If you love the wall of torque delivered by a Harley V-twin but not the laidback handling, the Sportster XR1200X is the bike you need.
The XR1200X was the sportiest of Sportsters, with over 90 hp on tap from a high-compression engine, and supple Showa ?big piston? forks. At the start of this decade, it was sold in Europe for a couple of years?then filtered through to the US, where it won plaudits from road testers and owners alike.

The rarity of the XR1200X means we don?t see many in custom shops. But Cohn Racers managed to find one, and have tweaked it for better performance on both asphalt and hard pack dirt roads.
The shop is run by Chete P-Ilzarbe, who left Apple to found his own motorcycle garage. They?re based in Miami, Florida: ?The perfect place to seduce high profile, millionaire clients,? Chete says. ?Especially those who are thirsty for the most exclusive, or the newest and latest!?
That sort of client is very demanding, but the guys behind Cohn Racers have meticulous attention to detail. ?We share the same philosophy: everything matters on our builds.?
?We?re currently a three-man shop, although we get help from friends in the trade,? Chete adds. ?All three of us have loved bikes since we were kids, and there?s an age gap between us?which gives us a nice combination of old and new school style.?

When the brief came in from their client, Chete and his crew knew it had to be answered by a large American V-twin with knobby tires. ?We looked at the Dyna and...