Review Harley-Davidson Sportster S 2022 | Motorcycle check

Review of Harley-Davidson Sportster S 2022

Wayne Vickers Motorcycle Test, Image by RbMotoLens

Let the elephant in the room get out of the way first for the non-Harley folks like… me, me — and I guess a bunch of target markets for this redesign, the Sportster is clearly not the one. a sports car. Not in the modern sense the sportbike equivalent of cornering bikes. It certainly has the grumpy side of the equation, however, a quick look at that 160 part FRONT tire should give you a pretty clear indication of intent. But it’s more complicated than that. When I found out.

Sportster is truly an icon. It lies low and majestic, looking for all the world to be carved / poured / chiseled from a giant block of metal.

Redesign using the same new Revolution Max 1250 engine I quite enjoyed staying at Pan Am, though this is surprisingly reduced to 121 hp and 127 Nm of torque – that torque will be slightly lower in the rev range. Like in the Pan Am, it doesn’t produce the signature Harley exhaust note that I still think is unfortunate, but it’s not a nasty note. It spins freely, gets good fuel economy, and gets serious acceleration in no time. What’s more when you note that even though it’s been stripped down quite a bit, it’s still a pretty heavy bike at just under 230 kg.

First impressions are dominated by that stance. It’s awful. And a pair of giant mufflers and air ducts sweep under your right foot. “It will definitely be warm,” I told myself on my first walk. Spoiler alert. Yes, it has. I don’t have to crawl slowly through traffic, but it’s warm. Not my Ducati Panigale toasted my chestnuts for hot, but I think it could potentially…

You also can’t help but notice the shape of the headlights. Subjectively as always, I’m not sure it fits the rest of the bike. Mind you, I said the same thing about Pan Am, was it a strange coincidence, a deliberate conspiracy, or the same person who designed both…

Sitting on the bike, is certainly comfortable enough. The chair is uniquely shaped and chic under your butt. The bar is an easily accessible place. Then you look down to see the pins oscillating forward more than you might be used to, if you’re not a cruiser pilot. Pedaling forward will certainly take a few kilometers to get used to, even for someone who has ridden quite a few bikes.

It is easy to get out of a deadlock and you are immediately affected by a few things. First, the clutch and all-wheel drive are very lump-friendly. That’s a lovely thing. The lightweight clutch, the good feel, the smooth end all combine to quickly put in whatever odd driving position you may have comfortably.

Then you come to your first corner. Holy cat, it takes a bit of physical effort to move it from its instant death and start a turn. The hardest handlebar bike I think I’ve ever ridden. Like when you wonder if they’re just over-stretched heads. Or a fat lace-up mountain bike if you’ve ridden one of those. Turns out, after a while of cycling, you can use the front-mounted pegs to help initiate the turn quite effectively. A strong push on the pin in the direction you want helps push it in and soon you won’t notice the effort anymore. It’s a bit awkward at first, but once you get used to it, the low-speed handling and maneuverability are surprisingly good.

In fact, it’s more comfortable when you rotate your body around it. You just need to take a moment and figure out the rhythm of the bike. I was surprised to find that I managed to roll it over to the edge of that greasy front tire quite comfortably. Your only drawback is the fact that you will start scraping metal at some point… as I found out in the middle of the shot. It’s just the touch pins under the foot pin, do their job and tell me that’s enough tilt angle, thanks a lot. It may or may not scare you when it touches down, depending on how aware you are that you are approaching. Let’s just say I think I still have a way to go – this also goes to show how it feels to plant it.

The engine and transmission are really great for what was an early version redesign. Shifts are smooth, power is great, it’s surprisingly dull at times – I figured it out over 121 hp until I double checked the specs to be honest. It pulls hard. Maybe the ride position accentuates that feeling because you have to cling. I found myself regularly turning the throttle open so that I could be rewarded with a sure shot on the horizon. It would be interesting to line up next to a Pan Am and see who holds the flag at 400m… Carrying could be in favor of Sportster, at least to begin with.

I don’t mind the little dash. And the ride modes are controlled quite easily, with just a button on the right-hand switch block.

Even so, there are a lot of buttons on the bars. Control everything from turning off the TC, tap to talk, music, cruise control, main menu control.

So much for my liking, I would have liked to see the stripped back thread continue to the bars and switchgear but that might just be me.

Speaking of the TC button – it obviously works – press and hold a bit and you’ll see the TC icon appear over the dash. At that point you are good at skating. That Harley-Davidson-branded rear tire held up pretty well after sold out. So that’s a plus.

So it turns out pretty well and drives surprisingly well when you turn your head around it and adjust yourself. How is it then on the real Australian roads?

Well… I found it to have a few problems. First, its single 300mm front brake is a bit of a function I think. Regardless of the fact that it’s equipped with four-cylinder Brembo brakes, it doesn’t deliver the braking performance it probably should. This is a big heavy bike, has a serious growl and must come with proper braking. The clean wheel design from the right-hand side looks nice, but that doesn’t seem to matter too much if you can’t pull up in time to avoid something. As a result of less effective braking, you’ll leave a bigger gap ahead when riding, to acclimatize.

The final problem for me was the rear suspension. While the front is actually pretty good, there’s only so much you can achieve with 51mm of travel in that rear end. Combined with the upright, forward-leaning posture, any serious bumps were really painful as they hit my lower back directly.

Twice within a hundred yards I was flung out of my seat into the air on an admittedly small stretch of North Deans Marsh. On a slippery road you won’t notice it, but if you run into a pothole or a rough spot, it will shake your cage pretty hard.

Now, depending on your type of driver, that may or may not be a big deal. Your local street might be better than mine, really behind your back as well – I’m not surprised either. To be fair – I’m not sure I’d let the brakes or short commutes get in the way of buying a bike if I was so inclined, although I do think it should come with a twin disc system.

Time to finish. I like this a lot more than I thought at first. The more I ride it, the more I like it. And with big 26 and a half to go, it’s probably also cheaper than what I initially anticipated. While I think it’s desirable in some areas, on a smooth road it’s definitely a good thing. There’s even one on the floor at the Dealer with aftermarket piping installed on it that looks even better. I can’t imagine the stock setup staying in place for so long…

Why I like the Harley-Davidson Sportster S 2022

• That new 1250 engine and transmission is a wreck, even when it’s disassembled
• Surprisingly beautiful in the flowery bends
• Putting your feet on the riding position feels pretty good when you’re called in

I’d rather have a Harley-Davidson Sportster S 2022 if…

• Need another disc on the front
• Does it come with Osteopath? The rear suspension works hard on tough potholes/bumps