Decades ago, I worked with an engineer whose first occupation out of college was with Harley-Davidson. On his 1st working day, his boss explained to him, “You do something you want, just never transform the search, the audio, or the way the bicycle rides.”
I believed of that as I threw my jacket on around my most Harley-correct t-shirt: an previous Motorhead tee with “All the things louder than all the things else” on the back. That line could conveniently double for the motto for H-D, particularly the Sportster line that was all about customization, like beloved loud pipes.
The Harley-Davidson Nightster, a pared-down evolution of the Sportster S, proves that a bike with a smaller sized engine and a lot less horsepower can nevertheless punch previously mentioned its excess weight when paired with a sporty chassis.
Splitting the big difference among the heritage of the earlier and effectiveness pleasurable of the long term, the Nightster does the difficult: deliver a spirited ride for H-D traditionalists and a tempting entry to individuals who want to get their initially Harley.
Harley-Davidson
Is the Harley-Davidson Nightster new?
Of course. Pretty new. Harley-Davidson declared Nightster on April 12 this yr, and started shipping and delivery to dealers right away thereafter.
What helps make the Harley-Davidson Nightster unique?
Just about almost everything. The Sportster is the longest-managing product in H-D’s lineup. Endlessly customizable, the Sportster cultivated a cult-like adhering to, partially mainly because it failed to evolve that quickly.
The legendary classic loop frame that held the moto? No mas. The new Sportster body is modular. This frees up designers, giving them basically a blank slate. Because the engine bears the bodyweight of the rest of the bicycle, the trip high quality is stiffer and nimbler.
The Nightster’s powerplant is identical to that of the recreation-shifting Sportster S produced previous yr, powered by a v-twin Rev Max motor. The Nightster’s massive bro features a 1250 cc engine that produces 121 ponies, as opposed to 975 cc’s that strike 90 horsepower at complete gallop. The scaled-down motor interprets to a lighter bicycle — 481 lbs . wet vs . 502 lbs — that is lighter on your chain wallet: $13,499 as a substitute of $14,999.
Standing nevertheless, the Nightster feels like an even lighter bike since the 3.1-gallon gas mobile — the “gasoline tank” covers the airbox — is beneath the seat. You recognize this as shortly as you hop on the Nighter, centre it, and kick up the aspect stand. It nearly stands on its individual, all but whispering sweet, attractive promises of flickability.
Harley-Davidson
How does the Harley-Davidson Nightster journey?
This factor rips. The Nightster’s a person-two punch of light-weight weight and low centre of gravity delivers a sporty ride that begs for canyons, not just open highway.
Despite the fact that my coronary heart has generally been partial to Hondas and Triumphs, I felt at dwelling on Nightster ahead of we pulled out of the parking great deal. The minimal saddle peak of 27.5″ is snug even for taller riders (I’m 6’2″). That’s with the mid controls — putting your toes, and therefore body in a sportier position — than the additional classic ahead pegs you find on most Harleys that make you feel like you happen to be on a La-Z-Boy.
The seat is slim, so receiving on this bicycle is simple. There are a few drive modes: Street, Activity and Rain. Put it in the rain and the subdued throttle response, shift electrical power degrees in the rev vary, and tweaks to the traction control, Abs, and engine braking make the Nightster an great option for newer riders.
Intuitive controls indicate changing modes and cycling by means of the show promptly. The hybrid of analog and digital is intuitive and simple to use. No handbook or YouTube movie is vital. Just before riding this Nightster, the gold standard for hop-on-and-sense-immediately-at-residence was BMW’s 1250 GS. These were being just as easy. If this is the upcoming of H-D, I may well be ready to start finding up my mail in Detroit.
Harley-Davidson
We rode this bike with a bunch of other journalists in Santa Barbara, just one of California’s most attractive beach front towns surrounded by small farms, lush hills, and mountains. Just a minute or two from the street that parallels the Pacific, we dove into some medium-speed twisty-turnies.
The Nightster felt correct at home in what soon felt like California’s little bit of Tuscany. It was peak spring. You could scent blooming flowers, crops completely ready for the finding, and the recurring scent of people self-medicating their glaucoma. Never connect with it a make contact with large: as the hills gave way to mountains and better speeds, the Nightster flourished.
Like Sportsters of yore, the Nightster uses a 19-inch entrance and 16-inch rear wheel combo. As opposed to Sportsters of yore, leaning into a convert does not mean scraping a muffler. You can tilt this bicycle to 32 degrees just before scraping a peg.
The liquid-cooled motor won’t vibrate as much as some Sportsters, but it can be deliberately not well balanced, so you don’t neglect you’re on a Harley. Both equally the electrical power curve and torque curve are linear. The motor’s satisfied position is in between 5,500 and 7,500 rpm. The exhaust emits a excellent rumble, specially at greater revs.
Harley-Davidson
Does everything else stand out?
The initial Harley-Davidson Nightster was launched in 2007. A edition of the blacked-out bobber-style bike was a element of the lineup right up until 2012, when it was slash. A lot of Nightster admirers gravitated to the Forty-Eight. You can nevertheless see this heritage in the new Nightster.
Like other Sportsters, the previous Nighter incorporated a mono-shock. The 2022 Nightster incorporates two outbound shocks, just about every with 3″ of vacation alternatively of the more regular 2″ that can make for a additional plush trip, even with a extra intense using posture.
Harley-Davidson
How substantially does the Harley-Davidson Nightster charge?
The black Nightster is $13,499. Colors (crimson and gray) are $400 far more: $13,899. Not inexpensive. And it really is not going to get any most effective benefit awards. Most, if not all, of its competition, most notably the Indian Scout 60, price a lot less. But Harley-Davidson bikes always bundled a high quality price tag tag. You happen to be shopping for into a heritage that is tricky not to appreciate.
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