The Harley-Davidson XR1200 is racing for sales as Harley stirs up excitement of their Flat Track race winning XR750 history and style. While the new XR1200 flaunts it’s dirt racing heritage, it is aimed purely for street and the twisties.
Launched initially in Europe, and with a starting price of £7,665 (about $11,840 US as of this writing), this sporty Harley XR comes in Orange, Black or Pewter. The orange paint is hard to deny, especially because of the racing style and flat track racing fame.
The 1200cc Evolution engine is rated at 100 Nm (74 lb-ft) torque at 3700 rpm and pumps out 67 kw (90 hp) through a 2 into 1 into 2 high flow exhaust system. That might just get your attention considering the bike weighs 260 kg (573 lb) ready to ride
Flat Track motorcycle racing, sometimes referred to as Dirt Track racing, started after the second world war, and became very popular in the USA. Harley-Davidson has been the dominant motorcycle in this type of racing, and has started winning championships in official AMA Flat Track sanctioned races in 1954 and continued with many consecutive years of wins.
Famous racing icons like Jay Springsteen and Scott Parker, or the world famous daredevil Evil Knievel may come to mind as you look at the XR1200, but countless others have helped put the Harley-Davidson XR750 on the map and into the record books.
This new Harley XR1200 street bike looks like you could replace the headlight with a big white number plate with a black number 1 on it and no one would question it. For the Harley enthusiast, this would fit nice in the garage between your Road King and your Harley scooter. It probably would not be parked very often though.
One thing though, don’t try laying your new Harley XR1200 down into a sideways power-slide through the streets as they do on the dirt tracks, even though it sure would be tempting!
