According to The Motor Company, a new chapter has opened in Harley-Davidson’s longest-running family, powered by the all-new Revolution Max 1250T. “To call it the ultimate Sportster is an understatement. A legacy born in 1957, the Sportster has inspired racers, builders and riders for generations. Today Sportster is reborn: delivering on a new promise of performance in a way only Harley-Davidson can do.”
“The Sportster S is the next all-new motorcycle built on the Revolution Max platform and sets a new performance standard for the Sportster line,” said Jochen Zeitz, chairman, president and CEO, Harley-Davidson. “This is a next generation Sportster defined by power, performance, technology and style. And it’s part of our commitment to introduce motorcycles that align with our strategy to increase desirability and to drive the legacy of Harley-Davidson.”
Believe the hype? “The Harley-Davidson® Sportster® S model is an all-new sport custom motorcycle designed to deliver a thrilling riding experience and ushers in a new era of Sportster performance. A 121-horsepower Revolution® Max 1250T V-Twin engine puts the Sportster S rider in command of unrelenting, on-demand torque. A taut, lightweight chassis and premium suspension deliver responsive, intuitive handling. From stop light to stop light, and corner to corner, the Sportster S model offers riders extraordinary power and performance and creates a new standard for the most enduring Harley-Davidson model.”
“Every visual design element of the Sportster S model is an expression of the motorcycle’s raw power,” added Brad Richards, Harley-Davidson VP of styling and design. “This is a wolf in wolf’s clothing.”
Beauty may be in the eye-of the beholder, but the Sportster S specs speak for themselves. Motivation comes from the new Revolution Max 1250T engine shared with the recently revealed Pan America ADV platform. Harley says the liquid-cooled V-Twin has been tuned to make tremendous torque at low RPM, with a torque curve that stays flat through the powerband:
• Displacement 1250cc
• Bore x Stroke: 4.13 in. (105 mm) x 2.83 in (72 mm)
• 121 horsepower
• 94 ft. lbs. peak torque
• Peak 9500 RPM
• Compression Ratio 12:1
The Revolution Max 1250T found in the Sportster S features these key differences from the Pan Am powerplant:
• Cylinder heads have smaller valves and port dimensions, and a different combustion chamber shape, which increases the velocity of flow through the combustion chambers at lower RPM and increases torque output at low and midrange RPM (providing up to 10% more torque from 3000 to 6000 RPM).
• Pistons are shaped to match the combustion chamber dimensions of the cylinder heads.
• The length and shape of the intake velocity stacks, combined with the airbox volume, are tuned to maximize performance across the engine speed range.
• The camshaft profiles and Variable Valve Timing (VVT) phasing are also designed to match the desired performance of this engine.
A 2021 model, the Sportster S will reach Harley-Davidson dealers this fall with a base MSRP of $14,999. Does this price point and hot rod motor really hearken back to the original Sportster concept? More importantly is this something the dealers and their customers will embrace? Stay tuned… and tune into the 14-minute teaser that glitched out of the global reveal on July 13:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCoQ2PjdLJA