The 1250cc V-Twin motor in Sportster S has been tuned to produce more torque and offer more low-end and mid-range grunt
The Sportster brand has been an iconic range of cruisers under Harley Davidson’s portfolio which has been in continuous production since 1957. Harley Davidson unveiled its latest sport custom motorcycle named Sportster S earlier this year.
Now it is getting ready for India launch. Today, Harley Davidson India revealed that the motorcycle will be launched at the 2021 India Bike Week, which is scheduled to take place near Lonavala in Maharashtra on 4-5 Dec 2021.
Harley Davidson 2021 Sportster S – Custom-like Design
The final production model of Sportster S made its first appearance as a Custom concept almost four years back and still stays very much similar. The silhouette of production-spec Sportster S is retained with beefy twin-can exhausts, chunky tyres and a single-piece seat.
The bike gets a large skid plate underneath and a nice flat line from tank to seat whereas the massive front tyre and a short fender lends it a classic bobber look. Upfront, Sportster S flaunts a capsule-shaped headlight which looks a little quirky. Other styling highlights such as the flat tail section, with a cowl, single-piece saddle and upswept golden-coloured exhaust mufflers draw inspiration from Harley Davidson XR750 flat tracker.
The powertrain is highlighted by the use of a Chocolate Satin finish on the magnesium engine covers. The cruiser will be offered in three colour options namely Stone Washed White Pearl, Midnight Crimson and Vivid Black. Overall, the cruiser has been crafted in a manner to make it look like a custom-built bike.
Hardware Configurations
Harley Davidson has also updated the chassis of the new Sportster S where the engine now acts as the stress member. This is done to reduce the weight of the bike. Further, the use of lightweight materials has helped achieve an optimum power-to-weight ratio. The company also claims that a stiffer chassis has improved the handling of the motorcycle. The tubular steel frame is suspended on Showa 43mm inverted forks at front and a SHOWA Piggyback mono-shock at rear.
While the front suspension unit is fully adjustable, the rear unit features hydraulic preload adjustment. The motorcycle rides on 17-inch front and 16-inch rear lightweight cast-aluminum wheels with a staggered, five-spoke design. Braking duties are handled by a 320mm disc chewed down by a four-piston, radial monoblock Brembo caliper at front and a 260mm disc held by a twin-piston Brembo caliper at rear.
RE-Tuned V-Twin Motor
The powertrain features a 1250cc Revolution Max 1250T engine at its mechanical heart. This unit is the American bikemaker’s latest iteration of a liquid-cooled 60-degree V-Twin engine which has been derived from Pan America 1250. However, in Sportster S, it makes 121 bhp and 125 Nm of torque which is 30 horses less than what is offered in its hardcore adventure bike sibling. The engine is married to a six-speed gearbox with a slipper clutch.
While the output is on the lower side, Harley says the engine has been tuned to offer more grunt at low-end and mid-range. The engine also offers 10 percent more torque between 3,000 and 6,000 rpm. The 1,250cc unit also features other modern technologies such as VVT (Variable Valve Timing) and DOHC (Dual Overhead Camshafts).
Features on offer
Speaking of technologies, Sportster S is laced with modern electronic amenities including a 4.0-inch-diameter TFT digital console with smartphone connectivity, a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU), cornering ABS, traction control, tyre pressure monitoring system, cruise control and many more. It also offers four riding modes- Road, Sport, Rain and Custom.
Sportster S has been offered at a starting price of USD 14,999 (approx. INR 11.18 lakh). India launch price is expected to be in the range of Rs 15-20 lakh.
