The New Sportster XL1200X – Sportster Forty-Eight Sibling to the Nightster and the Iron 883, the new Sportster Forty-Eight features a “slammed and menacing” look adding a whole new rebellious definition to the Dark Custom family. Its iconic in the legendary tradition of the hot rod Sportster line style pays tribute to the of the “peanut tank” first introduced in 1948.

Key Forty-Eight features and highlights:

Blacked out rubber-mounted Evolution 1200 cc V-Twin engine with polished covers

• Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
• Steel 2.1-gallon peanut fuel tank with lightening hole mounting bracket
• One-piece, solo Sportster classic seat
• 26-inch seat height
• Tall and fat 130 mm Dunlop MT90 front tire
• 16-inch Black Steel Laced wheels
• Low profile custom handlebar
• Under-mounted mirrors
• New front forks with wide triple clamps
• Chopped front fender mounted on fork brace with lightening holes
• Blacked components including air cleaner cover, clutch and brake levers and turn signals
• Chopped rear fender
• Stop-turn-tail lights
• Side-mounted license plate
• Two-year factory warranty
• Optional Harley-Davidson Smart SecuritySystem

The new 2010 CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide trades the shine of chrome for a fade to black in its debut as the new, darker version of this truly exceptional Harley-Davidson Touring motorcycle.

Key CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide Features:

• Screamin’ Eagle Black and Chrome Twin Cam 110 engine with 110-cid (1803cc), rubber-mounted to the frame, is rated at 115 ft. lbs. of torque at 3750 rpm. The 6-speed Cruise Drive transmission with black and chrome case features a helical-cut fifth gear.
• Developed for Harley-Davidson by Garmin, the Road Tech zūmo 660 has a new mounting position for convenient viewing by both rider and passenger with a glove-friendly touch screen, left-handed controls and a bright, UV-resistant display that’s easy to read in sunlight.
• Gloss Black Rumble Collection featuring rider footboard inserts and pans, passenger footboard inserts and pans, shifter pegs, brake pedal, highway pegs, mirrors, windshield trim, saddlebag latch covers and heated hand grips with end caps.
• Contrast Chrome Roulette wheels, 17-inch front and 16-inch rear.
• Suspended, dual control heated leather seat with new perforated printed insert.
• Leather passenger backrest with adjustable lumbar support and new perforated, leather insert.
• New custom paint scheme is Crimson Mist Black / Dark Slate with flame graphics.

Be on the lookout for the Forty-Eight and CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide stock announcement and the new H-D MY10.5 virtual brochure posted on encs.com!

Using nearly every marketing adjective possible in the dictionary  — raw, slammed, bulldog-stance, classic, radical, straight-on style, bad attitude, distinctive, authentic, broken-in, blacked out, aura of rebellion, custom cool styling and the ever fav “low profile” — to describe the new, but “old” Forty-Eight model.

The new motorcycle is a factory custom in the Sportster line and joins the Dark Custom family which includes the Nightster, Iron 883, Cross Bones, Fat Bob and Street Bob. More on the Dark Custom motorcycles is located HERE.   The 2010 H-D Sportster Forty-Eight is priced at $10,499 in black and $10,789 in silver or orange.

Sportster motorcycles became the starting point for many legendary choppers of the 1960s, and were also getting pumped up for dirt racing and daredevil stunt riding in the 1970s.  The 48 try’s to retain regain the aura of rebellion from the late 50’s, when the custom culture was formed by the hot rod era. 

I hear a lot of guys say they think Sportsters are starter bikes.  I’m not so sure, but they are typically short hop bikes unless you’re into punishment.  Given the economy and the price, H-D has just hit a bunch of folks straight in the face with this machine.  It’s a beauty!

Photo courtesy of H-D

All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog

Switching gears a little bit, I’ve noticed that the Nightster review has been getting a lot of hits. That makes me glad, a quick thank you to everyone who has looked at it, I hope that it has helped. I still think the Nightster is an amazing piece of machinery.

Now, to leave you with a good video. If you pick things up in this one around the one minute mark it’ll be best. Enjoy.

Keep the shiny side up.

leaning to the left, worth about nine grand.

Black and flat silver grace the peanut tank,

while two chrome pipes allure this viewing yank.

Evolution engine with twelve hundred strong,

thrusts this baby forward through the dark night long.

Sitting in the saddle makes me percolate,

Just to get this charger, man it’s hard to wait.

Shortened tins and lean look give it retro style,

to guys of most age groups brings a daring smile.

Just a few additions like the big breather kit,

acceleration beckons when the fuel gets lit-

Gators!

First, we’ll look at design. From this standpoint, the Nightster is a combination of modern technology with and old school look. All the details, from the turn signal switches to the, now, fuel injected V-Twin to the fob that has to be within a certain proximity or else you’re not going anywhere and everything else in between, are outstanding. Design, appearance wise, the Nightster is a looker, hands down. The one I rode was Brilliant Silver Denim and Black Denim. There’s not a whole lot of chrome, but just enough, most everything else is a flat/satin black or gray. it’s raw, bare-bones, no frills, it is what it is, it’s simple and gutsy. Unlike the Sportster, the tail lights and license plate have been moved, further cleaning up and simplifying the appearance.

Second, the ride. To the inexperienced hot-shot, this bike, like others, could get away from you in a hurry. However, if you’re not too heavy on the throttle, or you’ve been riding for some time, then you won’t have a problem. The throttle feels great and response is good, and shifting the Nightster is a great experience. There’s plenty of power right out of the box. Handling and suspension, the Nightster is smooth and confident. It’s a joy to ride.

Third, a note of caution. This motorcycle is fun and people will look at you. Don’t worry, it will happen. There’s not much like sitting at a traffic light and some kid rolls by in his tricked out truck staring at you all the way.

I thought it was time to post another nasty little Harley cafe racer. Here at HONAHA we are aware that HD’s aren’t considered traditional cafe bikes, but I think they have a lot of potential. This bike is very nicely done.  Notice the custom polished tank, the twin pea-shooter mufflers, and at the center – that  nasty American v-twin and a belt drive.  This is a great example of how you can take a normally bland Sportster and turn it into a really cool cafe racer. I took the liberty to find where some Harley cafe parts can be found – airtech streamlining.  Its time to step up Sportster owners.  No excuses.

Tonight I went to the Music City Bike Night over at Boswell’s Harley-Davidson in Nashville. It was a good time with lots of bikes, a good band, good food and good hang time. When I go to these types of events, one bike will usually stand out in the crowd to me… and tonight was no different.

This cool Harley-Davidson Nightster was a real eye-catcher. You can’t really tell from these pics but the Burnt Orange paint had huge metal flake in it. Other custom items included vintage style pin-stripe, black powder-coated rims with HUGE spokes, Black Vance & Hines Shortshots, a Roland Sands Designs breather and mini-ape handle bars. Pretty cool!

For me, one of the absolute wonders of riding a motorcycle has always been that minute you crest a hill and start to let gravity influence your ride. Where it’s less of you piloting the bike and more of you just riding it. While I love uphill cornering and sections of twisties — with all the physics they represent as I roll off, brake, lean and accelerate in that sublime danceable rhythm — it’s that moment, when you’re no longer pushing it that grabs me and lets me fly.

Photos courtesy of Harley-Davidson

As a kid I used to trek up to the higher points of the South Bay area of Los Angeles on my Strand cruiser and then make that bomb run downhill. Free flying. Wind swooping. Sensory overload. The pull of flat land bringing you down to its level. It’s the pure sensation of motion, where movement and rolling forward is the only thing.

While riding pretty much anything with two wheels and a motor is a good time, some motorcycles are just more fun, the kind of fun that hints back tothose coasting runs on 26-inch balloon-tired wheels. I found this sensation recently on Harley-Davidson’s latest introduction to the Dark Custom line, the Iron 883.

Much like its older brother, the Nightster, the Iron 883 is simply a motorcycle in its most basic form. There’s no bells and whistles and with the Motor Co.’s Dark Customs, that seems to be the point. It’s a blacked-out version of the Sportster 883 Low that’s lighter by about 20 pounds and a lot more sparse and gritty given the flat paint scheme, some sweet rubber fork gaiters and the taillight/brakelight/turn signal combo and fold-away license plate that first appeared on the Nightster.

Unlike the Nightster’s spoked wheels, the Iron 883 comes with black 13-spoke cast aluminum wheels — not much of a difference in my book, though I’m partial to the traditional chrome spokes. Also unlike the bigger blacked-out bike, the Iron comes with narrower, tucked-in handlebars that give the already compact package a slightly tighter feel. (It’s also three inches shorter in total length than the 883 Low.)

The styling is immaculate and lives up to Harley’s reputation for a beautiful fit and finish — right down to the black plastic cover that covers the standard rear brake fluid reservoir. Chrome staggered dual pipes help offset the whole black-out theme. It’s a nice contrast.

How does all this translate into on-the-road riding? It’s simple, not only is this a great entry-level bike as it’s very, very easy to ride, it’s also a great little get-around-town ass-kicker of a hot rod for those looking for a bit more oomph. The Nightster’s 1200cc motor offered that much more power, but even the pared down V-twin in the Iron gives enough go-go grunt to smear a smile across your face.

For those requiring rocket-style speed, the Iron probably isn’t for you. But those looking for a broad torque band can find it here. I should note that the bike pulls strong while clicking through each gear, but almost as a matter of course I was hitting the rev limiter through every speed. It was an odd sensation and I couldn’t see where my RPMs were as the Iron is tach-less.

But getting to the earlier point, this is simply a fun bike to ride. It’s in the class of motorcycles where it’s less about operating the bike  and more about riding it. It’s almost an intangible feeling that’s not as if you’re zoning out or losing 100 percent focus, but more simply enjoying the sensation of movement. Back to those downhill bomb-runs on the cruiser.

Out on the roads around Long Beach, Calif., and on my freeway or surface-street commute to work, the Iron willingly blasted me to and fro. It’s not much for storage, but with a small tank bag to hold miscellaneous goodies too bulky for pockets, it makes a great commuter. And those tucked-in bars, combined with a 26.3-inch seat height and mid-mount pegs make for a very nimble ride through Southern California traffic (Hooray for lane-splitting!).

Given my short stature, I’m partial to bikes that allow me to settle in immediately and start riding. The Iron’s slammed geometry allows for that. It also allows you to scrape something through anything that so much as resembles a lean angle. There’s a reason those peg feelers are so long.

And if you’re into this sort of thing, it’s also a real head-turner. Honestly. Even my tattooed, rockabilly barber praised its sweetness.

But mostly it’s a quick little runabout that reaffirms what a growing generation of motorcyclists already knows: the Sportster motor is a great powerplant. Seems that the days of V-twin riders measuring their masculinity by the numbers of CCs between their legs is coming to a close. Old Ironhead Sportsters and even newer Evos are growing in popularity as motors around which to build custom bikes. Big Twin mania will likely never die, but it’s nice to see the Sporty get its due.

Specs
DIMENSIONS
Length                                          85.3 in.
Seat Height                                  26.3 in.
Ground Clearance                       3.9 in.
Rake Steering Head/Trail         29.6° / 4.60 in.
Wheelbase                                    60 in.
Track Width                                 N/A
Fuel Capacity                               3.3 gal.
Oil Capacity                                  2.8 qts.
Weight                                           548 lbs.
Dry Weight                                   565 lbs.

POWERTRAIN
Engine                                           Air-cooled, Evolution
Displacement                               53.89 cu. in.
Bore x Stroke                                3 in. x 3.812 in.
Engine Torque                             55 ft lbs @ 3500 rpm
Fuel System                                  Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
Compression Ratio                      8.9:1
MPG                                                60 hwy / 45 city
Primary Drive                               Chain, 57/34 ratio
Gear Ratio (overall)
1st                        10.782
2nd                        7.702
3rd                        5.728
4th                        4.748
5th                        4.071
6th                        N/A

WHEELS/TIRES
Front                                          Black, 13-Spoke Cast Aluminum
Rear                                            Black, 13-Spoke Cast Aluminum
Wheel Option                            N/A
Tire Size Front                          100/90-19 57H
Tire Size Rear                            150/80B16 71H

ELECTRICAL
Instruments                               Handlebar-mounted electronic speedometer with odometer, time-of-day clock on odometer, dual tripmeter, low fuel warning light, low oil pressure light, engine diagnostics readout, LED indicator lights, hazard warning integrated into self-canceling turn signal controls

Indicator Lamps                        High beam, neutral, low oil pressure, turn signals, engine diagnostics, low fuel warning, low battery, security system (optional)

CHASSIS
Brakes                                           Dual-piston front, single-piston rear
Parking Brake                              N/A
Lean Angle (per SAEJ1168)      30° / 29°
Exhaust System                           Straight cut, shorty exhaust with dual mufflers

COLOR OPTIONS
Black Denim; Brilliant Silver Denim

PRICING
MSRP Black                           $ 7,899
MSRP Color                           $ 7,899
Security                                   $ 345
California Emissions            $ 100
Freight                                     $ 300

Note the grainy, thumb-in-photo, camera-phone quality that makes this look like a sneaky spy pic.

Picked up the Harley-Davidson Iron 883 today over at the H-D fleet center. Man, I love that place and today I had the pleasure of talking with Todd Canavan, one of the Super Tech Gurus who helps run the fleet. Canavan’s explanation and overview of the Iron 883 was amazingly thorough and for this I say Thanks Todd. Good stuff. He even brushed through the magic that is the Harley self-canceling turn signal system that was apparently designed by NASA or space aliens.

Still settling into the bike and its extremely low — it is slammed — riding position. But once the cramp in my thigh went away, I was reminded why Iloved the Nightster so much. The Iron comes with narrower bars than the Nightster and I like the compact, easy reach steering. More to come as I get out and about. (For other, related Harley news — not the good kind — go here .)

Inside the H-D Fleet Center.

Just got word that I’ll be picking up a new Iron 883 Sportster from H-D on April 20th. I’ll have it for two weeks — that’s two weeks of tearing around town just like I did with its closest relative the Nightster. As I said here, I really liked the first Dark Custom Sporty. It was a great little hot rodder that blasted through turns all tight and scrapey.

That Nightster also got a fair amount of attention from the motorcycling and the non-motorcycling world. The bike would get thumbs ups at stop lights and at the gas station. Even my chopper-riding, rock-a-billy, tattooed barber dug that action. All of which leads me to believe the Iron 883 will get more of the same as my original story on the bike’s introductory PR has consistently been the No. 1 viewed story on this blog. Search terms involving Iron 883 or some variation thereof are also the most common terms used by people who found the DealernewsBlog.

So, stay tuned and be sure to check out our review of the Iron 883 some time in early May.

I am a big fan of the Sportster series of Harley’s. That is my dream bike. With this new edition to the Sportster family I am in motorcycle heaven.

The Iron 883 is Harley Davidson’s latest addition to the Dark Custom line. The Dark Custom theme is a no-nonsense styling that favours muted and basic colour themes (read Black) over excessive chrome and brightness. The Iron 883 takes numerous cues from the Nighster (the 1200cc Sportster Dark Custom) with short fenders, fork gaiters, side mounted license plate holder, and staggered straight exhaust pipes.

And black pieces galore. A bike that Johnny Cash would’ve loved. Look for me riding one of these on the streets of Toronto this season (fingers crossed!).

Full specs here.

So today in my inbox I find the announcement about the Iron 883. This is the latest edition to H-D’s Dark Custom lineup. It is basically a Nightster with Harley’s 883 Sporty motor in it and a price tag (MSRP $7,899) that reflects the smaller power plant (the Nightster carries a $9,899 sticker). It’s got most of the same all-black bits and the fork gaiters. An it uses the same trick turn-signal/brake light/tail light combo used on the Nightster as well as the same side-mounted license plate that folds back. (I’ve often wondered about the purpose of the folding plate and how it might work in going up against a red light camera. Not that I’d ever endorse doing something like that. I’m just saying.) Enough bloviating. Here’s some pics.

Personally, I’m a big fan of H-D’s Dark Customs. Not so much of the marketing campaign behind them, but the bikes themselves are pretty neat. Back when the Nightster was first launched I got a loaner for a few weeks and spent a lot of time blowing around town on that thing. It was a far cry from my AMF-era Ironhead Sporty, which sat more often than it ran, but looked really good sitting.

I really became fond of tearing around on that little hot rod Nightster. It handled and moved and scraped hard parts through just about any turn right or left. And, not that I cared much given it was a press bike, it got thumbs up and attaboys at every stop. Most people really dug the look of it, as did I. Maybe I’m forgetting, but I don’t recall having any real issues with it other than the anemic stock pipes it comes with, but that’s just an aftermarket call away from being fixed. Overall, it is a great bike for zipping around on. With that said, I’m going to see about getting an Iron 883 for review and I’ll let you know what effect (if any) the drop in power has on such a little runabout. And now for some more specs/info.

• Rubber-mounted Evolution 883 cc V-Twin black powder-coated engine
• Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
• Black fuel tank with unique graphics
• Black front forks with gaiters
• Black belt guard and front fender supports
• Black, 13-spoke cast aluminum wheels, 19-inch front / 16-inch rear
• Black low rise drag style handlebar
• Black mid-mount foot controls
• Black low profile front fender
• Black chopped rear fender with combination rear stop/tail/turn lights
• Chrome staggered shorty exhaust with dual mufflers
• Side-mounted license plate holder
• One-piece, solo Sportster classic seat
• 25.3-inch seat height
• Optional Harley-Davidson Smart Security System
• Classic 3.3-gallon fuel tank
• 565 lbs. (wet)
• 55 ft. lbs. @3,500 rpm
• lean angle: right 29 degrees, left 30 degrees
• 5 speed

The primary question when it comes to this bike is: “What is it that motorcycle enthusiasts look for when it comes to their bike? The initial impression of bikers is that they like power, style, muscle, and something that represents who they are. So if this is all true what does the new 2009 Sportster have to offer? Well, it is either a 883 cc or 1200cc engine, lean styling, dual tail pipes, and options of a 3.3 or 4.5 gallon fuel tank. The features on these bikes are definitely not bad options, but what is there to say about the style? Comments have been made from it is a slimmed down Harley that is ideal for the smaller riders, has a new edgy sport bike look combined with the hardcore Harley to it being viewed as the child of a Scooter and a Zundapp. Does this bike have a place on the Harley lot or is it a mockery of these traditionally thought motorcycle powerhouse?

I am interested to see the sales statistics from this new addition the Harley family. They have hit the roads and it seems to have positive feedback from those riders that have purchased the the 09′ Sportster and Sportster Low. So those of you who have decided to make this purchase, what are the feelings of this bike in comparison to other motorcycles and where does it stand in regards to the Harley image? I am sure some of you hold the sentiment that this motorcycle is a chopped Hog but it does deserve some respect. What is it about this new style that seems to cause this uneasiness about the Harley community? Those of us who live by ride or die understand the importance of these elements and it is time to decide.

NICE!