[knappyfeet]

This is my new to me 2009 XR1200. I know I overpaid a little but it's one of the cleanest I've came across in awhile. 8000 miles on the clock. I've been on touring/baggers exclusively for the last couple of years so my riding has been cushy and soft....and I've been wanting something more sporty. Not to confuse this with a GSXR but compared to what I've been riding it makes me feel like Rossi......it's definitely a breath of fresh air. It has a nice little windshield (HD) and a V&H exhaust. It handles fabulous but still feels like a Sportster. Power comes on differently than a stock Sportster with more HP and makes power higher in the RPM range. To be honest my only real complaint so far is bar/seat/riding position but it can be improved with aftermarket ...... and probably just staying away from touring bikes for a bit.

I used Cafe and race bike in the title as I have aspirations of racing and trying to find the right bike I would feel comfortable on...and staying true to what "cafe" is and not what it has become....I want to make this bike leaner..... better handling....more of a go fast bike...hence the racing aspect. I feel this is true to what the cafe idea was back in the 60s when the kids raced stripped down bikes from café to café in Europe. But for now I'm riding the bike and enjoying it immensely. Honestly again after riding couches for so long it feels like I have nothing to do to the bike.....but that will change.

I've ordered a couple of parts...mainly cosmetic. There use to be a mountain of aftermarket but seems like that has long since passed....maybe I'm wrong. One thing I know I want to do is not permanently change anything...like weld on loops, etc.....so a lot of this stuff will be bolt on with maintaining the ability to right back to stock if I choose.

I honestly am looking forward to this adventure with this bike.

 

[knappyfeet]

Real cool, was actually looking to get a harley with the 1200 but like you said, overpaying was my issue haha! I’m excited about this one, nice seat pan

Your absolutely correct.....things are crazy high now and it really has happened in the last year and a half.

I bought this Sportster in the beginning of 2020 for $3000. It was the "funnest" Harley Davidson that I've ever owned. The forward controls were perfect for my height.... but I sold it about 4 months later to purchase a Dyna that I got an outstanding deal on and thought it would work better for me (which it didn't)....big mistake.

I sold it for $3800 after cleaning it up and the new owner subsequently sold it for $5000 a few months later by doing nothing more than keeping it clean and putting miles on it. He did the same thing I did which is by a Dyna....which he also admitted wasn't as fun as this old sporty.

My retirement accounts and investment accounts haven't done that well in that same time frame as the value of this 2008 Sportster Custom has done.

I think we both wish we had her back

 

[knappyfeet]

No real update other than I'm riding it a lot and enjoying it a lot. I've already gotten used to the higher RPMs... At least higher than what I'm used to on my other big twins. Boy a 6th gear would be heaven. There's a couple things that I've been thinking of....... apparently a Vance & Hines Power Commander really wakes this bike up and maybe even a must with the exhaust. I thought it might have already had one considering how this ran compared to other Sportsters. I've looked around I found no module installed.

Also at speed there is no issue but waiting at stoplights and cruising around slowly this gets hot. Not uncomfortably hot but hot. I am going to look into some universal fan kit.....kinda like the ones from Koso or Tusk or whomever. Some of those kits even have a little gauge....that would be nice.

Also playing with pinstriping ideas.....I think orange will be nice.

 

[knappyfeet]

Cool bike

Why the change of seat pan ?

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

I would like to say that the reason for the carbon fiber pan is for weight savings....but that would be a lie.

And although it is considerably lighter than the stock tail it was for vanity reasons.

 

[knappyfeet]

Parts trickle in slowly for this bike.....partly because they seem to be scarce. Sometimes things pop up on eBay but their pricing is astronomical...... especially if it's anything desirable.

I guess I'm used to getting about 20000 miles on a set of tires on my larger bikes but it seems like 5000 miles or so is the limit on a front tire for this bike. With nearly 11,000 miles on the bike and a date stamp of 2014 on the front tire I'm assuming it's its second front. The rear has a date stamp of 2011.

I would like to think that I'm seriously kicking ass on the back roads....... But I don't think I ever remember in my life wearing out a front tire before a rear. And with the date stamp of 2011 for the rear it tells me it was installed shortly after the bike was sold new.... And if that's the case it tells me it's lasted longer than 2 front tires?!?…. Weird

Especially since the rear looks like it has a decent amount of life left

I do like the Scorcher 11s though

 

[knappyfeet]

Well after using this bike very regularly the Harley Davidson gremlins have popped up....... I needed a new starter switch (switch pack). It would sometimes complete the circuit after the engine was running… engaging the starter and making a horrible shrieking noise. I thought I heard something like that one time....... but it's so noisy on the freeway it was kind of hard to tell. I caught it happening one time when it was warming up. Everything else seems undamaged.....like the starter. It's a pretty simple circuit so it's easy to narrow it down. Starter, relay, everything checks out so it has to be the starter switch or God forbid the wiring harness somewhere. I'm assuming it's the switch because as it's idling if I hit the handlebars it will tend to try to start… engage the starter. It doesn't need me to hit the bars to make it happen..... it will do it on its own....... but hitting the bars will usually make it respond. I've had nightmare wiring harness issues with HD bikes and it's no fun.


Since a lot needed to come apart to get this wire unconnected I put the rear carbon fiber tail on. I may do a little reshaping with it. It's a nice piece and supposedly it's shape after the stock Harley Davidson one.. It sits a little taller which I like but the quality of it is nowhere near the stock HD tail. Stock....the fit and finish is superb and it's solid. The CF one seems rinky dink and flimsy. Still ill put it to use. The HD pillion cover...painted to match will set you back $400-$500..... and that's if you can find one.

So for now since some of the stuff is disassembled I'll look at the CF tail and see what I want to do with it. I've never been a fan of fender eliminator kits or the tail tidy kit's..... but I think in this case I'll probably purchase one of those.

Even with the cost of the tailpiece and the paint to match it's still cheaper then finding a pillion cover from HD floating around on eBay somewhere. Plus it allows me to do a little bit more customizing with the finish.

 

[knappyfeet]

Gave the XR a spa day today.

Riding this bike has been immensely fun. Every time I feel the need to change or alter anything I just go for a ride and I completely forget about it. It's very very different from riding any other Harley Davidson. Sure the Pan America and the live wire are quicker but for a push rod EVO V twin I don't think it can get much better. It's as if Harley Davidson took a sportster and "cafed it up" for me...... better than anything I could do..... but you know we are never satisfied.

The motor is "on fire" compared to any other sportster and the handling… well the handling compared to riding couches for the past 2 years is Rossi style. Based on popular chitchat the 09 front suspension (my model year).... was not on par with later years. Harley Davidson sells a suspension upgrade kit which includes piggyback rear shocks and different front forks. Currently there's one on eBay that I'm looking at....a complete kit..but again I have nothing to compare it to other than a couch so I may pass on that. Still rear shocks with more adjustable settings would be nice.

With all that said I may be just chasing a look. I was going to purchase a tail tidy kit but the more I look at my rear turn signals and tail light the more it looks kind of tidy already. Those rear reflectors hanging underneath could be removed to improve it more. In fact once those shock relocators are installed and the rear passenger footpegs are removed it would make it look more open and clean. Then there's that inner fender that's hanging there….. like an old one from a Honda CB750 that broke off… but it's mounted that way. If that could be removed and something placed in that spot.... again it would have a cleaner overall look. Yes I guess I'm chasing a look now haha. I'm so cafe.

I've got a couple more parts that are on back order for the past 2 months that should be coming in sometime between now and until I die….. but this is what I've accumulated so far. Sometimes things pop up on eBay that are specific to this that just aren't made anymore. I guess that's how you find them… just cruising eBay and waiting for things to pop up. A nice set of rear sets popped up but they wanted an arm and a leg and a shoulder so I passed. Still the way things are getting done with this who knows what pops up in the future. I would love a nice small quarter fairing for the front… there's one made in Japan that would fit the bike nicely but it's costly.

The parts are collecting dust but the odometer is not resting..... which is really what it's all about anyways.

 

[knappyfeet]

Went riding with my son yesterday.

He picked up a 2022 Himalayan last week and it looks like a great bike. So far we've put nearly 250 miles on it and it has preformed flawlessly. We took it off road yesterday. I went as far as I thought I could with the XR but he kept on going and going and going. Not to confuse it with a CRF450 or something but it did great.

It is an incredible value in today's times and with a 3 year factory warranty it looks like they stand behind their product.

 

[knappyfeet]

it surprises me that it's a unique engine in their range and 410cc. seems an odd place to put it given the investment.

It's a solid power plant. It's the only fuel injected motorcycle I know of that acts like a carborated bike … in that it has a choke/enrichment lever for cold starts and sometimes you need to throttle up to keep the idle higher when it's cold. Other than that it's bullet proof.

So far my sons averaging 70-80 mpg....with a mix of offroad/backroads/highways....mainly back roads. We are going to take a 300 mile ride this weekend, mainly on highways to get a feel for highway mpg.... which I assume should be 60mpg+. It's no speed demon but is comfortable at 65 mph all day long.

Edit....when I mean throttle up when it's cold I mean for like 3 seconds or so. Also I'm amazed at the quality and the cost and the availability of aftermarket for it straight from Royal Enfield. This can get you moto camping and adventuring...loaded for bear with all the accessories for around $7500.

 

[knappyfeet]

Everytime I post on this thread its the same thing....... "parts come in but I'm too busy riding and enjoying it". It's the same this time.......a belly pan and rear shocks came in but I'm too busy riding with my boy.

I was test fitting the pan and I noticed an end tie was off...a bolt was missing and the engine ground strap was just dangling there. I've been riding off pavement/road a lot with my son and was thinking it was from that. It was like I forgot it was a harley and while idling it vibrates like a paint mixer.

An update on my son's Himalayan....... he got it April 15th and it now has a little over 6100 miles on it. He's been riding. He came back from a nearly 2500 mile ride to Oregon. I think they are planning a ride to Sacramento.....after this weekend chalk up another 1000 miles. So far the only complaint is a rattle from the headlight housing.....and maybe long freeway riding at 65mph becoming monotonous.

I was seriously considering one but after a ride with 270lb of me on it.....it was a little sluggish on the freeway going uphill with a head wind. I could only imagine being loaded down with an additional 70lbs of panniers and camping stuff that it may be underpowered. It's a perfect bike for him though.

The Himalayan is an incredible value and just performs flawlessly. God I wish I was 100lbs lighter....... one of these would definitely be in my stable.

 

[knappyfeet]

Does anyone know about or have experience with X14IED's?

I figured that after owning the bike for a year I would take the spark plugs out and see what they look like. The real white one is the rear cylinder and like I suspected the whole thing is running a little lean. As I was looking for a tuner I came across these little gizmos. Apparently they trick to ECU into adding a little bit more fuel. Seems ideal for simple (stage 1) intake and exhaust modifications. Searching the worldwide Web most people are pleased with its performance and then there's some who think it's completely crap..... I don't know if they sell these type of things for other makes and models and it's not the money part but $600 to a $100 seems nice.

One of the reasons I would opt for a power commander tuner is that you can incorporate a speed shifter to go with it....... but the whole thing becomes over a $1000 which again is not a deal breaker .......it's just if I could put these in in 10 minutes and be done with it it seems like a winner.

So far just over 14,000 miles on the clock....... and no real issues other than a leaky vent hose here or a couple of drips of oil there.

 

[knappyfeet]

After I installed it, I noticed an immediate change in the bikes behavior. No choppiness/snatchiness around idle and take off, and less exhaust popping on decel. There is still some popping but that's because the exhaust has been decat-ed and I'm running aftermarket cans.

Well just as you described Classic I've experienced the same improvements.... I'm very satisfied.

If there's just one complaint I have it would be it did affect my fuel economy. Reading all over most folks said they noticed nothing to minimal changes in MPG..... I one the other hand am experiencing a solid 10% drop in MPG. Previously I could go a little over 155 miles til empty (found out the hard way a couple of times) but now about 135 miles or so. It's not a deal breaker.

On a different note I went to the dealer for a new rear tire. I ordered a Scorcher 11 but I guess the young lady heard Scorcher 31 instead...... so now I have a touring/cruising tire for the rear. She was very apologetic and gave me half off the cost so I went along my merry way thinking I would just ride the heck out of this rear tire....wear it quickly.......then go with a matching set of Michelin Pilot Powers and call it a day. The only problem is is that after nearly 5000 miles it's nowhere near getting worn. Then I remembered my experience with touring tires and that they all go well over 20000 miles on 1000 lb baggers....... It got me thinking I may be stuck with this tire for a while. So ...… instead of going the cafe route I'll make a u-turn and go the sport touring route....at least for the time being... so I installed a set of Hepco & Becker bags.

What was real nice about these bags is that the hardware was minimal…. and those big C looking mounts are all made of aluminum. I'm so used to installing Tusk bags or something where the hardware is steel and weighs 20 pounds and is super elaborate….. this was a breath of fresh air. Even the mount on the bags themselves are plastic. This whole set up is very light in comparison to other panniers. The only thing is one crossbar went underneath the sub frame…. no big deal but it took away about 1" of travel or so.

Unfortunately the bag rested on the exhaust so I had to redrill all the holes to get them up about 2 to 2 1/2 inches… as the instructions recommended. Also these were the smaller bags. They have a whole line of different bags but with my exhaust set up I was extremely limited on what I could do. Since I'm going to use a dry bag to go along with them I'm not sweating the storage. If anything the whole set up will allow me to securely mount a dry bag for longer trips.

For now I'm off to Amazon to see if I can't get a vinyl repair kit for the holes. I've got some hot tent camping trips coming up so we'll see how this whole set up works.

 

[knappyfeet]

Thanks for the recommendation.....I was over thinking everything so I went with 250s recommendation. I used some automotive retainer clips and just melted the back for a secure fit.

Maybe I'm just romping on the throttle too much but I'm getting a solid 10% reduction. No running issues or anything other than a loss in MPG. I'll go out and take a gentle ride and see how far I can go.....but with the new enrichers she just begs for more throttle.

 

[knappyfeet]

Took a 1500 mile trip on the XR.

I removed the fuel enrichment devices as I was getting about 39 MPG fully loaded. Once they were removed I was back to 44-45 mpg...... I know it doesn't sound like a lot but the extra 15 miles per tank was good piece of mind on the longer stretches in the desert between fuel stops.

I was loaded down but I like to take "the kitchen sink" when I camp. I'm not a back packer so a full size air mattress, wood burning stove, etc.... was a must.

No real problems with either bike other than I installed new spark plugs for easier starts (which I needed) in Vegas and my sons Himalayan sometimes dying at stop lights for no reason when just starting the day. He's got over 9000 miles on it.

A nice fun trip looking at Lake Mead drying up. I can remember 30 years ago when water was right up to the campsite.....no more.

 

[knappyfeet]

29,000 miles on the bike so far.....with me putting on over 21,000 miles.

I'm very happy with the bike so far and it's turning out to be a real fun ride.. Maybe even my favorite of all time HD.

Aside from a little oil dripping from the oil pump area the newest leak is from a fork seal. It seemed just to happen overnight and now it's gushing everywhere… on the wheel, the primary cover, my foot, etc. Getting this bike with around 8000 miles on it means that this thing probably saw 700 miles a year on average. Maybe 1 year it saw 3000 miles then the next 4 years nothing. To me things just sitting doing nothing is probably as bad if not worse than high hard miles.

Was thinking about doing both folks at the same time with new seals and springs and everything….. but since I have a big ride coming up I'm just going to repair that one and overhaul both at a later date.

That rear tire is showing no signs of wearing anytime soon. I either need to ride to the moon and back or do smokey burnouts up and down my street. I was actually considering for a while getting another set of wheels and using just sport oriented tires on those sets and using something more touring oriented when I do longer trips on these.

For the time being she keeps on keepin on with no big problems. I've also got used to using this XR on longer trips.....especially when it's just me. With the setup I currently have for longer trips I actually prefer it.

 

[knappyfeet]

SSS could fix your forks up right nice if you send them to them for service 

Having someone else do the work is tempting.... I'm getting lazier everyday.

But after all the hoopla of removing everything to get the tube removed the rebuild is the easiest part. Now to find the seal driver

 

[knappyfeet]

do it yourself and warranty your own work lol

Haha!

I bet if I road to my local HD dealer and handed them the keys they would charge me $1200 to do the seals. They charged $1700 to do the seals on my friend's Electra Glide but I understand that's a lot of work. Unlike me most other HD owners purchase the extended warranty/service contract for things just like this. It's about $3500 to buy and that adds 5 years of warranty after your initial 2 year warranty expires. Sounds like a lot of money but a compensator here and some fork seals there and a noisy lifter everywhere can cost $5000. My buddy paid $50 for the seal job.....the warranty covered the other $1650.

I like to do a lot of the work myself because the kids that they have employed at the dealer as service Tech's don't really know that much. I'm not knocking them........ but it takes years of experience to really fine tune your craft. That's why I like to go to local shops if I need to because the old geezers there know everything inside and out.