Bad boy: test drive Harley-Davidson Roadster

Bad boy: test drive Harley-Davidson Roadster

This device is one hundred percent bad guy - a very bad guy! He definitely won’t apologize if he splashes you with dirty water from a puddle (he will also grin), and he won’t try to seem kind even “before the clear eyes” of your grandmother. He has a finca in his pocket, and maybe something even more interesting, but there are so many murky affairs behind his soul that it’s better not to even try to figure it out. It attracts and beckons, because sometimes you really want to throw away all these bullshit masks of a “respectable bourgeois”, become yourself, stop pretending that you care about everyone around you, be pseudo-polite and kind...

Eh, my black banner...

The Harley-Davidson Roadster is perhaps the most distinctive motorcycle in the last few years. There were motorcycles that were more expensive, more powerful, more luxurious and beautiful, but this guy is absolutely the most charismatic and has the most powerful personality on the modern two-wheeled market.

The matte black paint and "peanut grain" tank - a classic throughout the Sportster family - come in handy here. But the main thing that catches your eye is the steering wheel, located below the gas tank cap... Wow! I would like to come up and ask: “What, a sportbike or what?” But no, there is no “rice grinder” design here, no clip-ons. There is a regular tubular steering wheel, just without the characteristic rise, and the pillars are as low as possible. The tank, the handlebars, a small headlight - the whole "face" of the motorcycle resembles the head of a bull - foreheaded, hard as a stone, and not at all friendly.

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The seat also matches - shaped like a saddle - deep and with a very nominal passenger bump in the back. But, of course, the 1,200 cc V-twin Evolution engine takes over. Like all “sportsters”, the Roadster is quite compact in size, and huge cylinders, “clad” in air-cooling fins, occupy a fair portion of its profile projection. In general, the designers of H.-D. we tried: the motorcycle came out very courageous, but at the same time foldable and even beautiful, if, of course, you can call such brutal iron beautiful...

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Emotionless

If we put aside admiration and other inappropriate emotions and look at the device from a technical point of view with a cold eye (although this is not easy), then there will be something to be surprised by. Yes, it is based on the Sportster design that has been well known for many years. Steel duplex frame, pendulum with two shock absorbers - a classic design.

The engine also does not have any innovations. The long-known 1,202 cc air-cooled engine develops 67 hp. With. and 97 Nm at fairly low speeds. The engine, of course, is hellishly loud, emitting an incredible amount of all kinds of sounds, clangs and rumbles during operation - that’s how it’s designed. This is a brutal man, not some refined British like the Triumph Bonneville T120 , timidly hiding water cooling behind fake cylinder fins, and the sound of the engine running behind the jacket of the aforementioned cooling.

Everything here is on display, maybe even deliberately, but that doesn’t make it any less cool and brutal. The vibrations are also completely masculine. The engine running at idle “walks” in the frame as if it wants to go out. However, as soon as you add gas, the vibration returns to normal. “Normal” here, of course, is a relative concept: this is the norm for Harley, but for others it is a disaster. But this is a purebred Harley, and not all sorts of shabby ones...

Price:

from 1,001,000 rubles

Moving further from the “stern” to the “snout”, we notice the most interesting thing: instead of the crappy front fork, familiar to all “sprats”, which was only good at twisting with a screw even in the most harmless turns, a powerful inverted fork is installed here. Not only is this design much stiffer in torsion and bending, it also works in accordance with modern ideas about suspension. But we'll talk about this a little later.

Another revelation - Harley-Davidson finally decided that their motorcycles should be able to not only growl nobly, but also brake. And they finally made two brake discs and, accordingly, two calipers. Well, now let's slow down! It was these two things - a working suspension and normal brakes - that the entire Sportster family lacked. This is probably where the technical innovations end.

In a black, black city...

But that’s why he’s Harley, to win with charisma, not innovation. The low seat and equally low steering wheel create a very interesting sitting position: to reach the steering wheel, you have to lean forward a little and you want to slouch, pull your head into your shoulders and... make your face look like a box.

At the same time, she spontaneously begins to demonstrate contempt for the world around her. Here you involuntarily think about how the posture of your own body can change your mood and outlook on the world. Driving this motorcycle, you begin to feel like just that bad guy and renegade who doesn’t give a damn about the whole world. Adds, of course, a vibrating and rumbling engine, and a rather socially unapproved exhaust sound.

A real renegade should not be comfortable in life. Because if you live like cheese in butter, where can you get that contempt for the whole world? The creators of the Roadster thought about this in advance. Yes, now the “roadster” has a normal suspension, which not only holds the road, but also eats up all the bumps, asphalt cuts and other nasty things. But so that life wouldn’t be so sweet, the bad guy’s footpegs were installed so that as soon as you put your feet on the asphalt, the anchors of the footpegs dig into your calves.

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Do you want to take a couple of steps closer to the stop line or back out of the parking lot? Get your feet ready. They will always be bruised because no matter how hard you try, you will definitely hit your calves and shin bones on the footrests. Always. No options. Of course, in the feet-on-pegs position, you realize that they are located exactly where you need them - under your butt. And this position is almost ideal for driving a motorcycle. But you'll be surprised how much you have to walk with a motorcycle between your legs in everyday life. It’s hard for us, the asocial elements, to live!

It must be admitted that the Roadster and its pilot create exactly the right impression on others. The pilot and his brutal motorcycle are broadcast to ordinary people, and ordinary people obediently absorb exactly the message that I spoke about at the beginning. No one gets the false impression that this is a “good motorcyclist.” We’ll leave this “good people drive Hondas” and other similar pink snot to others. Roadster even from afar makes it clear that it is better not to mess with this dude. This will most likely not end in anything good or kind. They let you in, they give in, they look at you with respect...

Hell, even the “electric train” doesn’t make such an impression on the average person! This is the worst motorcycle I've ever ridden! And I can’t help but like it!

If you once again try to break away from emotions (I don’t want to, but the test format requires it, whatever), then Harley remains true to itself. The high-torque motor perfectly propels the heavy (almost 250 kg) vehicle from a standstill and very quickly accelerates to hundreds. Then acceleration, traditionally, sours. The real “working” speed range is 80-120 km/h. You can do more, but it starts to blow away, and in general, it’s completely useless on such a motorcycle.

Harley-Davidson Roadster

Brief technical specifications

Dimensions, mm (L/H): 2,185 / 785 Curb weight: 259 kg Engine: Evolution®, air-cooled Transmission: Chain, 38/57 ratio Exhaust system: Short dual exhaust system with chrome mufflers and black laser-cut heat shields screens Type of brake calipers: Two-piston front and two-piston rear calipers

The same goes for turns. Those same enemy footpegs that get in the way when using your feet on the asphalt also constantly remind you of themselves when cornering. As soon as you drive a little faster into a turn, the motorcycle rests on the anchor of the pegs and, with a heartbreaking grinding sound, draws a curve along the asphalt. Onlookers turn around hoping to see “blood, guts and dismemberment,” children begin to cry, grandmothers cross themselves, women faint. Especially the one sitting behind you. In a word, this device can make some rustling (or rattling) noises!

This is where you need to try to keep your facial expression especially calm, because it’s such a pleasure to upset onlookers without causing an accident. Then their excited “oh, what’s going to happen” turns into “oh, I’m scared, damn it.” Isn't this what all the bad guys get their life force from?

And only sitting behind the wheel of this motorcycle, you understand that everything that is happening, by and large, is nothing more than a performance. Bad guys, brutal macho men, black-black motorcycle... The main thing is to have fun while riding.

After all, this is exactly why we get on a bike: to isolate ourselves from the world with an invisible wall, to retire in our own endless universe, which fits between the handlebars and the seat of the motorcycle, and to live in it only for ourselves. And, of course, I couldn’t help but be glad that I had a beard and mustache growing on my “box-shaped face.” Because watching this whole performance, you want to grin into your mustache. And without a mustache it’s quite difficult to do this.

XL1200C CUSTOM

All of the above is also true for the custom version of the bike, even to a greater extent. It doesn't look like a classic early '60s Sportster, because the Custom is prettier, with a narrow 21-inch spoked front wheel, a cast rear wheel, raised handlebars and a lowered tail.

The driver's position is completely different - this is because the steering wheel is raised on chrome brackets and the footpegs are moved forward. Both the handlebars and footpegs have been moved back by 38 mm compared to last year’s model, making it more comfortable for shorter bikers to sit here. The bike with a single speedometer and a round bright headlight - it is very reminiscent of the Big Twin.

The comparison continued naturally when I started the engine: excited by the capture, he immediately began to move on the rubber mounts, like a hedgehog in a basket. But as soon as I increased the speed, I began to work more softly - like a hedgehog that had calmed down slightly (unless I accidentally closed the air filter housing with my right foot). All that remains is to lean back like a cruiser and get ready for a measured ride.

The Custom was far less tempting for me to try out its newfound smoothness at high revs - it would have been more useful on long trips than on my short raid through the Austrian hills, time was short, and not fuel - the Custom's 17-liter gas tank is enough for a long trip. It was not particularly difficult to feel that the modified version of Harley did not lose its responsiveness at low speeds.

The XL1200C began to grind when cornering, with the muffler pipes touching the ground even earlier than the 1200R's. In addition, due to the strong tilt of the fork, he himself fell a little on his side. Nevertheless, its handling is not bad, the motorcycle “stands” in a vertical position and straightness quite stable.

About rubber. The designers honestly admitted that they installed a thick rear tire not at all in order to ensure the best grip of the wheel on the surface, but for aesthetic reasons. This is purely “Harley-style”: in the company’s custom series, style has always dominated over the technical component. Therefore, without a twinge of conscience or fear of offending, I would call the XL1200C the most impractical of the two new 1200s. That said, even if style is your top priority, know that the XL1200C Custom rides as good as it looks.