I agree.. it's apples and oranges.. The CR is at least a quasi sportbike.. even though as already pointed out, the only way it could compete was to have a special set of rules and race against bikes with far less displacement. The XR on the other hand, doesn't "claim" to be a sportbike, it's a higher or better performing sportster that honors the XR 750 flat track bikes.. My take is.. if I wanted a for real sport bike.. I'd look at a CBR1000RR or maybe a BMW S1000RR.. or possibly even an Aprilia RSV4.. These are purpose built full bore, high performance sportbikes.. great to go fast on.. and not so great for very much else..

I think the XR on the other hand, would make for a much better "general purpose" ride, or make a great second bike for the Harley guy who's looking for something with Harley written on the side that's more fun to "play" with than say.. an Ultra, Road King or Street Glide. And although probably not as fast as the V rod in a straight line, the XR will pretty much out perform most if not all of the rest of the sportster line and would most likely give any stock harley a good run for the money, and especially so on roads that involve hard braking and turning.. and not just twisting your right grip on a 5 mile long straightaway..

Personally, I think between the two I'd take the XR.. it's a harley and something that's very different than my Ultra.. As I said, if I wanted a sportbike.. I'd go buy a sportbike.. ( read that as something other than the Buell CR )

cheers

mavrick

 

I agree. A sportbike (Jap or European) and a HD both in the garage is an awesome combination. While the Buell is a pretty good sportbike, a 600 class will outrun it (maybe not outhandle it though.) But my concern would be that Buell is dead and that could be an issue down the road. As for the Sportster, while they are great bikes in their own element, sportbikes they are not. I have a feeling that quite a number of people on this forum have never ridden a true sportbike. Nothing wrong with that, of course. BUT if you have, you will know just how far ahead they are in handling and power. Horses for courses. Just my opinion on the post.

 

You don't need to go to a liter bike to outrun either bike in question.

 

I speak from real work experience on the drag-strip. I'm talking straight line acceleration. That article in concerned with track racing, the statistics they show are relevant to track racing. That's a whole different ball-game, where power (hp) to weight ratios matter. In straight line, from a dead-stop acceleration torque and the shape the of your power-curve matter too. The 1000cc bikes that kill on the track, suck at 0-60 and the 1/4 (relative to have they look in the stats). Their power is all up top, meaning without a wheelie bar or being stretched out, they can't launch hard. Even on a sticky strip, much less on the street. The 1125 comes on right away and has much smoother power delivery: you can launch it hard off the line, even with a street tire on the street without worrying about flipping the bike over.

Yes, if the kind of riding you're looking for is track riding, i.e. continuous high-speed, then a large-displacement inline four, or ducati would be a better choice. But for your average non-racing rider, 0-60 and street-light to street-light performance is more relevant.

 

Go with a Ducati...twin cyl and bad ***..I owned two. If my finances improve, I will buy one of the Superbikes for my second bike.

 

You are correct sir and my apologies if it seemed I was implying otherwise.. that post was just my thoughts on the OP's question..

Cheers

mavrick

 

Ducati Streetfighter would be nice if my finances permitted.

 

But this thread isn't about touring bikes.

 

You guys are talking about Ducatis like they are all the same.

An air-cooled L-twin Monster is a very different bike than an 1198 or a Streetfighter.

Of course, my air-cooled '09 Monster 1100 will slay any air-cooled Harley or Buell So it really doesn't matter.

 

This is simply not correct:
Typical examples show similar or better off the line performance from the fours.

1125r - 10.58 1/4 mile @135
GSXR - 10.11 1/4 mile @ 141
Hyabusa 9.57 1/4 mile @191
YR1 - 9.1 1/4 mile @ 138

Four cylinder jap sports bikes v V twin (Rotax engined) Buell

I also prefer Vtwins myself (hence HD, KTM and Cagiva) - My Raptor 1000 does 10.22 @124