Americana, badass cruiser, dollops of chrome, absolute freedom, and the spirit of the open road are the ideals that the name Harley-Davidson conjures up. Terms like precise handling and blistering performance aren’t exactly anyone’s first thoughts when it comes to this motorcycle maker. Which is rather strange, given Harley’s stellar racing legacy in flat-track and road racing. And of course, on the dragstrip. And then, one fine day in 2010, the engineering boys from Milwaukee decided to pump this racing DNA into the absolute brute we know today as the XR1200X.
As flat track racing started to grow in popularity in the mid-2000s, Harley-Davidson Europe was aching for a European-based model from Harley instead of the US-targeted ones. The Euro-dudes wanted an air-cooled, big V-twin that wasn’t just about peg scraping, but instead had genuine performance capabilities. They hoped this would appeal to the European market and attract younger riders into the brand. Harley responded by taking visual inspiration from their fleet of flat track racers and crafted something very unlike the whole chubby cruiser image. Enter the XR1200, their sportiest mass-produced road bike to date.
The XR1200X Broke Away From Traditional Harley Styling
The XR showed a ton of promise when it arrived on the scene in 2008. Gone were the chrome accents, old-fashioned peanut-style tank, sissy bars, chrome fender supports, and all the other 1950s styling cues that graced Harley’s other Sportsters. The bodywork was bathed in sleek plastic, designed to recall the XR750 flat-track racer. There was even a one-make race series to demonstrate that this wasn’t just some show-pony but could actually be taken on track (if you had the cojones, of course). The XR certainly seemed to fulfill the brief.
Harley-Davidson did, of course, get a ton of flak when it designed the XR1200 for European markets and didn’t sell it here. Overwhelmed by angry letters and pitchforks, Harley finally conceded and put the XR1200 in U.S. dealerships back in 2011. But it wouldn’t be enough and Harley already knew that. Ergo some pot sweetening was much required. Enter the beast that is the XR1200X.
The XR1200X Was Even More Performance-Focused Than The XR1200
Built on the pedigree of the standard XR1200 that it replaced, the new X bumped up performance by focusing on handling and suspension personalization. Inverted 43mm Showa Big Piston forks utilized the same spring rates as previous models but the damping characteristics were tuned to work with the Dunlop Qualifier D209 front tire that was specifically designed for the XR models. Compression and rebound adjustment screws were introduced at the top of the fork tubes with spring preload adjustments down at the axle holder. At the rear, fully adjustable twin Showa shocks with 32mm pistons and piggyback nitrogen-charged reservoirs added to the overall precision. Compression and rebound damping had easy-to-access thumb knobs and were complemented by spring preload collars for quick tuning.
Unique to the XR1200X’s air-cooled, four-valve 1,203cc Evolution V-twin were oil-cooled heads. It also had an electronically controlled active intake system and an upswept 2-1-2 exhaust finished in satin black. Output was further boosted by a 10:1 compression ratio, high-performance cams, and 50mm downdraft throttle body injectors.
It Had More Precise Handling Than Any Harley Before It
But unfortunately, in the showrooms, it fell flat on its face. Sports bike riders refused to be enticed by a Harley while Harley owners didn’t have a clue about what to do with something that athletic. The XR fell out of favor, sales plummeted and production stopped for the model range after just five short years in 2013. Which is when, ironically, it suddenly became popular. As the ‘hipster’ culture grew and customization and flat-track became the new name of the game, the XR1200 suddenly found itself bang on fashion. It was a supremely cool-looking bike from Harley that had an air-cooled engine, flat bars and lots of potential for individualisation – the perfect recipe for any plaid-clad, fancy coffee swilling fur-face.
Fast-forward almost a decade ahead and the company's tune has dramatically changed. It's finally facing the reality of an aging customer base and new-age ‘hipsters’ barely having any lust for big, burly motorcycles. In turn, Harley is making strategic moves to try and rejuvenate its image. Harley scooters, pushbikes, the Pan America, or even the Streetfighter are attempts to claw back some of the attention from a generation with a severe attention deficit. But deep down, none of these Harley “innovations” feel all that special. But if Harley decides to reintroduce a modern-day XR, that’s the bike that would have the biggest potential of appealing to the seasoned enthusiasts. It’s already dripping with legacy and brutish charm.
The XR1200X Was Far Ahead Of Its Time
Harley already has an entire collection of modernized V-twins. So, it wouldn't take much effort to tune one up into a more performance-oriented state and chuck it on the XR. The bike still looks stunning and doesn't need any major updates to be relevant and exciting by today's standards. Finding the limits on a sporting machine certainly is a rewarding experience. And the XR1200X is one Harley that allows you to flirt with the edge without hurtling into the foliage like a wayward tumbleweed.