Stunning 2001 Harley Davidson 1200XLCR Custom Cafe Racer
This is an amazing one off custom built Harley Davidson Cafe Racer, built on a 2001 1200XLS Sport Sportster bike, the specs are detailed below - the 1200XLS is the perfect Harley Sportster to customise into a cafe racer for so many reasons, not least the twin discs, twin shocks, twin spark, the overall rideability and handling of this model sets it apart from the standard Sporty, with the high compression 1200 Evo engine & high contact ratio cam gears making it a joy and a thrill to ride, coupled with the lightness, low ride height & feel.
The fully adjustable cartridge-type front forks, fully adjustable gas reservoir shocks in the back, triple disc brakes now coupled with clip ons, rear set controls, the cafe racer pan seat & a Harley 2-1 exhaust system all add to the unique styling on this classic.
This super low mileage bike has been painted in original 70’s Harley XLCR colours of black with gold pinstriping, & age related tank badging, whilst giving a nod to the John Player Special racing livery of that era to produce a beautifully eye catching machine which would be at home in any art gallery as much as on the track at Donington or the Isle of Man {in it’s original form this actual bike was ridden over to the Isle of Man from London & back & ran the Manx course admirably ! }
It is running an S&S Super E shorty carb with an adapted classic chrome Kuryakyn velocity stack air cleaner that compliments the overall look of the bike perfectly, combined with the rare Harley factory 2-1 chrome pipes, the bike sounds as great as it looks & rides.
Style wise, it is fitted with a 7” chromed Harley Fat Boy front headlight for the authentic Ace Cafe look, Marzocchi clip on handlebars, Manx chrome fuel cap, hand tooled custom diamond quilted leather seat, later bullet style indicators & also comes with a custom designed half fairing, paint coordinated for the bike as shown.
It is currently with Vanoni Moto Officina in London being dyno tuned & can be viewed there if needed.
SPECS
Rigid mount 1200cc Evolution® engine 4-Stroke, Air Cooled, V-Twin, Engine Bore and Stroke: 88. 8 mm x 96. 8 mm. Claimed Horsepower: 61 hp (45. 5 kW) @ 5500 rpm Maximum Torque: 88 Nm (64. 9 ft. lbs) @ 4000 rpm High compression, dual-spark plug cylinder heads. High performance hot cams Transmission type - 5 speed, Belt drive Triple-disc brakes Premium, fully-adjustable sport suspension Brakes – Front: dual 292 mm discs with 4-piston calipers Brakes – Rear: single 292 mm disc with 4-piston calipers
"It's the Harley that zigs”(Total Bike review of the 1200XLS Sport Sportster)
If you consider just its engine, the Sport constitutes quite a departure for Harley because the motor offers features not found in other Harley models. Harley's line has traditionally derived power from two basic engines -- big twin and Sportster. The latter was available in either 883 or 1200cc renditions, both of which have the same piston stroke with a half-inch wider bore in the 1200. Other changes, such as gearing, were minor. All the models in Harley's line got one of the three engines, and the 1200 also went to Buell to power its American-made sportbikes. The latter application, where horsepower was an issue, led to a series of power-boosting enhancements. For '98, some of that technology has been applied to the 1200 engine in the Sportster Sport.
Immediately identifiable as a Sport Sportster with its two-spark-plugs-per-cylinder heads & gray spark leads of the dual-plug system, which are just the tip of the ignition system iceberg. Four-pole coils get precise instructions from a black box which considers information from an intake-manifold-pressure sensor and "six-blip" rotor cup to map precise ignition timing for any given load and rpm combination. There is also a diagnostics hook-up to assist Harley technicians with troubleshooting.
In addition to the high-tech electronics, the Sportster S benefits from a point more compression (a 10. 0:1 ratio instead of the standard 1200's 9. 0:1) and special camshaft profiles. Harley says that the changes boost the 1200's torque by an average of 15 percent throughout the range and almost 10 percent (78 versus 71 foot-pounds) at 4000 rpm. All XLS Sportsters have a more efficient oil pump to improve scavenging from the dry sump. Running the quarter-mile in 13. 39 seconds at 95. 2, the Sport is, by a slim margin, the quickest Harley in recent memory, even outrunning the light 1200 Custom. The Sport also feels stronger and slightly more responsive at all rpm, and is most improved at the normal operating rpm. You can feed it full throttle at 2000 rpm without lugging, and it will pull to 6000 rpm.
Gear changes were smoother and quieter than those of any Harley we have ever tested, and good by any standard. The throw is short and engagement positive. We tried some sloppy lever movements and expected to find neutral when we released the clutch. Not so. The gearbox had firmly meshed in the next ratio. The clutch also performed well.
The "Sport" aspect of the bike derives not only from the enhanced engine performance and riding position, but also from the suspension and brakes. Besides the usual adjustment for spring preload at the rear, the 1200S offers adjustments for spring preload up front and damping resistance at both ends, both for compression and extension. The piggyback-style reservoir shocks and 39mm cartridge fork are the same ones used on previous XL Sports.
On smooth roads, it's possible to set up the suspension to minimize pitching movements when you apply and remove cornering and braking loads. With damping resistance turned up, the Sport becomes very stable while charging corners. Combined with steering geometry that's designed for stability and slow, deliberate steering, this makes the bike ultra-steady in smooth corners, even very fast ones.
