The staunch , black presence of the ‘ 22 1250 Sportster S from Milwaukee hunkers down beside my front door , urging me to get back aboard and feel that extraordinary engine propel me into unhappy demerit point territory . It ’ s a damn attractive motorcycle , not covered in chrome or bling . In fact , it ’ s really understated , for a Harley . Brooding , I ’ d say , with a bronzed engine , aluminium twin pipes on the right , and everything else a shiny black . The Harley Davidson designers have gone downtown , and they ’ ve built a brand-new iteration of their famously long-running Sportster , one that incorporates the powerplant found in the Pan America - the 1250 Revolution Max . And then they threw the old map out and headed off into uncharted territory for the American totemic brand . So , the Sportster S is now the only bike in Harley Davidson ’ s sports line up , with the Iron 883 , Iron 1200 , and the Forty Eight being redesignated as Cruisers .
SPORTS-BOBBER Traditionally , the Sportsters have been the entry-level machines in the Harley line up - since 1957 - as a lighter-weight model . They were smaller than the full-size “ big-inch ” Harleys , with the ‘ smallest ’ Sportster being the 883cc . But in this iteration the normal builder ’ s rule book has been torched , and they ’ ve headed the way of the globally popular Bobber stylings . Snubbed front guard , single seat , low profile , café-style bar-end mirrors , big rubber up front - almost ludicrously so - a lower profile tank , open rear wheel and a sturdy lump of steel frame holding the obligatory plate , cinerama-screen stoplight and H-D logo ’ ed indicators . As with the Indian FTR , it seems Harley is expecting pretty fierce weights on those rear licence plates . The plastic is minimal , nicely sculpted , and unobtrusive . The engine is slung into the stiff chassis as a stressed member and the weight has been reduced with the introduction of aluminium and magnesium internal motor components , and it has the same torque at lower rpm than the Pan Am configuration . The Pan Am produces max torque @ 8750rpm and 125Nm @ 6250 , whereas the Revolution Max T version produces max torque @ 7500 , and that means for the ride , that all that torque is produced sooner and smoother . And smooth is the operative word – with a variable valve train , with hydraulic self-adjusting lifters , variable intake and exhaust timing , and four valves per cylinder . This powerplant is a game changer for
36 KIWI RIDER