HD XR1200 (HD lovers you may want to skip this)

[derf]

Originally Posted by marko138

Give it a shot, brother. The electric starter on my meager 1203cc vtwin gets taxed very quickly.

Originally Posted by Gas Man

The problem derf is that they are huge and usually have high compression. Take my chop for example. It ran 11:1 compression and was a 117 Cubic Inch motor. That's like 1950 cc's. I can't even imagine kicking that... WOW!!

Ummm, no shit. I was trying to imply that you need to be a huge ass steroid'd up shwarteneger type to be able to kick it over

[Gas Man]

Originally Posted by derf

Ummm, no shit. I was trying to imply that you need to be a huge ass steroid'd up shwarteneger type to be able to kick it over

I don't even think a a juiced up guido from your neighborhood could do it.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Gas Man

I don't even think a a juiced up guido from your neighborhood could do it.

That's cause they are all 5'2

[marko138]

Originally Posted by Dave

That's cause they are all 5'2

For serious.

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by Dave

That's cause they are all 5'2

Derf could probably suck start it!

[tommymac]

Originally Posted by Amber Lamps

I'm just saying that I've owned Harleys previously, that's all. heck, if it would get you out of Pa, I might consider it for that reason alone.

We can all chip in to make that happen

[Dnyce]

Originally Posted by nhgunnut

I can't say I am familiar but i believe there is a compression release used in some of these

true, most of the big engine twins have compression releases (probably to make those electric starters last longer lol)

ive bent a few kick start levers, and a output shaft, before i decided fuck kickstarting anything hi performance ever again

[Gas Man]

Oh very true. And most are electric.

[No Worries]

Originally Posted by nhgunnut

...Some of you who know me know that one of my goals is to build a 70's era Cafe Style bike. I have been intrigued by the HD XR1200 since it came here to the states. It looks almost like an out of the box Cafe (squint a little and imagine it with a set of clip ons and a Quarter Faring )...

Getting back to the original post, Cycle World tested the XR1200 in their July, 2009 issue. CW said it was "maybe the best overall HD ever." They also said "It's a bike that can do it all and do it well, from carving up a serpentine country road with remarkable ease to cruising comfortably on an interstate highway and just about everything in between."

As for building a 70's era cafe bike, I compared my 79 GS1000 specs against the XR1200:

Dry weight: XR: 564 lbs. GS: 507lbs.
Wheelbase: XR: 60.0 inches. GS: 59.3 inches
HP: XR: 79.2 @ 7,000 RPM. GS: 85 @ 8,000 RPM.
Torque: XR: 68.7 @ 3,600. GS: 59 @ 6,500.
1/4 mile: XR: 12.13. GS: 12.0.

The XR is like a 70's era bike. But if I had a friend who wanted to build a cafe bike I would tell him to get a 1980 or so GS1100. They were quicker than the 1200 Bandit.

[Phenix_Rider]

Originally Posted by No Worries

Getting back to the original post, Cycle World tested the XR1200 in their July, 2009 issue. CW said it was "maybe the best overall HD ever." They also said "It's a bike that can do it all and do it well, from carving up a serpentine country road with remarkable ease to cruising comfortably on an interstate highway and just about everything in between."

As for building a 70's era cafe bike, I compared my 79 GS1000 specs against the XR1200:

Dry weight: XR: 564 lbs. GS: 507lbs.
Wheelbase: XR: 60.0 inches. GS: 59.3 inches
HP: XR: 79.2 @ 7,000 RPM. GS: 85 @ 8,000 RPM.
Torque: XR: 68.7 @ 3,600. GS: 59 @ 6,500.
1/4 mile: XR: 12.13. GS: 12.0.

The XR is like a 70's era bike. But if I had a friend who wanted to build a cafe bike I would tell him to get a 1980 or so GS1100. They were quicker than the 1200 Bandit.

Give them another century and HD might just be up to 2000s performance levels