2004 Harly-Davidison Xlr1200
2004 Harly-Davidison XLR1200
The Isolated Sportster...at last
ALLAN GIRDLER
CYCLE WORLD ROAD TEST
ONF OF CARTOONING'S MORE CONSTANT SUBJECTS HAS BLEN THE wild-eyed prophet, the robed fanatic carrying a sign emblazoned, "The World Is Going To End!!!" We've laughed at this for gener-
ations, but in plain fact, the prediction is scientifically accurate: The world is gonna end. Someday. All that’s left are the details.
On a similar note, ever since the arrival of Harley-Davidson’s rubber-mount chassis, the FLT of gosh, was it that long ago?!-1980, it’s been common knowledge that someday the XL-series Sportsters would get the same treatment. It’s just that we didn’t know the details.
Here, for H-D’s only really new model of 2004, they are.
The plural is used here because there are two models of Sportster 1200 for '04; one is clearly a direct descendant of the model line, and is named Roadster, while the other is more of a junior Dyna-Glide, designated the Custom. The engineering facts, theories and features are delivered in an adjacent article, but what counts here is that this long-expected news is a clear and precise illustration of The Motor Company’s practice and principles.
The lesson begins in 1952, when Harley’s middleweights entered the modern era, except that the so-called K-models kept the sidevalve engines produced since 1929, though they got rear suspension, telescopic forks and unit construction. In 1957, when the suspension and other improvements were sorted out, the Sportster XLH appeared, with a new overhead-valve engine that looked a lot more like the earlier engine than it actually was. The engine was enlarged in 1972, given an improved frame and disc front brake in 1973. The frame was upgraded again in 1979, then replaced with an all-steel version (no cast-iron junctions) in 1982.
Then, with all the other parts up to date, the ironhead XL engine was replaced with the Evolution version, which went back to the 883cc displacement of the original Sportster, and later was joined by a 1200cc version, gained a fifth speed in the gearbox and switched to belt final drive, all step by step. Again, the Evo XL engine and drivetrain were heaps different than they appeared to be at first glance.
It’s a clear pattern, going back at least 50 years, so what we have for Model Year ’04 is exactly what we expected.
In any case, the isolation-mount Sportster fits the basic pattem: 883 or 1200cc displacement, 45-degree Vee angle, two-valves-per-cylinder, air-cooling, five speeds, chain primary, belt final drive on the right. Under the engine’s skin are differences: Cases, heads, cylinders and valvetrain are new for the XL, but based on the current Buell XB engine.
Of course, the frame was severely re-engineered, first to allow the mbber mounting, second to lower seat height. The engine mounting has elements of Buell, Dyna-Glide, FXR, FLT and maybe even Norton, but in sum it’s its own system, done for this engine in this frame.
H-D Engineering spent a lot of hours on this. The system works, as we’ll see, but it does not rewrite the mies of physics. The engine still vibrates mightily, but is isolated from the frame in which it’s suspended, sparing the rider from the worst of the shakes. Among other things, this means the exhaust system has to be hung off the engine, not the frame, which means a stout and concealed mounting structure mns from the engine below the mufflers, which means the linkage for the rear brake makes a 90-degree turn to the master cylinder sited sideways below the swingarm. And so the project must have gone, detail on detail.
As a happy note, the exhaust system no longer carries that ugly tube linking the two headpipes and spoiling the view. The pipes are now connected out of sight, below the mufflers, thank goodness.
Note here that the figures and measurements and results of this test are for the XLR, on the grounds that the Roadster is the more linear, logical descendant of the 1957 Sportster, the baseline XLH and the Evo version. It has a 19-inch front wheel done in cast alloy, mounts the headlight with an eyebrow like that on the first street-legal XLCH, has footpegs and controls below the seat, and uses a wide, dirt-track style handlebar. There are new-type dual front disc brakes, from Nissin (!), and the twin shocks have a static length of 11.5 inches. The fuel tank is a work of art (worth comment here that it's nice to look at a fuel tank and know it really is what it purports to be, not afaux tank con cealing the electronics while the gas hides below the seat or some other odd place). It's not quite the classic peanut tank, but it's close and the paint scheme is an improved version of one first seen on 1960s XLCHs, the only flaw being the tank isn't quite deep enough to cover some above-engine details like wires and connectors and bolts, giving the pro file of a kid whose jeans are slung so low there's a view of underdrawer, more detail than the public asked for. Never mind. The XLR is absolutely, unmistakably a Sportster. No one who's ever ridden a road bike will miss this one from blocks away.
Moving on to the Custom: I tie ALL nas a LI -iflCfl iront wheel, laced spokes right out of the 20th centuiy, a marked and intentional contrast to the slotted, cast 16-inch rear with its 150-section tire. The shocks are shorter, by 1.5 inches, than the Roadster's, which lowers seat height noticeably. Pegs and foot controls are mounted forward, and the bars are drag-race style-flat and nanow and riding on replicas of classic dogbone risers. The fuel tank is styled, shaped to look like a stretched and curved stocker, as Jesse James and peers do it. The stamped stainless-steel panel down the mid dle hints at early chopper, while the tank itself is large enough to cover the details revealed by the XLR's tank. The Custom's cases are black, its sidecovers and rockerboxes chrome-plated, in contrast with the natural alu minum finish of the Roadster's engine. The Custom also has the familiar chromed "sporran," the horn that looks like a Scotsman's purse, while the Roadster has a plainer beeper mounted out of sight. Both models have a real fork lock-cast away ye olde padlocks!-while The Motor Company still sees no need for a helmet lock or a toolkit. That chromed dollop on the oil tank, by the way, is a push-twist-pop dipstick and filler cap-clever if not a major improvement on the old way. Back with another Motor Company principle, the two
models look much more individual than their specifications predict. Side by side, one’s a Sportster and the other is unmistakably a Custom.
Awright, on to the really new stuff. Because the rubber engine mounts are the big news here, the first answer has to be.. .yes, the system works.
Bear in mind, though, that all this is relative. No one will ever push the starter button when the engine’s already running. At idle, the mounts let the engine hop around, again like an older FXR or Norton. As the engine gains revs, reaches the speeds for which the system is tuned, things smooth out.
“Clunk” and “H-D gearbox” no longer belong in the same sentence. Clutch and shift action are crisp and clean, and the power just rolls on-we’re not in Gixxer 1000 territory, but the power of the 1200 surely will persuade 883 owners to put more quarters into the Big Piston Fund. Peak output is up 4 horsepower on the last XL 1200 we tested, although dragstrip times have slowed by a couple of tenths-thanks for that going to the extra 50 pounds the bike has packed on.
What the package delivers is power on demand, in proportion, when it’s needed.
And, yes, some vibes are still present at times, especially through the footpegs, especially when the engine is wound beyond five thou.
But there’s no need to go there. The 1200 will pull in comfort from, oh, 2000 rpm. There’s a wonderfully wide sweet spot, from 2500 to 4K, which works out to 65 to 80 mph in top gear. The mirrors are clear, the seat and pegs haven’t an ounce of shake, and the factory reps who told us the bars are solidly mounted and the grips thinner because they no longer need to cope with the old shake and buzz.. .are right.
This is a good system, proof not for the first nor the last that the engineers and designers at “WillieWorld” (inside nickname for H-D’s design center) know what they’re about.
There are some quirks, even so.
Mostly they apply to the Custom. In general, the project has achieved the goals: The XLC replaces the Hugger (the low seat and thin grips help short riders and, okay, girls) and, of course, the previous Custom. There’s only a hint of “chopper flop,” the tall front wheel falling-in during parking situations, and the forward foot mounts are fine in town. Against that, at highway speeds above 70 mph, the riding posture dictated by the pegs and bars means the rider is fighting the wind, and it gets tiring. And, oddly, a median-sized rider’s legs reach forward and the right shin rests on the air cleaner-it’s mounted on the engine, the engine does vibrate and there’s a buzz where one doesn’t expect one. Also, shorter rear shocks must deal with the same demands as longer shocks, so the XLC’s shocks are stiff, and so is the ride.
All of this-well, most of it, anyway-applies to a DynaGlide or a Softail, and because the Sporty Custom is a junior Dyna, it won’t hurt in the marketplace.
The Roadster is the standard, all-around Sportster, by looks and application, and replaces the earlier 1200 and the Sport, presumably because it’s got the long suspension, 19inch front wheel and dual front disc brakes.
What have we here, then?
Both models were under embargo when these photos were taken, which meant riding in public on models not even the dealers had seen. We stayed clear of the usual Harley hangouts, but we were out and about, and we did ride up to and park next to other Harleys.
To a man (and woman) they nodded greetings. What they didn’t do was double-takes. No eyes popped, no fingers were pointed, no questions were asked.
What The Motor Company has done is given us a new Sportster, an improved Sportster...and it’s still, as it’s been since 1957, a Sportster. Which is all we asked for. □
H-D SPORTSTER
