Naughty but nice

Harley-Davidson's sleek new Sportster will jiggle your brain and jostle your sunnies, writes Jacqui Madelin.

Think of Harley-Davidson and most folk think of the big, brash cruisers. Loud pipes, noisy engines; an unsubtle rolling billboard for the American way.

They also think of bad boys – the sort who once would have been run out of town. But Harley-Davidsons cost money.

The cruisers can cost lots of money – especially if you start ticking options boxes, and most buyers do.

So the "bad boy" rumbling past your cafe is as likely to be a lawyer or accountant of either gender as the gen-u-wine article.

But that lawyer and accountant is making some handling compromises by buying a cruiser.

Sure, the low seat is unintimidating, despite the mass. And the long wheelbase imparts stability – these bikes are less nimble than a more conventionally-shaped machine.

They might look like they need muscle to ride, but all they need is balance, and ideally a relaxed approach – for hoonery is hard work when the bike's just not interested.

The problem comes when a Harley fanatic wants to hustle down a tricky B-road; wants a bike they can flick through bends, for all that's left is the Sportsters and the big bike brigade tend to look down on them for their smaller engines.

Idiots, is all I can say.

For the 1200cc bike has 67kW and 100Nm to work on around 250kg. The likes of the Heritage Softail Classic fields 384 additional cc for just a 21Nm advantage – and weighs 70 extra kilograms. Harley doesn't advertise the big motor's power, and you can only assume it's not that flash.

Then there's the handling. A Sportster has conventional geometry, which makes for better control and nimbler handling so you can ride rings round the leviathans those lawyers prefer.

Still not sold?

Your loss – certainly judging by my time with this XR1200X. This is a new variant of the 1200 formula – one Harley bills as "American racing heritage" combined with European style. Read further, and they say it's "just as dominant through the twisties" – about as honest an admission you'll get that the big cruisers are built only for American roads.

Like the other Sportsters the XR1200X is reminiscent of Harley flat trackers of old – but only loosely. And unlike the Nightster, this one doesn't try to take it too far, so the front and rear tyres are genuinely aimed at good road handling. So, too, is this bike's Showa-sourced piggy-back suspension, with what Harley calls "sports tune" and firmer handling.

Nissin brakes, wide bars, and slightly rear-set footpegs complete the Harley handler recipe.

Then there's the XR's looks. This brand is very good at getting that right, and this bike is an eye-catcher with its matte-black tank, its black frame and engine, and the double barrels of those menacing black pipes. Touches of orange only underline the stealth effect – and it's all done with the attention to quality and detail that Harley lavishes on its machines.

I couldn't wait to ride it.

These Sportsters are quite tall but slim, so it's fairly easy for even shorties to get both fleet flat. Sitting astride, you briefly get the impression there's not a lot of bike beneath you, for in front are just those wide, black bars and the compact instrument array which, unusually for Harley, includes a tacho.

But thumb that starter and you're reminded this bike is all engine, and not much else. She fires up with the familiar, Harley V-twin rumpy-pumpy idle that vibrates the mirrors, jiggles your brain and jostles your designer sunnies.

Almost immediately I discovered this bike really is sufficiently nimble to nip in and out of traffic, with plenty of torque for thrusting into gaps. Sounds good doing it, too.

She'll cruise just fine on the motorway – peak torque's at 3500rpm, a nudge above 100kmh in top, so there's plenty of poke for that brisk overtake.

But it's back roads in which this bike revels. Maximum power's achieved in third at 100kmh; find the right set of twisting tarmac and you can have a ball without breaking the law.

While this bike's leviathan siblings are most at home cruising to Shannon for a beverage, you're carving up the Pahiatua track or over the Woodville saddle. And the best of it is, your bike's better suited to this terrain than those plastic fantastic racer reps, for they're often at their best so far over our legal limit they're barely idling on real world roads – where this bike's in its element.

Downsides? The fuel tank's a bit small, and the five-speed transmission is a tad agricultural. Forget toe pressure and snicking through the gears, a firm nudge is required. And the sport-tuned suspension proved a little too hard for this lighter-than-average-Harley owner. But it's easy to adjust; I haven't quite hit the spot and suspect it'll remain a tad firm for my weight, but that's the nature of this beast.

And speaking of beast, a few admirers thought the bike would be noisier – the Honda cruiser I last rode sounded more anti-social. At least, it sounded good in the car park, but it got wearing on the road, where this XR's almost mellifluous note is far sexier – a gruff bass rather than a rough one. I liked it.

But then I'm a fan of twins; I like their off-beat idle. And I rather like the fact this bike looks naughty, yet you don't have to break the law to ride it at its best. Value for money? Not really. There are plenty of more affordable machines that do just as good a job. You have to ask yourself how much you like the Harley aura – and what price that evocative badge?

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