Marchesini Wheels

Good tires make taking the XR1200 to track days safer and more fun. Most track rubber comes in 17" sizes, so replacing the stock 18" wheel on the XR1200 is almost a must. I could have just ordered a front wheel, like they do in the XR1200 Vance and Hines race series. David Behrend at Fast Bike Industries, who did my front suspension and helped with the Cycle World XR1200 Project Bike, suggested he could get a set of Marchesini wheels for the same price. I had Marchesini wheels on my Ducati 900 SS and loved them so I was hooked. When they arrived, I couldn't believe how light they were...featherweight comes to mind, but not quite as light as the all carbon wheels that I briefly considered.

The first tires I put on were Bridgestone BT001 endurance race tires. I avoided the XR1200 race series rubber (Dunlop GPAs) because I've heard they can give handling problems if not setup perfectly. I was less than confident that my setup skills were equal to the task. The Bridgestones had lots of grip, enough to confidently get my knee on the ground, and they wore great on the track - lasting probably 10 track days and a trip to Indy for the MotoGP before I replaced them (and the front still had plenty of wear left).

Now I'm trying Pirelli's Diablo Rossi Corsa tires ...intended for street and occasional track day use. I put these on at the end of the last track day this fall, so I only have a couple sessions on them, so we'll have to see how the compare. My thought was that as a street tire, they'll warm up better for the cold winter rides. In the spring, I'll see how they do on the track.

All in One LED Tailight

I can't say this modification was driven by a desire to improve performance. I just saw it on the XR1200 Forum and thought it was cool. The modification, sold by XDCYCLE replaces the rear tailight and turn signals with a single LED tailight with integrated turn signals. LEDs are bright and don't need replacing like bulbs. It streamlines the rear by eliminating the large Harley Davidson turn signals. It also sticks out less...much shorter front to rear than the stock tailight. I ordered the clear lens rather than the smoked lens with the idea that clear will be safter/brighter. Installation was simple and straight-forward, probably 30 minutes start to finish.

Getting a Grip- Gripster Tank Pads

At the California Superbike School, they teach you to grip the edge of the tank to keep weight off the handlebars and to help you relax your grip on the bars. The gripping starts in your feets - the balls of your feet push down on the pegs and you knees grip whatever you can on the bike's tank. Since most tanks are slippery - painted metal or plastic, the addition of a gripping material helps your knees "get a grip" on the tank. On my R6, I used Stomp Grip. Clear plastic with pointy nibs all over the surface that grab your leathers. Worked incredibly well and also wore the sides of the knees on my leathers. Because the leathers are expensive and I don't want to wear them out, I was looking for an alternative. At CSS, they have TechSpec Gripster Tank Grips for sale. The XR1200 is rare enough that they don't have a special pre-cut model for it. I ordered blank sheets from the TechSpec website. They are about 8 1/2 x 11. The XR1200 also has a narrow tank (the tank is really a cover) and very little gripping area. I'm starting with the small section just below the edge of the tank cover which is the side of the plastic fuel tank and hoping this will provide enough grip. If that's not enough, I may also try a slim amount on the side of the tank cover too.