2007 Harley-Davidson XL1200R Sportster

To celebrate the 50th year of the Sportster, Harley-Davidson decided to spruce up the line a little by equipping all of the Sportsters with electronic fuel injection. The XL 1200R is the most sport-oriented of the Sportster line.

The Sportster’s small dimensions help instill confidence in riders of all shapes and sizes, although at a standstill you can still feel the engine’s heft sitting low in the frame. The low 29.9-inch seat height made it easy for me to reach the ground, while the bike’s narrow proportions and short reach to the bar gave me plenty of leverage to flick it from side to side. If the key fob mentioned earlier is more than 8 feet away from the motorcycle, the bike won’t start and will instead flash all the lights in a show reminiscent of a 1970’s discotheque. Should you lose the key fob you can also disarm the alarm with a code entered through the turn-signal buttons.

When it came time to start her up, the Sportster’s 1,200cc Evolution engine purred to life without the slightest hiccup from the new electronic fuel injection, and you can distinctly make out that Harley noise and feel.

On the road, the “seat-of-the-pants” dyno was telling that the 1,200cc powerplant had plenty of moxie to get you out of any situation you encounter. According to the Borla Performance dyno, that translates into 58.3 horsepower and 66.5 lb-ft of torque peak, at the rear wheel. All that power is harnessed by a smooth-shifting five-speed transmission with a belt final drive. Harley-Davidson also went so far as to reduce clutch-lever effort by 8 percent across the entire Sportster line. As little as that sounds, real-world experience has convinced me that that 8 percent really is a big help.

As owners of pre-2004 Sportsters can testify, trying to ride one at anything over 70 mph is a teeth-rattling experience, as the pulses from the V-twin engine are intense to say the least. But with the change to rubber mounts, the new Sportster to be very smooth off the line and even more so at highway speeds. Kudos, Harley....

Highway cruising on the Sportster is a breeze as the bar and pedals aren’t too far forward. The supple suspension soaks up irregularities in the road and provides a smooth ride. As with most motorcycles without a windscreen, wind buffeting starts to become an issue at speeds over 70 mph. An aftermarket windscreen and saddlebags are available through your Harley-Davidson dealer should you feel the need for them.

Filtering through traffic is easy as the Sportster’s narrow proportions make splitting lanes a breeze. The only gripe about the bike (and this holds true for all Harley-Davidson models), is the turn-signal switches on each bar. You'll find it annoying to use the right thumb to press the button.

Despite the 39mm front fork’s non-adjustability, the bike is still able to track through turns with ease. In the rear, the twin preload adjustable shocks felt plenty capable of handling every turn. Stopping duties for the new Sportster are handled by twin discs (available only on the XL 1200R) clamped by dual-piston calipers that provide plenty of stopping power. A single disc sits in the rear and is grabbed by a single-piston caliper. In conjunction with the clutch, brake-lever effort has been reduced by 14 percent. This setup gives a nice linear feel.

The gearbox was always positive in its engagement and never missed a beat, while repeated heavy braking for certain turns was never nerve-wracking as the brakes were up to the challenge. The V-twin’s big torque helped carry the Sportster out of turns and got me on my way without any hesitation from the finely tuned electronic fuel injection. For anyone who thinks there’s no more “Sport” in the Sportster line, think again. This thing can get around with the greatest of ease and, as with most motorcycles in this category, the limits are defined by the amount of lean angle before dragging hard parts.

Fifty years is a long time to keep a model range in a lineup, but year after year Sportster sales continue to show strong results and it’s easy to see why. The Sportster is simply a good motorcycle. And as the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”