This will divide opinion

[f90x]

[Gromit]

I'll bet it sounds nice.

Always promised myself a test-ride on one of these but never got round to it.

[slparry]

I actually don't mind those as they're not as camp as the 1950's fairground ride chrome mobiles they normally make ... of course it needs to be black really

[eyore]

Dosen't divide my opinion ..............its crap

[Gromit]

Steve - might be a shot in the dark this, but does 'your' XR have a non-standard front wheel? HD (in their infinite wisdom - not!) fitted the std bike with odd-sized wheels - 18" front I think - so having a 17 on the front would be a good thing as it obviously makes many more tyres available.

[f90x]

Steve - might be a shot in the dark this, but does 'your' XR have a non-standard front wheel? HD (in their infinite wisdom - not!) fitted the std bike with odd-sized wheels - 18" front I think - so having a 17 on the front would be a good thing as it obviously makes many more tyres available.

Well spotted Richard. It has £2500 worth of 17" BST carbon fibre wheels as well as ohlins shocks and the ohlins converted forks. I still have the 12S and if I really hate this then it shall go but I miss the character of the 11S and I've only got one mate that rides these days and it happens to be one of these. I've always liked it (it's quite modded as well) and I feel more inclined to travel a bit slower these days. I wouldn't have bought a standard one and this one turned up with the top spec of everything I would want on it (to the tune of over£4.5k in extras) at a very good price and I couldn't resist. The pipe however is particularly ugly and will go immediately. It is also extremely loud.

I'll be riding it home next weekend but I doubt I'll use it again untill March-ish.

[f90x]

Dosen't divide my opinion ..............its crap

I'm guessing that opinion is garnered from your experience riding one for many miles

[f90x]

I actually don't mind those as they're not as camp as the 1950's fairground ride chrome mobiles they normally make ... of course it needs to be black really

Nope, the XR750 was orange and this needs to be orange. (Although I don't mind the black)

[eyore]

Dosen't divide my opinion ..............its crap

I'm guessing that opinion is garnered from your experience riding one for many miles

Nope, just a good old anti Harley Ferguson bias as I really hate the whole hog/America thing and everything it stands for. Sorry to be such a bigot , but there it is.

[f90x]

Dosen't divide my opinion ..............its crap

I'm guessing that opinion is garnered from your experience riding one for many miles

Nope, just a good old anti Harley Ferguson bias as I really hate the whole hog/America thing and everything it stands for. Sorry to be such a bigot , but there it is.

Not really a HOG per se though. It was originally introduced purely for the European market and it's nearest equivalent will be the Guzzi Griso (which I considered but never got around to trying) and the Ducati GT1000. C'mon, you're supposed to be a motorcyclist so tell me what you think this particular motorcycle 'stands for'

[Gromit]

Nope, the XR750 was orange and this needs to be orange.

^This^

I'm definitely with Eyore on the anti-HOG thing, however I really enjoyed the Harleys I owned. The Harley group preached the whole 'freedom' thing but their ride outs (I only went on one - that was enough) were the most tightly-controlled, dull, waste of time ever. A shame, because a few of the folk I met were genuinely great people.

If I had the ££ to have a couple of bikes, it's highly likely one of them would be another H-D - but I much prefer the simpler stuff. If I had a tenner for every time I got the 'well I can't stand Harleys but I LOVE that' comments from the sportsbike brigade at Box Hill about my old Dyna Sport, I'd be considerably richer than I am now.

Enjoy it Steve - will be very interested to read up your opinion of it when you've done a few miles.

[eyore]

Dosen't divide my opinion ..............its crap

I'm guessing that opinion is garnered from your experience riding one for many miles

Nope, just a good old anti Harley Ferguson bias as I really hate the whole hog/America thing and everything it stands for. Sorry to be such a bigot , but there it is.

. C'mon, you're supposed to be a motorcyclist so tell me what you think this particular motorcycle 'stands for'

An Americans attempt to make a silk purse out of a sows ear under a misguided illusion that it would sell like hotcakes to deluded Europeans.

[f90x]

Dosen't divide my opinion ..............its crap

I'm guessing that opinion is garnered from your experience riding one for many miles

Nope, just a good old anti Harley Ferguson bias as I really hate the whole hog/America thing and everything it stands for. Sorry to be such a bigot , but there it is.

. C'mon, you're supposed to be a motorcyclist so tell me what you think this particular motorcycle 'stands for'

An Americans attempt to make a silk purse out of a sows ear under a misguided illusion that it would sell like hotcakes to deluded Europeans.

Ha! Well it certainly didn't sell like hotcakes but I kinda like it for that. Same reason I liked the 11S and also the 12S although I haven't gelled with the 12 as much as I did the 11. I'm looking forward to instant torque and actually being on something more akin to my old 11, insomuch that it's nice to ride without being coerced by the bike to go faster. The power delivery and weird throttle of the 12 entice me to press on and although it's a buzz I'm 'always' doing it and I feel like taking it easy for a while. You never know, I might not like it. We'll have to see. Perhaps I 'am' deluded It does look the nuts though (except the pipe and front mudguard for which I already have remedies) and what a noise

[eyore]

Good for you, enjoy.

[nab 301]

Excellent choice , I 've never even sat on one but they look great!