Introduction
A dig back through the archives showed I first rode the reinvented Sportster when it arrived in Aotearoa back in February 2022. At the time, the model had been highly anticipated, and I reckon I even sold a couple after I was asked what it was like by fans who knew I’d been for a spin. Slipping into the low-slung saddle of the Sportster on a winter’s day in Hamilton didn’t, however, remind me much of my last ride on the sporty Harley, which took place under a fierce summer’s sun. Still, at least the high-level exhaust was likely to keep me warm, I thought. I should be so lucky!
Reinventing An Icon
The Sportster’s long history has been well documented (dig out BRM#210 if you want a recap), and it’s safe to say that it’s an important model for the future of the American brand. With the younger motorcycling generation gravitating towards customs, cruisers and anything that looks cool ridden in jeans and a leather jacket, the Sportster not only offers the look in spades but is also one of the more ‘affordable’ models in the range. At just over $30k to cruise off into the distance, it’s a more accessible figure for a true American middleweight performance machine, especially as you get the new water-cooled Revolution Max motor rather than the older air-cooled powerplants.
Parked in the BRM shed and the Sportster certainly had the younger members of the team drooling over the low-slung machine, admiring the high-level pipes and the monster front wheel. Those of us who are older, wiser and, well, grumpier made noises about levels of comfort and the lack of a rear seat, but the ‘yoof’ didn’t care. They just thought it looked cool. And I must admit, walking into the shed, slipping the fob into my pocket and wheeling the low-slung hunk of American metal out into the sunlight certainly had me excited about the day ahead.
It helps that there’s a real resemblance to the ultra-cool XR750 flat-trackers, which is, without doubt, not a coincidence. With flat track peaking in coolness at the moment with said ‘yoof’, it’s a clever marketing trick from team H-D. And while the bike is actually quite small, sticking that wide front wheel on was another masterstroke as it makes the Sportster S look more impressive as it comes toward you. The Revolution Max 1250cc powerplant has come straight from H-D’s adventure offering, the Pan America (another excellent and technologically advanced bike), and has been detuned slightly to suit the nature of the Sportster S. That means more low-end stomp and an increase in torque of 10% between 3-6,000rpm. And that’s good news for traffic light GPs.
Swinging a leg over the saddle barely worries my old-man hip, with the ridiculously low saddle (755mm) enabling me to see just how grubby the BRM car is as I was almost level with the door. And with the pegs and handlebars positioned to put you into that trademark Harley stance, I was a little concerned whether I’d still be walking after a day and a couple of hundred kays in the saddle. Apparently, there’s a set of mid-mount pegs in the Harley accessory catalogue, and they’d be first on my shopping list.
Sportsters have traditionally been quite sparse and stripped down for, errrr, performance purposes. Yet, the new Sportster S has one of the coolest dashes available today. The round TFT has all you need to know and more, with full sat nav, music, and electronic aid controls that are all easily navigable. It really does work a treat, especially when you pair your phone and Bluetooth headset. As with all Harleys, the tech doesn’t stop there, with a fob in your pocket all that’s required to get the bike going. Flicking the kill switch sees the dash light up, and pressing the starter soon introduces you to a very different Harley-Davidson engine. The traditionalists probably hate it. But for anyone coming to H-D from another brand, then this is the sort of powerplant you expect. It’s smooth, modern and perfectly fuelled, making the Sportster easy for me to negotiate through the town traffic before hitting the open road.
Ups and Downs
With a claimed 127Nm of torque produced at 6,000rpm, the Sportster’s performance matches the styling and then some. There’s plenty of stomp when you twist the throttle, and with three power modes to choose from, this is more what you’d call a performance cruiser rather than a custom. Somehow, they’ve managed to make the wide front wheel work, with the higher tyre profile obviously attributing to the better-than-average cornering lean angle. It’s not a Harley that sets alarm bells off in your head as you approach a corner but instead encourages you to have a bit of fun, and it’s not going to find you struggling to keep up with mates unless they’re on sportsbikes. If they’re riding anything of a similar style, you’ll be at the pointy end with the Sportster S.
You might run into a problem with range anxiety, with a small 11.8litre petrol tank not exactly matching the entertainment the Revolution Max powerplant dishes out, and I’d loved to have had a least a couple more litres of range to play with as it doesn’t take long before the gauge starts attracting your attention. However, the braking does match the performance, and despite only having a single disc at the front gripped by a single radially-mounted monobloc Brembo, the Sportster S can scrub speed like a pro. Usually, with a Harley, I’d bring the rear brake to the party just to make sure I could get enough velocity wiped off before a corner, but it’s not needed on the Sportster S. And you don’t need to slow quite so much for corners anyway.
Yet, it’s obvious simply from looking at the pictures that there’s going to be one drawback. Yep, the suspension and more specifically, the lack of it. Showa were enlisted to get the suspension package sorted and they’ve done an amazing job with what they had to work with. But the fact is that there’s only 92mm of travel at the front and 51mm at the rear. Combine that with Kiwi roads and you know you’re in for a bumpy ride.
To be honest, the 43mm USD fully-adjustable forks do a good job and are well controlled. But it’s the rear monoshock that struggles to come to the party, especially when I discovered after an hour that the previous rider had wound the rear preload adjuster into the stop. Feeling like I was being booted up the backside with a set of steel toecaps every time I couldn’t avoid a bump after I figured it out and backed it off using some of the 40 clicks of adjustment meant the ride was more forgiving and manageable on the trip home.
For The Love of Style
I reckon the Sportster S is a really cool-looking motorcycle, a bike that offers all the cred of a custom without the niggles that often plague machines which have been produced in someone’s shed. Instead, the Sportster S gives you instant appeal in a thoroughly modern package. And it has done the Sportster name proud, with a combination of decent performance and handling while still retaining the unmistakable Harley silhouette.
The motor is one of my current faves, so there’s no argument there. But I’d still struggle with the riding position and the rear suspension if I was to have one in the shed for longer. The difference would be if this was my sunny Sunday cruiser, in which case you could overlook the niggles. Otherwise, it would be a couple of purchases from the comprehensive Harley-Davidson parts catalogue to move the pegs closer to the seat and then probably a visit to a suspension guru to see what could be done with the shock. Oh, and then there’s the exhausts which, while looking cool, are Euro-friendly in the noise department. So, while I had the accessory book open, I’d probably need a set of pipes… Oh, well. It’s just the price you pay to look cool nowadays, especially when you’re an ageing biker like me!
At A Glance
Name: Harley-Davidson Sportster-S | Weight: 228 (wet) | Power: 121hp @ 7500rpm /
Max Torque: 126Nm @ 6,000rpm
Dash
The Sportster has got the coolest round TFT dash that is packed full of info. Pair it to your phone and you’ve got full turn-by-turn navigation that really works despite the small size. You can also control music etc. along with power maps.
Front Wheel
Despite the Sportster having a front wheel the size we often see on the back of bikes, H-D has somehow made the handling package work, with the larger profile also offering more lean angle in the corners before the dragging begins.
Suspension
Showa were enlisted to handle the springy bits and the forks work well as you push harder. There’s no getting around the lack of rear wheel travel though, with a firm action from the rear monoshock.
Engine
The Revolution Max powerplant is taken from the Pan America adventure machine and it’s a great engine. Retuned for more mid-range grunt, it’s the perfect companion for a sporty cruiser like the Sportster-S.
Brakes
Despite only one disc at the front, it offers decent power which means you don’t need to keep a foot over the rear brake as is often the case with cruisers. Instead, the front has more than enough power to handle stopping duties alone.
Exhaust
You’d expect the high-level exhausts to cook you but H-D has worked some sort of magic that keeps the heat covered. They are, however, very quiet…
Pics: Two Creative Photography
