Not much point in posting the OP to another link on the forum.. he / she / it is obviously too stupid to realise threads can exist before they start their own.
I guess schools must be kicking out for the summer as the rapid increase of retards here recently is patently obvious.
If you fancy a change, then go for it, but personally, i dont like the look of that bike. I think its the naked look on the front is what i dont like, as i dont like that on bikes, but i do like the retro look of the rear.
Nah, the new(er) 1125R I would have been interested in, if it weren't for the fact that the launch has been plauged with problems, I just don't buy that "Harley engine in a sporty chassis" thing, I mean, if you want a sports bike, but a sports bike, if you want a Harley, buy a Harley, I am just not conviced that Buell's "work".
You never know, I might ride the XR1200 and hate it, but either way, it's a top looking bike
Or incomplete knowledge... What, in the seventies, used to be known as 'scrambling', is usually known these days as 'motocross' (note the lack of 'r'). Whether or not you like that fact is largely irrelevant, but had you known about it, I'm sure even you would have understood how the search engine may not have helped in this instance.
I'd suggest reading his post and title again. Nothing in either refer to anything that may constitute scrambling or motocross.. the fact his post contains 'If so post your Bike' (which ironically is the title of this now merged thread) and yet fails to mention anything to do with sports (motocross) one could be permitted to think that maybe, just maybe, it was simply another "post your bike" thread, which as you can see from this thread, has existed for a fair while.
But doesn't that XR1200 try to be a sports bike (naked bike) aswell? It's somewhere between a Harley and a Buell IMO. I guess it's supposed to be comming from the old racing harleys which they used for trackracing?
What i'm trying to say here is... it's not exactly a typical harley. In my opinion, it's closer to a naked bike/sport bike. And therefor, you might be more happy with a bike doing that a lot better (being a sports bike i mean). It does look nice however, i agree.
The thing with harleys is...
Probably you won't be very satisfied about the bike itself when it comes to riding it. Usually harleys are not bought because they are great bikes (from a technical point of view). They are bought because they are harleys.
A harley is a harley because of the looks, the "legend", cult, spirit (whatever you wanna call it), and last but not least, the sound.
I remember when i first drove a harley. It was a Dyna (model around 2000, alloy wheels and dual discs at the front, etc, basically one of the better harleys regarding handling and so on...) which i rented for two days in thailand. Now i've driven quite a few bikes before that, and from a realistic point of view, they have all been better than the harley.
The point about the harley was... it looked damn nice, and when you started the engine...
It's hard to explain, but it's something completely different than "any other bike". It's simply something very cool, that puts a big smile on your face, and makes you feel like a little kid with a new cool toy. It's not a great bike, but you don't care, because it somehow still feels great!
If you are looking for something like that, and if you have this "sympathy/flair" for harleys, then you'll be happy. If not, then you'll be more happy with any other bike.
Now i'm not saying that they are bad bikes in general. They've actually improved a lot i believe. But it's a bit like saying an old corvette would be a good sportscar for example. For example, a real harley does vibrate like hell (modern ones are getting way more smooth), and if you like harleys, then you'll like that (even if it's stupid and doesnt really help, that you can't see anything in your rearview mirror anymore above 60mph, because the vibration is too strong)! There are just too many other bikes which are way better to drive (and that's what i mean, even if todays harleys are technically ok and reliable...). But on the other hand, none of them have the "style/character" of a harley. It's really a question of what you like better.
Another point with harleys is the sound, which is a big part of what makes it a harley. Now i don't know about the UK, but in switzerland, there are so many restrictions, legal harleys basically sound like shit. There are japanese choppers with better sound.
PS: I have a 2007 Nighttrain, and am quite happy with it. I like it because it's one of the few harleys that look REALLY nice out of the factory already (i don't like most of the stock ones). Plus, it's a very relaxed and comfortable ride (for a harley) and the low end torque is very nice in traffic aswell. I'm using the "swiss" exhaust pipes at the moment. I have some other "open" ones, which make it sound really nice (like a harley should sound), but i'm risking my license in case the police ever pulls me over with those. So there, that's one part of the harley feeling gone already (if i want to keep it legal).
Sorry for the long post...
...and i'm interested to hear how the test drive went!
If I had your hankering for the new "sports" Harley, then at the very least I would test a Buell too. I must say that of all those bikes, though, I would probably be drawn to the V-rod/Night-Rod. Like you say, if you want a sports-bike, buy a sports-bike. If I wanted a Harley it might as well be a Harley.
TBH I have gotten bored of "sports bikes", where can you use them?, heck mine isn't even a "full blown" sports bike, but it'll do 160+, but outside of a track environment, it's doesn't make a whole lotta sense.
The "sports" side doesn't really bother me, I like the look of the XR1200, but I need to ride the thing, it might be totally the wrong thing, and I'll decide, like I did when I test rode a VFR, another CBR, a ZX10R, that my Aprilia is everything I need ATM......
I never thought I'd say this about a Harley, but it might actually look nice with rearsets about a foot farther back and very low clip-ons. Maybe with enough mods it could pass as a café bike!
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