P068__SPRP-110800.pgs 06.03.2011 06:37 PR3_41 BLACK

THE XR P
68
WWW.SPORTRIDER.COM
SPRP-110800-XR-068-074.indd 68
BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN
6/3/11 5:48:19 AM
P068__SPRP-110800.pgs
06.03.2011
06:37
PR3_41
PROJECT
We prepare a Harley-Davidson XR1200 to race
in the AMA Vance & Hines XR1200 series
BY ANDREW TREVITT PHOTOS BY BRIAN J. NELSON
PIT PASS
I
n 1990, the AMA introduced a roadracing
class dubbed Supertwins, for HarleyDavidson 883 Sportster models. The class
was intended to be an inexpensive avenue
for riders to enter professional racing, either
from club racing or from flat-track, where the
majority of the USA’s roadracing champions
started their careers. Race winners in the
class included the Bostrom brothers, Aaron
Yates and Jake Zemke, all of whom went
on to win championships in the AMA’s more
traditional classes. Unfortunately, creative
interpretation of the rules became rampant
and the class ran its course before the end of
the decade. Fast forward 20 years, and the
AMA is hoping to repeat the successful part of
SPORT RIDER AUGUST 2011
SPRP-110800-XR-068-074.indd 69
BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN
69
6/3/11 5:48:28 AM
P069__SPRP-110800.pgs
06.03.2011
06:37
PR3_41
The Gilles Tooling rearsets are
beautifully crafted and feature
adjustable levers and footpegs.
The shifter assembly permits both
standard and race-pattern shifting. The right-side rearset did
interfere slightly with the exhaust,
requiring some trimming on the
back part of the brake pedal.
The Vance & Hines solid rear engine
mounts replace the stock rubber
pieces that tie the engine, frame
and swingarm together, improving
handling but also increasing vibration. You can see the new engine
mount in place just behind the
footpeg in the picture above.
Twisted Throttle sent us a full R&G protection package for the XR, which
included front axle sliders ($51), rear axle sliders ($51) and these nifty
Cotton-Reel swingarm spools ($250). The swingarm spools mounted with no
drilling of the swingarm and allow you to remove the rear wheel while using
a paddock stand. The company also offers a set of frame sliders to protect
the oil cooler when in the standard position, but with that item moved
safely behind the number plate we felt the sliders would be unnecessary.
the class with its new Vance & Hines XR1200 class, which became part of the
series midway through last year. While a media bike is available for members
of the press to race at various rounds in the series, we decided to build and
race our own bike, for a more in-depth look at the class. Harley-Davidson
lent us an XR1200X model, and we made plans to race it in the Infineon
round of the series.
Rules for the XR1200 class are very strict, both in order to keep costs
low as well as to ensure fair competition. Most of the modifications are
limited to those included in the Vance & Hines race kit for the bike, which
includes almost everything needed to convert the sedate XR into something more track-worthy — an exhaust system and matching fuel controller,
a 17-inch front wheel to replace the stock 18-incher, a steering damper,
bodywork and mounts to relocate the stock oil cooler out of harm’s way.
The kit retails for $3500, a bargain considering the individual parts add
up to more than $5000. We obtained a kit and installed everything in a few
days. All the parts are well-designed and nicely manufactured, typical of
Vance & Hines products, and practically every detail has been addressed.
The only finicky part of the installation was enlarging a hole in the lower
triple clamp to mount the oil cooler bracket.
With the kit installed, we addressed the other areas open for modifications. For suspension, we turned to Fast Bike Industries, an Öhlins service
center that has ties to the XR1200 series that has run in Europe for several
seasons now. FBI provided us with a set of Öhlins shocks ($1274) with all
the necessary adjustments — rebound and compression damping, preload
and ride height. Our XR is the X model, which has a Showa Big Piston Fork
assembly, and there were a couple of options for upgrading the fork. Many
70 WWW.SPORTRIDER.COM
The front fork (a Showa Big Piston
Fork on the X model XR1200) was
modified by Fast Bike Industries
with an Andreani Group piston
kit (insets), a cheaper alternative to installing aftermarket
cartridges. The front wheel is
part of the Vance & Hines kit (a
matching rear wheel is available but
not allowed under the rules), as is the fender. The linear potentiometer
is used with our Racepak data acquisition system during testing.
teams simply gut the internals and install well-proven cartridge kits, but we
chose to replace the BPF pistons with aftermarket items, a cheaper alternative. The pistons are made by the Andreani Group, an Italian company that
manufactures suspension components as well as provides trackside support for many of the Öhlins World Superbike teams. Cost for the fork modifications, including new springs, the pistons and assembly, came to $640.
Hand and foot controls are also allowable modifications, and we replaced
the stock handlebar with a Flanders drag bar ($122). As you’d expect with
something like handlebars for Harley-Davidsons, there are a multitude of
choices for the XR1200 — Flanders manufacturers more than 1000 different
models. We chose a flat bar with moderate width and sweep, something that
would provide leverage to turn the heavy XR but not stick out in the wind
SPRP-110800-XR-068-074.indd 70
BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN
6/3/11 5:49:03 AM
P070__SPRP-110800.pgs
06.03.2011
06:38
PR3_41
The Vance & Hines Fuelpak
(included in the race kit, $330
if purchased separately) allows
fuel injection changes without the
need for a laptop, and came preprogrammed to match the kit’s
exhaust system.
On the business side of the XR’s engine, you can see the 2-into-1-into-2 design of the Vance & Hines Widow
exhaust pipe; the system has four bungs for O2 sensors, allowing the stock sensors to be retained in addition
to the use of aftermarket sensors. The Öhlins steering damper and its related brackets are part of the Vance &
Hines kit. The kit also includes the lines and brackets to relocate the oil cooler from the left side of the engine
to behind the front number plate, a tidy installation that keeps the cooler safe in a crash.
This flat handlebar from Flanders is just one of a plethora of options available in Harley-Davidson one-inch handlebars; we opted for a medium-width, medium-bend drag bar. Spider grips intended for a standard 7∕8 -inch bar
stretched on, while a G2 Ergonomics quarter-turn throttle is used. Note the stock master cylinder, mandated by
the rules, and single Galfer brake line.
too much. We added a quarter-turn throttle from G2 Ergonomics ($50) and
used Spider M1 grips intended for off-road and motard use. The Harley’s oneinch handlebar limits options for both the throttle tube and grips; G2 makes
a one-inch tube specifically for H-D models, while we were able to stretch
the standard-sized Spider grips onto the bar. For foot controls, Gilles Tooling
sent us a set of its Factor-X rearsets. These have adjustable footpegs, while
the levers — also adjustable — pivot smoothly on ball bearings. It’s a bit tricky
to switch the XR to race-pattern shifting, but the Gilles rearsets solve this
nicely with a replacement clutch cover that houses a pivot for the shifter.
Even with the thicker-than-stock engine cover, the Gilles parts trimmed more
than 2.5 pounds in weight compared with the stock (steel!) parts. That quality does not come cheap; the rearsets retail for $822.
Brakes are ultra-important with a big, heavy bike, and we replaced the
stock front brake lines with a three-line Superlight kit ($131) from Galfer USA.
The XR’s front calipers are Nissin units and accept the same pads as many
Honda models, so there are plenty of options available. We used Galfer’s HH
Sintered Advanced Ceramic pads, which have fewer metallics than many
OEM and aftermarket sintered pads, an important aspect as the XR class
mandates stock rotors. The Galfer pads have a ceramic-coated backing plate
72 WWW.SPORTRIDER.COM
The Öhlins shocks are a whopping 60mm longer than the OEM
units, which helps in some ways
(increased ground clearance,
quicker steering) but hinders in
others (decreased stability). The
seat and its padding are included
in the Vance & Hines kit.
that further helps to dissipate heat away from the pads and calipers, keeping the fluid cooler for better performance.
At about the time we were looking for someone to ride the XR for us,
Bradley came aboard and made the perfect, er…guinea pig to ride the hog
(we just had to work that in somehow). An initial shakedown at Buttonwillow Raceway was followed by a Pacific Track Time day at Infineon Raceway.
Interestingly, because the track day was within 30 days of the AMA race
there, we had to obtain permission from the AMA for Bradley to ride the bike
at Infineon; a ruling disallows competitors to ride at a track within 30 days of
an event, with certain exceptions made — one of which is for media. While the
XR in standard trim is a solid platform and handles reasonably well, in race
trim with the suspension significantly extended for ground clearance and
the geometry accordingly changed, stability becomes a major issue. In our
initial testing this was a limitation that suspension adjustments could mask
to a certain extent but not cure.
That was not our only problem at the Infineon track day. The XR dropped
a valve during the last on-track session, most likely due to over-exuberant
downshifting on Bradley’s part. While rev limiters work fine during acceleration, there’s no stopping the engine spinning too fast if downshifts are
SPRP-110800-XR-068-074.indd 72
BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN
6/3/11 5:49:21 AM
P072__SPRP-110800.pgs
06.03.2011
06:38
PR3_41
RESOURCES
DUNLOP SPORTMAX D211
GP-A SPEC TIRES
As part of the AMA Pro Racing series, the Vance & Hines XR1200 class
runs under the spec tire rules, meaning all bikes on the grid use the
same Dunlop Sportmax D211 GP-A tires. With a 5.5-inch rear rim and the
replacement Vance & Hines front wheel, the XR uses the same 120/70
front and 190/55 rear tires as the Daytona Sportbike and Supersport
classes, which are available in three front and two rear compounds. The
GP-As are manufactured in Dunlop’s Buffalo, NY plant, and use the company’s Jointless Band (JLB) and Multi-Tread construction; the rear tires
are dual-compound, with a harder center portion for wear and a softer
edge tread for grip. For the XR class specifically, the AMA and Dunlop
select compounds for each track, meaning competitors all use even the
same compound of tire. The spec tires are controlled through the use of
stickers; competitors are given a set of stickers at the beginning of the
weekend (four front and four rear in the XR class), and these must be
applied to all tires used. Prior to each on-track session, AMA staff members check each bike to ensure the stickers are in place.
The Dunlops coped surprisingly well with the XR, considering its
heft — the minimum weight for the XR class is 520 pounds compared
with roughly 380 pounds for the other classes. Bradley reported good
traction and neutral steering
properties, and the tires
showed good wear over
the course of a track
day, with only the
rear showing signs
of abuse at the
end of a day. The
Dunlop Sportmax
D211 GP-A tires
as used in the
AMA cost $360
per set.
made too early entering a corner. Luckily, we were able to drop the bike
off at the Harley-Davidson fleet center to be repaired. Damage was limited
to the top end on one cylinder, but a new piston, valves and cylinder head
were still required. Lesson learned.
Just before the AMA event at Infineon Raceway, Vance & Hines
released a fix for the wobbly handling, in the form of solid rear engine
mounts. The XR’s engine is completely rubber mounted to reduce vibration, but the rear mount also incorporates the swingarm pivot, making
the frame/swingarm connection flexible enough that you can see move-
CORRECTED HORSEPOWER/TORQUE
100
The $175 Barnett clutch kit for the
XR1200 consists of tempered steel
plates and carbon fiber friction
plates with a segmented design to
increase oil flow and extend clutch
life. The company also offers a
stiffer clutch spring, but the rules
permit only the stock piece or an
H-D replacement.
The Vance & Hines racing kit for
the XR1200 (below) includes almost
everything necessary to go racing.
HORSEPOWER
Stock XR1200: 77.2 @ 6750 rpm
Modified XR1200: 76.7 @ 6500 rpm
75
50
TORQUE (ft-lb)
Stock XR1200: 68.8 @ 4000 rpm
Modified XR1200: 71.4 @ 4250 rpm
25
3
4
5
6
7
RPM (x1000)
The dyno run shown here for the modified XR1200 is using the AMA’s
spec fuel, Sunoco 260 GTX; the stock run was with premium unleaded.
74
We used
Maxima’s
Maxum4 Extra 15W-50 ($15.49
per liter) in both the primary case
and crankcase of the XR. After
every track day the bike got fresh
crankcase oil and a new K&N filter
(complete with wrench nut for easy
removal and pre-drilled for safety
wire), while the primary case was
changed after every two days. Note
that the oil filter is all-black, specifically for Harley applications.
Barnett Performance Products
(805) 642-9435
www.barnettclutches.com
Dunlop Tires
www.dunlopmotorcycle.com
Fast Bike Industries
(828) 435-0125
www.fastbikeindustries.com
Flanders Company
(626) 792-7384
www.flandersco.com
G2 Ergonomics
(815) 535-3236
www.g2ergo.com
Galfer USA
www.galferusa.com
Gilles Tooling
www.gillestooling.com
K&N Filters
(800) 858-3333
www.knfilters.com
Maxima Racing Oils
(800) 345-8761
www.maximausa.com
Pacific Track Time
(530) 223-0622
www.pacifictracktime.com
Spider Grips
www.spidergrips.com
TrackDaz
(909) 234-4713
www.trackdaz.com
Twisted Throttle
(401) 284-4200
www.twistedthrottle.com
Vance & Hines
(317) 852-9057
www.vanceandhines.com/
xr1200series
ment with the bike even just idling at a standstill. With the solid nylon
mounts installed, handling is significantly improved but vibration is
increased as well. With the engine fixed and the engine mounts installed,
we headed back to Buttonwillow for a TrackDaz track day to test everything and make any final adjustments. Handling was quite improved and
we felt ready for the AMA race; there was just one last hitch in the form
of a slipping clutch, which we remedied with a complete kit from Barnett.
Testing completed, we headed off to Infineon Raceway for the AMA event.
Tune in next issue for the results and full story. SR
For more information about the project XR, visit
www.sportrider.com/magazine/1108
WWW.SPORTRIDER.COM
SPRP-110800-XR-068-074.indd 74
BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN
6/3/11 5:49:40 AM
P074__SPRP-110800.pgs
06.03.2011
06:38
PR3_41