Aaron Frank makes me want to vomit. The guy is a complete tool.
Also, once again a H-D that isn't competitive without twisting the rules to favor them. Why don't they just race it against other aircooled bikes, if any are racing and find out how bad it really is. It will only be competitive in a class of its own.
You ain't had yourass smoked till you get smoked by a kid (RIP Peter Lentz) on a banged up RS.
The Europeans and Asians still recognize that a bike does not have be 1000+ cc to be a motorcycle....and some of the "little tiddlers" are pretty freakin' fast.
I put 100 miles on my CR yesterday, 9,000 miles in a year! The S1 has been sitting for a year now, needs new intake and exhaust seals, isolators, belt, clutch... and a Mikuni. All the parts except the Mikuni.
Harley-Davidson XR1200 vs. Kawasaki Z1000 vs. MV Agusta Brutale 990 R - Comparison Test
Dyno results were mirrored in our acceleration testing conducted at the dragstrip. Even when nailing a wheel-floating holeshot, the XR took 2 seconds longer to move its mass through a standing quarter-mile than the very closely matched inline-Fours. An unfair matchup, it would seem, underscored by its 119-mph measured top speed being well shy of the 129-mph dragstrip terminal speeds posted by the Z1000 and Brutale
Harley-Davidson XR1200 vs. Kawasaki Z1000 vs. MV Agusta Brutale 990 R - Comparison Test
A 600lb cruiser vs a nakid super bike vs a more extreme nakid super bike?
We all own Buell sport bikes and many folks are racers on this forum. Many of us are still pissed with HD.
Read the test reports of the XR in real world conditions. The jaded sports journalists were shocked at how good it was on the street. Same guys that thrashed our 1125s.
It's obvious why the XR1200 is such a low performer. It is heavy. It uses a detuned Thunderstorm engine.
H-D likes to brag about the torque on their V-twins. Well excuse me! Today's modern engines already have torque equal to or greater than their V-twins!
I always wonder what H-D uses as their "standard" in terms of performance. Today's standards of measuring performance is so much higher than theirs, which leads me to the conclusion that H-D live in another era and don't care to open their eyes and listen to the rest of the world. Either that or they just can't build anything competitive because they don't know how. I mean, they just shutdown the ONLY division they had that could produce high performance bikes which can compete in the world stage. Go figure.
The "naked superbike" (the Kawasaki) only has 125hp. My Triumph Sprint ST sport touring bike matches that. Hardly a superbike, imo
I think those jaded sports journalists just like to feel nostalgic. I sent a friend to test ride a XR1200. He was extremely disappointed in it. Since, he's bought a Ulysses touring model and more recently a 1125CR. Loves them both.
Nope, I haven't ridden a XR1200, but limited cornering and a top speed of 119 mph = dog in my book
I'm no defender of H-D but it should be pointed out that the XR1200 was never intended to the US market but rather for Europe exclusively. It wasn't until US riders - including CycleWorld - demanded that they bring it here.
And like all Europe-only bikes that are brought over based on rider demand, no one bought them.