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his will not be an article to help you deal with the anxiety of losing the Evo Sportster. Harley-Davidson’s brand-new Sportster S is just that, brand new. A new day, a new direction, and a completely different model. 100 years after HarleyDavidson’s founders arrived in the United States, the world saw the birth of the Sportster. It was the quick kids’ bike of the day and Harley’s answer to the smaller European brands that were more appealing to younger riders. That model evolved through the engine families until the Evolution, but then never went beyond, is with good reason. The Evolution Sportster was bulletproof and had plenty of power. Little more was needed for this model as the big brothers all moved through Twin Cam and then M8’s. But with the inception of the Revolution max, the possibility of a new mill for Sporties came about. The new Sportster S was announced in a worldwide digital release, and in it is the future of the model, and I’m sure what HarleyDavidson hopes to be their future as well.
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OOctober ctober - November ‘21 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE
At the first hint that Harley was about to readdress the iconic Sportster brand, I was skeptical. I had seen the ideas of a flat track inspired bike and the Bronx. Still, I think part of me knew that the standards they would have to meet for modernday manufacturing, coupled with the need to update this age-old product line, would demand that a new breed come about. Well, that is
precisely what they did. While many from the core will have the knee-jerk reaction, it may be the first time that Harley hit a trend so squarely when it comes to the emerging performance segment. The younger audience that comes along with them is one of the strongest segments of growth today. Let’s face it, very little about the previous Sportster family was going to grab their attention. So instead of spending more time lamenting
the loss of the Evo Sporty, which by the way, will be available in the used market after we run out of Oil on planet earth, let’s take a look at what Sportster S is. EVERYTHING AND THE KITCHEN SINK I have to say that it was somewhat refreshing to hear buzz words in the presentation Harley gave the media on this new offering that somewhat suggested that this is actually the “evolution” of many products and much of the history of HarleyDavidson’s growth. These would be terms like “Mass Centralization” and “Frame Rigidity” both of which started being used back in the Buell days. Other terms like: “Modular design” and a “new power train” were key in the V-Rod from inception. The styling cues that came from the XR750, The Fat Boy and Fat Bob models all add up to a motorcycle that is actually more than the sum total of its parts but carries a rich and deep history with it. For starters, the amount of technology built into this motorcycle is staggering. We can start off with a quick understanding for those not already hip to the Pan American, with the “ride mode”. There are
