2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S Launch Review

In an era of unprecedented change at Harley-Davidson, there’s little wonder the new Sportster S has adopted a pioneering new tack.

Even with a 60-year lineage dating back to the original XL of 1957, it appears no model is safe under a calculated new world order from the Milwaukee firm, headed up by Harley-Davidson's chief executive, Jochen Zeitz, a German-born published author and philanthropist.

As such, the new Harley-Davidson Sportster S arrives in Australian showrooms this month bearing the biggest change yet in the Sportster lineage, while virtually replacing the Forty Eight, Iron 883 and Iron 1200 in Harley’s ‘Street’ line-up.

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Appropriately adopting styling cues from varying flat-tracker, dragster and bobber motorcycles, the new Sportster S recalls elements of the Fat Bob and the Forty Eight, while its new 1250T Revolution Max V-twin engine shares some fundamentals with the recently-released Harley-Davidson Pan America.

Like that machine, as well as the headline-grabbing LiveWire electric bike, the new Sportster S is charged with bringing new Harley-Davidson customers into the fold. It also has the added pressure of retaining the brand’s loyal existing customers. Let’s see how it fares.

The new Harley-Davidson Sportster S lands in showrooms priced from $26,495 ride-away. While that price positions it at the lower end of Harley’s Australian pricing spectrum, remember that it also supersedes the Forty Eight, Iron 883 and Iron 1200, which were each priced below $20,000 respectively.

For many, that makes for a pretty expensive ticket to Harley-Davidson ownership…

Harley-Davidson justifies the premium with the installation of a new 1250 T RevMax engine and a suite of new safety features and technology.

Enthusiasts will note the Sportster S’ 90kW power output is down on the Pan America, yet the 127Nm carries over. Crucially, the Sportster version reaches those outputs lower in the rev count.

The engine is a stressed member of the Sportster, meaning the engine mounts are designed with some flex in mind, while the combustion chamber engine is a hard, core part of the head.

That brings us to one of the engine’s other key differentiators. Located internally are two individual balancers designed to improve performance and reduce vibration - one below the crankshaft and the other in the front cylinder head.

Harley-Davidson’s American engineers believe they struck the ideal balance between an engine which retains the key character traits of a Harley, yet also offers the smoothness and performance commensurate with the sports touring genre.

Chocolate-satin splashes of colour visually jump out from the engine, which wears light-weight magnesium cases across much of its coverage. A tear-drop shaped rear design neatly rakes the profile, while the 14-litre fuel tank is cleverly integrated.

A 17-inch, 160mm-wide front tyre and LED horizontal headlight ensure the Sportster S makes an impactful first impression. The digital instrument cluster houses Bluetooth and key trip information, while safety is covered with ABS and traction control (both with cornering function) and front and rear wheel lift mitigation. There is no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto compatibility, though you do get heated grips and cruise control.

The 60-degree engine is quite narrow to straddle and allows you to immediately build confidence in the Sportster S.

Our first foray with the Harley-Davidson Sportster S comprises a circa 35km urban journey through inner and Northern Sydney – hardly the definitive test but enough to sample the basic characteristics of Harley’s born-again sports tourer.

The engine cranks over slowly upon first thumbing the starter button, before the Sportster’s V-twin erupts to a distinctive but muted idle – a virtue of its 90-degree firing order.

For all of Harley’s rhetoric about reduced vibration, the Sportster S does feel comparatively refined at idle and upon pulling away from the kerbside – a physical and audible departure from decades’ worth of noise and visceral vibration.

There is a certain stability and confidence from the 228kg Sportster during slow changes in direction, born from a low centre of gravity and aggressive ergonomics. The feet-forward positioning and reach to the handlebars initially feels as though it might become tedious after a few hours in the saddle, but on the right road would be conducive to plenty of headier riding.

Flicking between congested inner-city traffic is a cinch, the Sportster S strong braking and turning characteristics – within the confines of a Harley-Davidson.

On slightly more open roads, the Sportster S feels a little eager during initial corner turn-in – a virtue of its big 160mm-wide front tyre. It also has an ever-slight tendency to tramline over broken bitumen, though we’ll report back more definitively on this after a more thorough assessment.

At 80km/h, the motorcycle sits flat and shakes off smaller imperfections with aplomb. The front 43mm upside-down fork is particularly proficient in soaking up imperfections while also telegraphing the right amount of road feedback and feeling.

Less convincing is the piggyback monoshock at the rear. Its 1.5 inches of travel feels a little inadequate over harsher imperfections on the road, causing the Sportster S to rebound abruptly at times in the rear. It’s worth noting our bike was tuned to a 90kg rider (your correspondent is 80kg), so more fine-tuning could potentially improve the ride and handling mix.

Harley-Davidson defends the shock’s lack of travel, arguing the balance struck between engineering and styling duties.

That brings us to the biggest surprise – the RevMax engine.

Immediately evident is the lack of noise; Harley was forced to keep decibels to a minimum due to the latest European emissions regulations, and officials say they do not currently have an in-house catalogue exhaust to offer.

It means you enjoy signature Harley-Davidson soundbites in small doses; a minor crackle on the overrun here, or a faint thrum under harder acceleration there.

Elsewhere, the clutch feels strong and its slipper function ensures you can comfortably bang down the gears on approach to a slower corner. Equally, the gearbox offers an adequate spread of ratios and is smooth in its operation; happily doodling through roundabouts and slower urban intersections yet also allowing the 1252cc V-twin to spin freely into its upper reaches.

The engine is devoid of chugging and feels tight and refined during slow, clutch-in, clutch-out exchanges. With that said, it is clear the engine finds a natural mid-range cadence at around 3000-4000rpm. From this point, acceleration is both effortless and rapid, with the 1250 marching confidently to its 9500rpm. In short, the Sportster S is no slouch!

Lack of sound aside, the other key detractor here is the positioning of the exhaust. Despite the fitment of three-layered heat shielding, there is a lot of heat emanating from the right side of the machine, most notably in congested traffic. On a hot summer’s day, it’s going to be noticeable.

The Harley-Davidson Sportster S does indeed take the storied Sportster badge in a new direction – and it’s mostly for the better.

We’ll await a more definitive test before releasing our full verdict, but the initial impression is a strong, competent touring machine.

While the sporty design of the Sportster S does impose some compromise – both in handling and comfort terms – it seems HD has struck a fine balance in offering something appealing to prospective buyers while keeping loyalists content as well.

ENGINE
Engine type: Liquid-cooled 60-degree V-twin
Power/torque: 90kW/127Nm
Capacity: 1252cc
Bore x stroke: 105.0 × 72.3 mm
Fuel system: Electronic Sequential Port Fuel injection
Starter/battery: Electric starter / 12V 2.2Ah

TRANSMISSION
Type: 6-speed
Final drive: Belt, 80/34 ratio
Clutch: Mechanical, eight-plate wet, assist and slip

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Stressed-member, alloy steel trellis
Front suspension: Showa 43mm inverted fork with compression, rebound and spring preload
Rear suspension: Showa linkage-mounted piggyback monoshock with compression, rebound and hydraulic spring preload
Front brake: Four-piston, single-rotor disc, 320mm
Rear brake: Single-piston disc, 260mm
Front tyre: 160/70TR17 73V Dunlop GT503
Rear tyre: 180/70R16 77V Dunlop GT503

DIMENSIONS
Claimed weight (without fuel): 228kg
Seat height: 755mm
Ground Clearance: 90mm
Fuel tank capacity: 14 Litres
Fuel use: 5.1L/100km (claimed)

OTHER STUFF
Price: $26,495 ride away
Colours: Vivid Black, Stone Washed White Pearl, and Midnight Crimson
Bike supplied by: Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Australia