Harley Davidson Nightster - 2007

As everyone knows the Harley Davidson Sportster range is now the entry level machine for those contemplating the whole Harley Lifestyle. Not that there is anything wrong with that or them, but compared to some bikes in the range they are and always have been somewhat minimalist, but maybe that’s what attracts many people to them.

According to Harley, eighty-two per cent of Sportster buyers are new to HD and of these thirty-three per cent are new to biking full stop. So, a great way to start a career on two wheels is with a bike that everyone across the world has heard of and one that is going to hold its value.

Sure, the real aficionado is going to say that none of the Sportster range are real Harleys, but who cares. As a previous owner of a 1200 Sportster Sport, I know what a great bike they are for town use and just going out on for a hassle free blast.

However, you cannot live by reputation alone and Harley are now very carefully modifying bikes to suit the European market a little better than their home grown product. After all we have bends in Europe and rain!

So for 2008 Harley-Davidson is offering its most diverse line of Sportster models in the 51-year history of the legendary XL platform. Probably the most interesting for the UK market is the very minimalist, neo-retro chic XL 1200N Nightster.

According to HD this offers “a burst of adrenalin with a head-turning combination of exceptional performance and an underground urban feel. By blending a unique new style with the power and torque of the rubber-mounted Evolution V-Twin engine, the Nightster offers a sharp ride for the street.”

Although new to the UK it was first introduced to the U.S. market earlier this year. It features longer travel rear suspension for improved lean angle to deal with our bends and a neat new LED stop/turn/tail light design that is first for the two-wheel market anywhere in the world. It also fits in well with the minimalist style of this particular bike and cleans up the rear end a treat!

Or, put another way by none other than Bill Davidson, Harley-Davidson Director of Motorcycle Product Development.

“The XL 1200N Nightster is a blacked-out street bike that continues a half century of Sportster tradition of innovative, fun and versatile motorcycles,”

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So is it really a new bike of just another variant? Well the answer is Yes to both really. Yes it is new, but as the changes can be summed up as more ride height and increased ground clearance, you can see how you get the same answer!

Like all Sportster models, it is powered by the Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injected (ESPFI) XL Evolution V-Twin power-train; in this case the 1200cc version giving 72 ft/lbs of torque. As with any Harley, this latter figure being far more important than bhp, which is just fifty-five for those who must know. The power-band has been tuned for road use and thanks to changes to the clutch this is now very light in operation!

The engine et al, is powder coated in a medium grey colour to fit in with the overall styling effect, although certain areas like some of the covers are as one might expect, polished. Drive to the rear is by carbon fibre reinforced belt as per usual, well unless you are talking about the very first chain driven Sportsters!

The powerplant/train is rubber-mounted in the steel spine frame to reduce vibration. Conventional telescopic’s complete with old school gaiters suspend the front end, while long travel twin shocks support the rear. (For those that want a shorter or ‘slammed’ look HD offer shorter units through their official spares operation!)

Given the styling cues of ‘stripped down and gritty’, the Nightster reinterprets the Sportster legend with rugged, minimal neo-retro styling. A solo seat adds to the uncluttered look, as do clipped front and rear fenders that expose chunky tyres.

Wheel rims (19” inch front 16” rear) and hubs, forks and handlebars, hand and foot controls are finished in basic black. The classic 12.5 litre fuel tank is topped with a simple silver-satin cap. Exhausts are chrome, staggered dual exhaust mufflers.

(The Harley-Davidson Smart Security System is standard equipment on all European Sportster models.)

However, the biggest news on this bike is really the combined brake/rear light/indicators that really clean up the rear end of the bike.

In simple terms, apart from the number plate with a small light above the rear fender to use HD terminology is perfectly clean looking in appearance. The rear lights are now part of the indicators mounted in the normal place.

These are on all the time as we have now come to expect (and the law dictates) and when you signal the centre flashes amber. Very simple, but not a retro fit for those reaching for the phone.

So given all that is it a good ride? Well like any of the range before them a sports bike it is not despite the title. However, it is a genuine Harley giving you all the same feel, satisfaction and riding experience of the larger machines. Just because it is smaller and cheaper does not mean you get short changed!

What you do get is crisper acceleration and better handling and around the Oxfordshire lanes, the bike proved to be quite nimble and grounded out on corners far less than any of its predecessors. It is snappy in its acceleration and the response to the throttle is instantaneous.

Brakes are more than capable of dealing with all the performance available (100mph tops) and give good feedback at all times. The lighter clutch made life less tiring especially in traffic where the bike showed a well balanced manner that made it quite pleasant in traffic, if you can ever regard town riding as that!

The five speed box is quite useable and precise, always letting you know it was dropping into place, just as you come to expect. Likewise the grunt and pull of the motor is as good as it always has been despite the new levels of technology and sophistication that now abound on the new models.

The bike certainly still has pose value and still attracts admiring glances, even with a standard exhaust system in place. There is no doubt that a Harley makes you feel good and as a result you tend to enjoy the ride more. Certainly you see more of the countryside as you enjoy a relatively slower pace than you might choose on another machine.