As hard as it may be to believe, Harley-Davidson’s XR1200X model was only available in Europe ever since it was introduced a year ago, keeping Americans away from the bike’s 74 pound-feet of torque at 4000 rpm and 40-degree lean angle, not to mention the impressive looks. But it is all over now that Harley announced that the 2011 model year comes stateside (how does that even sound considering the American company’s huge fan clubs stretching from coast to coast).
For a price of $11,799, the 2011 Harley-Davidson XR1200X offers a lot. To begin with, the sports bike features Showa Big Piston front forks with adjustable rebound, compression and preload working together with the dual Showa rear shocks with 36mm pistons and piggyback nitrogen-charged reservoirs. Also, the front brakes – 292mm full-floating rotors and four-piston calipers – are supplied by Nissin.
But this bike is definitely all about the looks and with the rider positioned in a rather sporty riding position – at 29.2 inches from the ground, gripping on rear-mount pegs and holding on to dirt track-style handlebars – it will most likely be a hit in the States as well. So the question remains: why would H-D test the old continent market before introducing the bike here? Anyway, colors available for 2011 are Black Denim and White Hot Denim.
