![]() ![]() The high-mount exhaust system looks like a leg roaster, but heat from the pipes is remarkably subdued. The 4-inch TFT instrument panel under non-reflective glass displays ride modes and tire pressures among the typical info. A 4-inch color TFT screen provides instrumentation, including tire-pressure monitoring. ![]() The IMU also corresponds with traction control linked to the customizable ride modes. A solid two-finger squeeze can get the fat front tire chirping, while IMU-informed ABS keeps the tires from locking even when leaned over. Sportbike riders turn up their noses at single-disc front brakes, but the Brembo package on the S provides good feel and plenty of power. The Sporty can actually rail pretty nicely around mountain roads, as it has a solid and confidence-inspiring chassis, but its limited suspension travel keeps a rider wary of encountering mid-corner bumps that would be swallowed up with longer suspension. The Sportster S allows 34 degrees of lean angle before peg feelers start to scrape. Some riders will find that insufficient, but let’s put it into context: H-D’s Sportster Forty-Eight touches its pegs at just 27 degrees. The wide handlebar provides meaningful leverage on the way to skimming pegs at 34 degrees of lean angle. The triangular-ish profile allows it to lean over in a surprisingly neutral manner, even if steering effort is higher than it would be with skinnier rubber. Surely that wildly fat 160/70-17 tire would make the bike steer like a truck, right? Not really. The front end of the S has sparked controversy. ![]() The 43mm inverted fork has 3.6 inches of travel to work with, which is enough to perform competently. H-D has spec’d premium Showa suspension that’s fully adjustable at both ends, but wheel travel is meager, particularly at the rear where bumps larger than 2 inches have nowhere else to go but to the chassis and rider. The low and muscular stance of this new Sportster forces a few dynamic compromises. With 121 horsepower pushing 502 pounds, the new Harley-Davidson Sportster S has the highest power-to-weight ratio of any Sportster to come out of Milwaukee. They’re a smart option for shorter-legged riders who are unaccustomed to cruiser-style peg placements. Mid-mount foot controls are available, but they’ll set you back another $659 on top of the bike’s $14,999 base price. Footpegs are set moderately forward to yield adequate legroom. The seat height, at 29.6 inches, is tall for a Harley but still quite low. H-D says the S scales in at 502 pounds with its 3.1-gallon tank filled. A steel-trellis steering head section combines with an aluminum mid-frame, which helps enable the new bike to weigh about 60 pounds less than the Sportster Forty-Eight. The key element of the Sportster S is its Revolution Max 1250T motor, which is used as a structural element rather than a lump to be placed in an external frame. The high-mount exhaust system is cladded with shielding to keep excess heat from riders. The liquid-cooled Revolution Max motor in the Sportster S is tightly packaged as a structural member of the chassis. The high-mount shotgun exhaust is another bold styling element, capped by a tailsection inspired by Harley’s XR750 dirt-trackers. Bold, too, is this new bike’s chunky styling, with an ultra-fat front tire leading the way. It’s a bold new era for the Sportster, and this all-new S version signals the demise for air-cooled Sportys. Nelson and Kevin Wing)Īfter being roundly criticized for keeping faithful to its roots at the expense of modernization for too long, Harley-Davidson strikes back with the Sportster S, powered by a version of the liquid-cooled 1,252cc V-Twin in the thoroughly modern and warmly received Pan America adventure bike. The new Harley-Davidson Sportster S rolls on a fat 160/70-17 front tire, which is wider than the rear tire on the Street Bob 114. ![]()
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