting to see if the same group who rode this to the top can manage on rough seas. | ||
| Husky |
All is not good in the corn/soy bean belt either. Have any of you been following these futures? MANY of the farmers are stuck with such a poor market for their harvest that they cannot pay the loans they took out for their in costs. Husky | ||
| Madduck |
All may be looking up for me, dealer friend says I can definitely get one. Pulled the trigger and will see if it arrives. Life does get more interesting as you accumulate years and friends. | ||
| Towjam |
Interesting comparo of the XR vs the KTM Super Duke in this Motorcyclist shootout: http://tinyurl.com/62hfor "...Anyone who knows which foot the steel shoe goes on will pine for the XR1200 and lay down cash money the day it materializes in their local showroom. And if such a deal could be done for, say, $12,000, bring lunch and a lawn chair. It's going to be a long line." | ||
| Trojan |
As for the impact on XB sales: the least expensive XR1200 is $800 more than a black XB12S, which weighs 100 pounds less and will beat it senseless in every performance category, and only $900 less than a 1125CR which will eat it alive without even a whiff of fur left. The XR isn't a motorcycle, it's an intelligence test. If performance was the only prerequisite then the potential buyer wouldn't be in a Halrey/Buell showroom to start with. Lots of motorcycle buyers want a bike that satisfies their idea of good looks, practicality and performance for their needs. Whether this is a Royal Enfield 350 or a Hayabusa is a matter for the individual customer to choose what he/she prefers and it is pretty arrogant to suggest that anything other than a Buell is an unintelligent choice. As for other comments made here about XR1200 performance I think you should all wait until you have had the chance to actually ride one before making such comments, because in most areas you are wrong  It is certainly very different to any Sportster you will have ridden in the past that's for sure. Performance isn't all about top speed or 1/4 mile times, and 99% of customers won't use the full performance that modern bikes are capable of anyway. Braking performance is certainly equal to or better than the XB even with the extra weight the bike carries and the fact that it has 'old tech' fixed rotors (easily changed) and 'non radial calipers' (shared with the Honda SP1 and early Foreblades so not too tacky!). We have swapped the rotors for Galfer wave floating discs and added braided brake hoses and the brakes are now superb! As for comments such as: The ONLY reason to buy an XR1200 if for the poseur value, looks and looks along. It doesn't handle particularly well and no better than the Sportster I bought for $3,995.00 in 1987. It's not particularly powerful or fast. I think you are a being a bit premature Court. Remember you denied the existence of the XR1200 only a few very short months ago It is not designed to be a match for the XB but a totally different bike. Forget the tenuous flat track link, because that is just a styling and marketing exercise. This bike has more in common with other 'retro naked' bikes such as the Triumph Thruxton and Moto Guzzi 1200 Sport and if you treat it as such it is actually extremely good. Power is down against the XB but is better than the opposition in its market segemnt, and is easily improved with some easy airbox and exhaust mods. Handling is a LOT better than your old 1987 Sportster would ever have been I can assure you (even with the pathetic OE rear shocks fitted and with the belt tension interfering with the suspension movement). Our XR1200 now handles and goes like it should have done in the first place, and now weighs 55lb less than when new! It won't beat an XB12 or an 1125R but so what? In my opinion the styling is better and it suits my 6'2" frame better than the XB does. The XR1200 is certainly not perfect, and some parts such as the exhaust are truly hideous, but I am sure thatH-D realise that most customers will junk that for an aftermarket item anyway. And let's face it, Buell exhausts are hardly aesthetically pleasing are they  The biggest reason why the XR1200 will sell like hot cakes is the name on the badge and the attitude of dealers. It will not sit at the back of the shop like teh Buell range, and nor will it frighten sales personnel who don't understand Buells. When it comes to a choice a lot of H-D salesman will feel more comfortable selling this bike than any of the Buell range. Likewise a lot of customers will feel the same, regardless of how good the Buell range gets. You only have to check out other motorcycling forums to see how far Buell has yet to go in order to reach the same reputation as the parent company, especially with 'outsiders' who are the target buyer of the XR1200. | ||
| Sarodude |
Well, I guess that the 1125r is just a fake Aprillia. -Saro | ||
| Madduck |
Mine is on order, waiting for delivery confirmation. Will probably need some accesories from Trojan in the spring. The nightster is already sold and difference is only a couple of grand. Yea me. Life is good. | ||
| Towjam |
Will probably need some accesories from Trojan in the spring. Here's the current XR accessory list from HD UK. http://accessories.harley-davidson.com/sportster/x r1200_accessories/default.aspx These accessories will also be available for sale here when the XRs start arriving into dealers late January. | ||
| Trojan |
H-D UK have just announced a televised national 10 round XR1200 race series for 2009 that will run as a support race to the British Superbike championship. Prize money is expected to be in the region of GBP70,000 (US$105,000) for the year and they expect to announce 'guest' riders from the US such as Jay Springsteen and Chris Carr in addition to some high profile 'names' from the UK race scene. Bikes will be bought direct from dealers in race spec (same as the Italian Xr1200 cup bikes) and they apparently have 80% of UK dealers willing to field teams (although I would beleive that when it actually happens - we had 90% of UK dealers promising teams in Thunderbike in 2006, not one entered when it came time to put the money up! Maybe H-D carry a bigger stick than us ). What this does show is the enormous gap between Buell & Harley Davidson UK/Europe when it comes to getting things done and making high profile advertising and marketing statements. Similar series are expected to run in France, Germany, Italy and Spain next year. Incidentally Spain already have a 4 round XR1200 cup in operation in 2008, with the final round taking place at Valencia in December. Anyone who thinks that the XR1200 is going to go away any time soon is sadly mistaken. | ||
| Reepicheep |
If I paint an XB12TT orange and black, and put on some high sweep pipes, think I could sneak it into field? |
