Harley-Davidson is attempting a strategic turnaround, with a key element being the potential revival of the air-cooled Sportster, a model that embodies the brand's traditional appeal, contrasting with its less successful liquid-cooled successors.
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Now, I think it's fair to say that
Harley-Davidson aren't exactly doing
that well at the moment, but with a new
CEO and a new strategy, well, I guess
they're very much hoping to turn things
around. And that new strategy, well,
it's not entirely new with one of the
models announced for 2027 being a
Sportster. and not one of those new
fangled liquid cooled models, but
actually a proper air cooled Sportster
with an engine that's effectively
decades old. So naturally, that's got me
wondering, well, can it possibly be the
right thing to do to revive yourselves
in 2027 by bringing back what is a
fairly antiquated motorcycle? Or have
they actually hit the nail right on the
head? So, you know what? I think I need
to ride one again to find out. And also,
Tim, maybe get a bit of a second opinion.
I should say though, Sportsters go way
further back than my biking experience
to 1957, I believe, when the first one
was introduced. It's interesting when
you look at like a full list of all of
the significant changes to the Sportster
lineup over the years because it
basically, you know, it's been around
for so long. It sort of reads like a
broader timeline of motorcycle
developments. electric starters in 1967,
left side gear change and disc brakes in
the ' 70s, a 5-speed box, and the belt
drive in 1991, an electronic speeder in
1995, fuel injection in the mid 2000s.
Uh, but what I think has defined the
generations, the key generations of
Sportster over the years, more than
these little incremental changes, has
almost certainly been the engine. So, in
the first instance, it was the iron
heads. Tim, have a stab at why they're
called iron heads.
>> Is it cuz they're made of iron?
>> Well done, mate. Absolutely. And they're
still sought after nowadays for being
very original, very raw, soulful, of
course. Uh, but after that, it was the
evolution engine or the Evo. So, yeah, a
big American aircooled V Twin. Uh, it
came in around the mid80s and I believe,
I've not ridden one, but the original
version of this engine was known for
being a little bit viby. So, in the
mid-200s, they changed a few things
about it, but the key thing they changed
is that they rubber mounted it in order
to make the bike more comfortable. And
that's one of the things I really like
about the Evo engine. When you start it
up, it sort of bounces around in the
frame. And when you rev it, it wobbles
around as well. It really feels like a
living thing. Like so many good engines
though, recently, it did eventually fall
foul of emissions regulations. I think
it was killed off in Europe in the UK
with Euro5 and understandably with it
being an engine that goes back pretty
much 40 years in order to update it to
get it to pass modern day emissions
regulations. Well, it was just too much
work and so it got discontinued and kind
of replaced with this. This is the
Revolution Max. It's a liquid cooled
engine, a lot more revy, hence the name.
and it was put to use in this, the
Nightster, uh the Sportster S, which is
a more aggressive looking version of
this with a big fat front tire. Uh but
also the Paname Adventure bike. And so,
yeah, a versatile engine, modern
feeling, good performance, most
importantly, good emissions as well, but
it's got to be said it has a certain um
clinicalness perhaps. And so I don't
think it's quite generated the same
adoration amongst the Harley buying
public as you know the original
aircooled sports does. Well maybe I'm
being a little too gentle there because
if the UK sales figures are anything to
go by well the revolution max bikes have
been a bit of a flop. That night for
example, well there's about a couple of
hundred on the road here after 3 or 4
years of being on sale. But if you look
at the previous aircooled Sportsters, of
which admittedly there are many, many
variants, well, there are still many
thousands of them if you take the time
to add them all up. So, I guess it
doesn't really take a genius to figure
out why Harley's financial results of
late have been a pretty tough read.
Personally, I'd say the whole reason you
buy a Harley-Davidson isn't for
performance or efficiency, but it's for
a really loud, really viby that makes a
bit of a statement. Something the
Revolution Maxster couldn't really
offer, but an Evo powered Sportster
absolutely can offer in spades. So,
yeah, to give us the best chance of
finding a proper Sportster to ride,
we've come to Superbike Factory. They've
got a whole bunch of shops across the
UK, thousands of bikes, and so surely
So, after a little perusal, we settled
on this beauty and it was time to send
it through the workshop to see some of
the changes that Superbike Factory have
made to prepping their bikes. You see,
every bike goes through an inspection
before any repairs and prep work are
needed to get it ready for the showroom
floor and then after that it's road
tested by one of their techs. Recently
though, they've changed some of their
suppliers for more premium brands. So,
all the bikes, for example, are getting
fluids from Mo and the tires are from
Pirelli now if they do need to be
swapped out. On top of that, they've
extended their warranty out to 90 days
as standard and all bikes are now
getting a minimum of 6 months across the
board. Then they've also scrapped their
admin charges. So the price you see on
the website is the price you pay. And so
it's great to see Superbike Factory
pushing to improve the standard of the
bikes you'll see in their shops and on
their website. In fact, there's a link
in the description below if you do want
to browse all of their extensive stock.
And so a massive thanks to them for
supporting the channel and making this
video possible. This one though, well,
it didn't need much at all. She's in
great condition already. And so once the
prep process is done, well, we can get
it outside for a proper good look at it.
Now, before we get on the road, I
thought I'd give you a quick overview of
the particular model that I picked out,
which is this an Iron 1200. What a
beautiful looking bike. And it's in good
nick as well. It's roughly 8 to N grand
for one of these. It's a 2021 and it's
only got about 1,500 mi on it. So, it's
still looking pretty fine. I will say
though, I've got to manage your
expectations of just how quick or not
quick it might be out on the road
because despite the fact that it's got
the bigger 1200 V twin, uh, well, they
don't even specify a peak power figure
on the official Harley specs. They only
say torque. And to be fair, this engine
is all about torque and it makes 99 new
mak. According to Google, my extra
research there, it makes around 60 or 65
uh horsepower peak, which is not
necessarily going to impress many people
from a 1200 twin. On top of that, you
got to combine it with a weight figure
that's fairly hefty as well. It comes in
at over 250 kilos when all the fluids
are on board. And so, yeah, with about
60 horsepower and over 250 kilos, it's
got a power to weight ratio that's about
as impressive as a cabbage. It's a
chassis that's not necessarily set up
for sporty handling either. It's got a
single front disc. The uh fork is about
as skinny as a pair of chopsticks. It's
very long and low. It's 650ish mil in
the seat height, so very low down.
Forward pegs, apehanger style bars. Uh
but all the same, I'm massively looking
forward to riding it. I think it looks
fantastic. And also, it's got these
Vansenheines pipes which are rather
minimal, let's say, and I think are
gonna sound pretty amazing. In fact,
I'll fire it up for you now so you can
>> Quite loud then. Or
>> might need the float files. Yeah, that's
>> was peing. I don't know if I could live
with that, but uh for today it will
definitely add a bit of >> drama,
>> drama,
I'll be surprised if you can hear a
thing I'm saying, but let's do our best.
Now, we'll start with the I don't know
the less good stuff about this bike. Uh,
which I think is fair to say is probably
the way that it turns or attempts to
turn. And also, you could say the same
for the stopping power. It ain't dancing
side to side in the same way that a
naked bike would. And it needs lots of
rear brake to get it to stop. It stops
quite quickly if you use both. Uh, but
if you're someone who's used to using
just the front,
you might want a bit more from it. So,
yeah, it's not something to rush into
corners like this one. There's obviously
a lack of ground clearance as well. Uh,
but I think it's best ridden at about,
Then it just kind of nicely ws along.
And you know, the weight actually isn't
that bad, 250 kilos. And so it does
become quite pleasant and not too much
of a handful either. Um, comfort maybe
is another uh suboptimal area perhaps on
this bike. I don't find the rear shocks
particularly cushy and of course all
your weight is on the seat. So, um, if
you do hit any largeish undulations in
the road, then you will feel them right
through your backside. But I'd also say
I've been pleasantly surprised by the
riding position. Normally,
I'm someone who prefers cruisers with
flat bars, mid-position pegs as well.
So, it's closer, let's say, to a
But this one, because it's not too
massive, uh, despite the fact that the
bars are high up and the pegs further
forward, I actually find it quite nice
for my size at 5'9 or 175 cm.
And yeah, I'm not reaching too hard for
the pegs out front, then if you're
someone who's a massive fan of all the
latest tech as well, then it might not
be the first bike you think of buying.
But then again, what's viewed as a
weakness by one biker might well be
viewed as a big positive by another,
especially those who appreciate a simple
analog feeling ride. Personally, I think
it pairs very well with the attitude of
the rest of the bike. And the bits of
tech that are there are fairly
wellthoughtout conveniences that don't
feel too invasive. So, keyless works
fairly nicely on this bike, and I pretty
much always appreciate self-cancelling
indicators. Uh, and it also reminds you
to put your side stand up on the dash,
which it's not cutting edge stuff. Uh,
but I've got to say there's been a
couple of occasions where I've
appreciated that. Anyway, on to the very
good stuff. This motorcycle looks
phenomenal. Wherever we park it up,
wherever we take some video or pictures,
just looking at it in the showroom back
there, I think it looks absolutely class.
class.
And I can totally understand uh why
someone might put that as a high factor
when they're looking at buying a bike
The proportions are aggressive. It's
kind of classic but modern and mean. And
also I love this kind of blacked out
with just a pop of Americana in those uh
graphics on the tank which I think set
it off perfectly. looks are definitely
in the pros column for me. I'd love to
know what you guys think of it though in
the comments. Uh but without doubt,
number one, the biggest thing that I
love about this bike, always was and
still is the Evo. I'm sure you can hear
this ridiculous Vansenheind pipe anyway,
but let me pop my lid up and give it
Now, I'm sure there's plenty of you who
think it's way too loud, and I don't
think I could own a bike like this. I
think it would eventually
uh become too irritating. But just for a
blast today, and I know there are some
people who do like bikes this loud. I've
got to say, it really does
put a massive grin on your face when you properly
properly
open it up. It's not fast, though. I
mean, it's not an engine that you're
going to be super excited by under
acceleration. Its limitations are clear
for all to see on the spec sheet, but
it's just so addictive. Um, not just the
sound, but also the feel of it. Oh my go
Okay, it's vibed the camera loose there.
I probably didn't do a great job of
putting it on, but all the same. Yeah,
it's rubber mounted now, but still not
vibe free. But I think it's fair to say
the vibes
When it's just ticking over, it never
makes like a consistent sound. It's
And that's what makes it feel like a
living thing. That's what makes it feel
organic. That's what makes it feel
alive. And it just continues to feel
that way.
all through the rev range. And I can
just see how this is a bike that you
could absolutely grow uh to absolutely love.
What a machine. Love it. It makes me
want one so much. Even though that would
be uh a terrible financial decision to
add another bike to the collection. Uh,
but I do love it, mate. I need some
independent verification of my opinions here.
here. >> Okay.
>> Okay.
>> I don't know if you fancy being the
crash test dummy.
>> Gladly. I'm going to be singing Free
Come on in mate. Good.
>> Yeah. Very unique. There is nothing that
feels or sounds or looks anything like this.
this.
>> Best thing about it?
>> Um the visceral feeling. There's no
switching off. You are experiencing this
thing on every level.
>> I do really want one, but I don't think
it's a great decision. What about should
we go halves?
>> Yeah, let's do time share on this one.
Yeah, I'll see on weekends.
>> So, what do you think? One of the best
engines ever made or is it just an
underpowered pooch? For me, I'm on the
side of the former, but as always, I'd
love to know what you think down in the
comments below. Do check out the links
in the description as well to see all
the bikes in stock at Superbike Factory.
A massive thanks to them again for
supporting the channel. Hit subscribe
for more of the latest motorcycle news
and reviews like this right here on
MotoBob. A massive thanks for watching
today and we'll see you in the next video.
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