Harley Davidson Roadster XL1200CX Ride & Review | Wheel Stories

Wheel Stories braves Idaho's winter weather and takes the Harley Davidson Roadster XL1200CX for a ride and review. Here is the Wheel Story on the HD Roadster.
Wheel Stories Camera Gear:
Action Cameras - GoPro Hero 7 Black
Point & Shoot Camera - Canon G7X
DSLR Camera - Nikon D5300
DSLR Lenses - Nikon AF-P DX 18-55mm Zoom
External Microphone - Rode Video Micro
Bike Mount - Pedco Ultra Clamp
Helmet Mount - GoPro
Tripod - Joby GorillaPod
Be sure to like, comment, share & subscribe to Wheel Stories. Thanks for watching.
Music from KZbin Audio Library:
Nightmares Inn - RKVC
1968 - TrackTribe
Fuzzy and True - The Mini Vandals
American Idle - RKVC
Life is Good - Magic in the Other
Honey - Corbyn Kites
KnockOut - TrackTribe
#HarleyDavidsonRoadster #GoPro #WheelStories

[@Darkrider8500]

That is such a rare color, what year

[@WheelStories]

That is a 2018. I purchased it with less than 10 miles on the odometer in 2020. The dealer says the bike had been used by HD for photo shoots and shows then was made available for sale in 2020. I love the color, too.

[@JULIENGELOEN]

Greatest test drive I have never watched ! Congrats !

[@WheelStories]

Thanks for not watching.

[@Darkrider8500]

Love the blue ones!

[@WheelStories]

Very nice shade of blue. I agree.

[@mikeyanniello6565]

how many parts on Harley are made in America ,,,,,,,,buy the clone engine cheap dress it up sell it to take over the market ,,,,,slam the shit out save the brand

[@mchristr]

H-D should have traded the traditional tank for something more British with capacity. It also needs about 10-20 more horsepower. But I really love my 2017 and am currently fixing those few issues.

[@WheelStories]

Good suggestions. My one other complaint is the suspension. I wish the bike absorbed bumps in the road a bit better. I'd like a smoother ride. It's still a fun bike with lots of character. Thanks for watching.

[@zahrarane1339]

A very good review and especially detailed information about the Roadster itself and its character. How is the Traceability of the Bike in downtown traffic & does one need to sfift gears frequently?is the Clutch very hard or reasonably soft? Thanks

[@WheelStories]

The Roadster has lots of character. I love the sound and the low end torque. It's well behaved in traffic and you don't have to shift a bunch. It's not a refined motorcycle like a Japanese model or a BMW. It feels a bit raw. I will tell you that I recently traded the motorcycle on the purchase of an HD Road King. I love to tour and take long rides and the Roadster isn't the right machine for touring. I miss the bike but the Road King is bettered suited for my style of riding. Thanks for watching and posting the comment.

[@grimeyhonkyracing3938]

If you want to change your risers what do you do with the speedo? It looks like its one piece with the top plate

[@WheelStories]

Not sure. I haven't explored that question. You might check with a vendor that offers risers for the bike. Thanks for watching.

[@xtc2v]

You would get less engine noise either by fitting a windjammer under the full face or wearing a snug fitting open face

[@WheelStories]

Thanks for the suggestions.

[@SLAYNE999]

How do you feel about your roadster now? Is it reliable. I am considering buying one with 16k miles. Did you ever make a follow up video with the upgrades?

[@WheelStories]

I loved the Roadster for short rides around town and the nearby backroads. It's a great looking bike with good low end torque. Reliable, yes. However, I recently traded the Sportster for a Road King. My favorite type of riding is touring. Long rides done in comfort. I miss the Roadster and wish I could have kept it but there's not enough room in my garage and funds in my bank account. So now I have some long trips planned for the Road King with large saddlebags, big windscreen and comfortable seating position. Thanks for watching Wheel Stories. I appreciate the question.

[@SLAYNE999]

@@WheelStories I bought it. I couldn't resist!

[@WheelStories]

I may hunt for another Roadster down the road. I miss the bike at times.

[@Jonnyb1925]

More of that beautiful Idaho countryside, please! Weather's nice in Pittsburgh today, so I think I'm going to get out for a bit, myself. Thanks for sharing!

[@WheelStories]

Sounds great! Spring is right around the corner but then we have to contend with rain. Still can't wait for warmer temps.

[@WalkingHeadPro]

great bike if youre 5 foot 1

[@WheelStories]

Not true for this particular Sportster, the Roadster. The bike, with the tallest standard shocks in the Sportster model lineup, the Roadster stands taller than my Road King and the Harley Davidson soft tail models I've sat on.

[@danilocapellan1316]

Great video 👍🏼

[@WheelStories]

Thanks for the visit. Glad you enjoyed.

[@ronaldthomas9396]

I have a 2016 roadster and changed the air filter and did a fuel download at the dealer but have kept the stock exhaust! With 1400 miles the exhaust has burned in and sounds great! I don't like really loud exhaust, for my hearing and not disturbing people I ride past!

[@WheelStories]

I agree on the sound. The bike doesn't have to be loud to sound cool. Thanks for watching and posting the comment.

[@janetimwedding7995]

My roadster hasn’t got a key it’s a fob

[@WheelStories]

That's cool. Nice feature.

[@janetimwedding7995]

Mine to fort it was standard

[@vraimondi]

Rock n roll - great video!

[@WheelStories]

Yes! Thank you!

[@locofortin]

Sounds like a documentary for some reason

[@RickLincoln]

This is nice, but it'll never be the head turner that your black BMW 1150 is. I'll bet having that torque down low is nice though.

[@WheelStories]

Certainly a different type of ride from the BMW R1150. I will be riding the BMW on my longer overnight trips.

[@Swimfan070]

Hey man! Your vids are so nicely done. The FOV is perfect via the chest mount and you have very little or no wind noise. Can you tell us how you achieve that? I struggle to point my GoPro cause I cannot see whats in view from the chest mount. Also, how do you manage wind noise? I had a thrilling ride yesterday on twisty mountain roads on my Roadster, only to be spoilt by crappy footage of it. It either shows too much of the road or too much of the sky.

[@WheelStories]

Getting the right tilt on the camera when mounted to my chest took some time just testing and experimenting. Now I can look down at the camera and get a fairly accurate read on whether the camera is aimed right. Wind noise is another battle that is difficult to overcome. The chest mount works best for sound but when you are riding above 50 mph you're going to hear more wind than motorcycle. I haven't found a reliable solution for wind. Thanks for watching.

[@a.k1311]

I bet you where thinking.. why doesn’t it goes to 6th gear.. Oh im not on my R1150r!!

[@WheelStories]

Yes. Not keeping track of shifting I find myself pulling the clutch for another gear up around 75 to 80 mph. I'll get used to it.

[@alfypierri8022]

Enjoyed the video, I'm also looking for some not load exhaust. Do you have any suggestions for the exhaust?

[@WheelStories]

I do not. I haven't explored the subject yet. I'm guessing most aftermarket pipes will be louder than the originals but there may be options for baffles to reduce the volume. If I do pipes, I'd hope that there is a performance bump.

[@JohnG11000]

Thanks for sharing,we'er still in lock down over hear, nice bike,totally understand you keeping your bikes simple tech, i'm looking forward to your next ride out.

[@WheelStories]

Right on. I was just telling a friend I can't wait to pull into a pub and sit down for a burger, fries and beverage near the taps and have a conversation with a bartender or group of friends without sitting a mile apart and wearing masks. Hopefully soon. I want to do my part to keep bartenders, waiters, waitresses, cooks and dishwashers in business.

[@liambarber7010]

Hey man, just stumbled upon your channel After watching a few reviews I was left a bit annoyed with how they reviewed the bikes But I got to say, I love the way you did this video, kept me engaged the whole time giving me information about the bike in an interesting way Keep it up!

[@WheelStories]

Awesome, thank you! More videos to come.

[@egalitarianvegan8806]

I find my shocks ride hard when cold. The ride really improves once they warm up. They will get better once broken in as well. I wish I still had stock mufflers. I like the sound but get noise fatigued on along days of riding. Great video.

[@WheelStories]

Good to know! I'd heard the shocks will soften up after a number of miles. Thanks for posting the comment.

[@davecosso7367]

Let us know when you’ll attempt Initial Point on the HD so we can meet you out there. Harley has some hill climb pedigree built in.

[@WheelStories]

Looking forward to more rides soon. I'll be happy when its 65 to 75 degrees outside. Perfect weather.

[@katzsteel]

I love the sound of the engine. I wouldn’t change it one bit. It would be interesting to see you on the bike as it’s hard to tell what riding position you’re in most of the time. It seems that you might be almost reaching for the handlebars as it’s configured. Could be just the view though.

[@WheelStories]

I'll have to line up some drive by shots in a future video. Not too much of a lean as the bars are rather close to the seat. I need to do some longer rides to determine how comfortable the bike is after 2 or 3 hours in the saddle.

[@dagocastillo1529]

Oh my God!!! It has surprised me. However, please do not leave the r1150r. Greetings from Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico.

[@dagocastillo1529]

Excellent Video as always.

[@WheelStories]

I plan to keep the R1150R. No worries there.

[@albertosbrolla8424]

Thanks for the ride on the new sportster! Great looking bike, looking forward to seeing more of it!👍🏻

[@WheelStories]

More to come!

[@djverhulst]

great video,, I like your roadster ,, look a great bike to me

[@WheelStories]

Thanks 👍

[@pinkiewerewolf]

Love that color.

[@WheelStories]

Thanks. The blue is nice.

[@grantnoble9978]

Your new sportster is beautiful. You can see the firmer ride compared to your Rs. Just my opinion, but I love sound of the factory pipes. The sound has a subdued power character that you feel more than having your ears blown. It can be opened a bit to optimize the special Harley rumble but it doesn’t take much. Again, just my opinion as I don’t like loud. Thanks for sharing and making some of us want one real bad. Looking forward to more rides and thoughts.

[@WheelStories]

I haven't given the bike a good tug on the throttle yet, as I am still breaking the bike in. I look forward to hearing the Roadster when I can punch it above 4000 rpm. More rides around the corner.

[@coastalhillbilly3419]

Loud bikes that make little to no more power than stock are sad