Harley-Davidson XG750R Flat Track Racer Breaks Cover

After having ruled American flat tracks for almost 44 years, the iconic Harley-Davidson XR750 is going to be retired now, to be replaced by the new XG750R.

Harley-Davidson has a history of 44 years of racing successfully on flat tracks with its XR750, which was introduced in 1970 as a modified Sportster. However, the bike evolved into an all-conquering flat tracker after getting an extensive redesign in 1972 and proceeded to dominate the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship (GNC).

Now, the company has unveiled its replacement in the form of the XG750R, a track-only motorcycle powered by the Revolution X liquid-cooled V-twin engine. Yes, it is the same motor that powers the popular Street 750 and also holds the distinction of the most advanced V-twin from the American bikemaker's stable till now.

Commenting on this, Kris Schoonover, manager, Harley-Davidson racing, said, “After decades of flat-track racing success behind the Harley-Davidson XR750 flat track motorcycle, we knew it was time to develop the next-generation Harley-Davidson to compete in one of the best spectator racing sports out there today. We wanted a young rider with plenty of raw ability for the XG750R program, and Davis proved himself in the GNC2 class.”

The design and development of the Harley-Davidson XG750R have been carried out by Vance & Hines Motorsports, an American product design and manufacturing company. It produces high-quality performance products within the powersports industry and has done the job well in converting the road-legal Street 750 into a top-level flat track racer.

“The XG750R has shown great potential in testing and the first few races this season. But as with any new racing motorcycle, there will be work to do. We’re excited to continue testing the XG750R in real world competition, and as we make our way through the season, we will evaluate the performance of the bike and our factory riders to see if Baker might switch to the new bike,” Schoonover added.

Technical data of the new XG750R has not been revealed by the company yet. However, we can say that the power output will be considerably higher than the 54.4PS of the production version of the 750cc engine as AMA's rules allow extensive tuning leeway. As it shares very few parts with the Street 750, the weight of the new tracker machine has been slashed down to the 136kg, around the minimum limit set for the GNC1 class.

The 18 year-old GNC1 rookie, and last year's GNC2 champion, Davis Fisher will carry out important development work on the new motorcycle while racing it for the Harley-Davidson Screamin' Eagle Factory Team. However, the team's main rider and 2013 national champion, Brad Baker, will continue riding the XR750 as of now.