Griso 8V and XR 1200 Riding with my son.

[bigbikerrick]

Hello Folks, This afternoon, my son and I took a ride , and swapped bikes back and forth a few times to compare the two. My son had never ridden my new Griso, and after riding it for about 30 miles through some curves, in the Bisbee mountains, he stated that the XR felt like it was "coming apart" compared to the Guzzi. actually he mentioned "shaking itself to pieces". He was very impressed with the power ,and smoothness of the Griso, never having ridden a CARC Guzzi before. I must say, I was happy to get back on the griso again. The HD has its own charm,and character, for sure, but IMHO the Griso is a much nicer, more refined ride in every way....Well maybe except for the sound...That XR with the Vance and Hines  exhaust sounds
pretty darn sweet!
Rick.

[AH Fan]

I'm liking that LED headlight you have in the Griso.
May I ask where you got it or what brand it is?

Ciao

[janguzzi]

Same question here.
Is that a Koso in the original Griso housing?
Like this one?
https://www.grisoghetto.com/t3647p25-installing-led-headlight-unit

[pebra]

The 8V Griso IS a lovely machine, glad your son appreciated it.
When you rev it up to 8,000 rpm through the gears, there's no Harley sounding sweeter! 

[Dave Swanson]

I have owned both, and really liked the XR, but the Griso comes out on top for me also. Both are fun bikes.

The XR was good fun in the twisties, and agree that it  had great sound with Vance and Hines.  On warm days my lower right leg was always roasting if you had to ride through town.

Although I really enjoyed riding the XR for the couple of years of ownership, it is one of the very few bikes I have parted with that I do not have seller's remorse.

Having the Griso as a replacement for the XR was a very good move.

 

[bigbikerrick]

Yes Guys, Thats the Koso headlight installed in the stock Griso housing per the instructions on griso ghetto. It was a PITA to make the little brackets,and bend them to fit the curvature of the bucket just right,and the cost isnt cheap,  but the finished product was worth it. The light output , and beam patter from that Koso is like no other I have  ever seen. Its a real quality product.
those Germans know their stuff when it comes to lighting!
Rick.

[janguzzi]

Koso is Chinese (Taiwan) 
https://www.koso.com.tw/
https://www.koso.com.tw/company.php?id=78&lang=en

[Bud]

     I'm not a big Harley fan but that is a sharp looking bike. Not as appealing as the Griso but nice for a Harley!   

[bigbikerrick]

Koso is Chinese (Taiwan) 
https://www.koso.com.tw/
https://www.koso.com.tw/company.php?id=78&lang=en

Chinese, wow, I thought I read somewhere on the griso ghetto that they were German made!
Still a great product IMHO!
Rick.

[SmithSwede]

I’ve never owned a Harley, nor ridden one.  Not my cup of tea. 

But I’ve been consistently curious about the XR1200 ever since I saw one in East Texas and spoke to the owner at some length.  Good chance I’ll buy one some day.   Just keeps nagging at me.  It appeals to me somehow. 

I have ridden a Griso.  Thought it was ok, but it didn’t blow me away either.

So why do folks like the Griso better than the Harley? 

If I was underwhelmed by the Griso am I guaranteed to be underwhelmed by the XR?  Or are they different enough that some might dig the Harley but not the Griso?

Has your son had any issues with reliability?  I got the sense great the XR Harleys had a variety of issues, like external oil lines. 

The main thing that puts me off the Harley is the weight.  Just seems way too porky for the engine output. 

[bigbikerrick]

SmithSwede, I think that if you were underwhelmed by the Griso, possibly the XR will push the right buttons for you. Its loud, and brash, and makes its presence known everywhere you ride it. People are drawn to the sound, and usually walk over to it and look it over carefully. Its an attention getter for sure. The XR is low geared , and feels like an  old American muscle car with a 4:11 rear end. It takes off from a standing start very aggressively, and will pull the rev limiter in 5 th gear right at 122 mph. I think it could easily use taller gearing,if one were to use it on the highway alot, but its a ton of fun as is if you like a strong mid range.With the upright riding position, It will pull wheelies off the throttle in second gear with little effort.
   I would categorize it as more of a "hooligan bike" than the Griso, or the Griso is a more refined hooligan.  My sons XR has been 100%trouble free for the 3-4 years he has owned it. They are known to be trouble free bikes, from what I have read.It does have external oil lines for added lubrication to the head compared to the other sportster motors.
  The weight is only apparent when you move it around in the garage. It does not have a heavy feel when you ride it, and actually feels much narrower than the Griso.
I dont think the XR is a good choice as an only bike, but its an interesting machine to keep, if you have a couple of other bikes to diversify the collection.
Rick.

[SmithSwede]

Thanks Rick, very helpful description. 

[Dave Swanson]

The XR is definitely the most fun Harley ever built.  It's power output is just about ideal for back roads corner scratching. 

I traded my XR as part of a deal to obtain my 1000S so no regrets. 

[PJPR01]

I’ve never owned a Harley, nor ridden one.  Not my cup of tea. 

But I’ve been consistently curious about the XR1200 ever since I saw one in East Texas and spoke to the owner at some length.  Good chance I’ll buy one some day.   Just keeps nagging at me.  It appeals to me somehow. 

I have ridden a Griso.  Thought it was ok, but it didn’t blow me away either.

So why do folks like the Griso better than the Harley? 

If I was underwhelmed by the Griso am I guaranteed to be underwhelmed by the XR?  Or are they different enough that some might dig the Harley but not the Griso?

Has your son had any issues with reliability?  I got the sense great the XR Harleys had a variety of issues, like external oil lines. 

The main thing that puts me off the Harley is the weight.  Just seems way too porky for the engine output.

To be fair, it took me a good 500 to 600 miles to "bond" with the Griso...it's hard to do on a short jaunt.  Once there however, it's an addictive bike...so Prescott you may just have to come back down and take it for a longer spin next time you're in town!

:)

[kingoffleece]

I really like the XR1200.  Gonna snatch one up one of these days a ride it for a bit.  One of the few non Guzzi motorcycles that interest me enough to buy.

[SmithSwede]

Paul, I’d never turn down that offer!  Thanks. 

Can you buy a Harley XR1200 so I can do an extended comparison test ?