Why We Love The Harley-Davidson Sportster S

Summary

• The Harley-Davidson Sportster S is a major departure from its traditional simple and affordable design, now offering high-performance and modern gadgets.
• With its powerful Revolution Max 1250T engine, the Sportster S is the fastest and most powerful Sportster ever made.
• The Sportster S is packed with high-tech features, including a circular TFT display, Bluetooth connectivity, ride modes, and turn-by-turn navigation, making it appealing to tech-savvy riders.

When Harley-Davidson first introduced the Sportster S as the new face of its Sportster line, the entire motorcycling world took notice. It was a huge shift from how it usually produced its lighter, more affordable motorcycles. What was once the simple and easy-to-use bike that many novice riders would get their start on, is now a high-performance, high-speed, tech-heavy sports bike that even the hardest of Harley riders would have a blast on.

To put it simply, this isn’t the same Sportster your dad or your grandfather grew up on. This isn’t the entry-level motorcycle that you inherited to cruise around the neighborhood and grow your confidence before upgrading to something bigger. The Sportster S has been geared towards intermediate to experienced riders who want the thrill, excitement, and modern gadgets of a new sports car, but all in a Harley-Davidson package.

The result is the lightest, as well as most powerful, Sportster that has ever left the H-D factory. These days, the Harley-Davidson Sportster line isn’t the same bike you would use to practice going in and out of traffic cones and going out for some local rides around town. The Sportster S was made for you to get on and go, and that’s it.

The data used to compile this article was sourced from Harley-Davidson, as well as the author’s own experience from working with Harleys for several years.

It Redefined The Sportster Line

Harley-Davidson Sportster S Images

Since 1957, the Harley-Davidson’s Sportster has been in production. While there have been many variations of the Sportster through the decades, they generally followed the same theme, which was a lightweight, affordable, and nimble cruiser that is both easy and fun to ride for people of all experience levels. But as riding preferences changed over time, so did the Sportster’s form.

What the Sportster S does is cater to riders who value speed, performance, and technology, and this Harley does it while still carrying on the Sportster name. On top of that, it also borrows some retro styling of its predecessors, like the groovy text on the fuel tank and the chopped rear fender, but with a lot more modern flare. But with all things new, there are a few outliers unsatisfied with the new direction Harley-Davidson is taking with the Sportster line, suggesting that they “ruined it.”

But if you think about it, it’s not like these people were ever going to buy one, let alone ride one in the first place. Not to mention that the pre-owned market is full of Sportsters anyway. If anything, the Sportster S is a motorcycle meant for a new generation of riders that will be carrying on the Sportster legacy for years to come. This time, it just has a lot more gadgets and power to its name.

The Engine Is In a League of Its Own

If you look at previous Sportsters like the Iron 883, Iron 1200, Forty-Eight, and Roadster, they were all powered by a simple air-cooled V-Twin engine. It was powerful enough to generate some thrills for experienced riders, but also not overwhelming enough for those newer to the game. But if you look at the Revolution Max 1250T engine, it looks and performs nothing like those air-cooled V-Twins.

Capable of producing 121 horsepower and 93 pounds-feet of torque, the Sportster S has some real kick behind it. There is so much kick that it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in as little as 3.4 seconds! No other Sportster in Harley-Davidson’s history has been able to come close to that kind of speed without some serious engine upgrades. The Revolution Max 1250T is also the same engine found in Harley’s ADV bike, the Pan America 1250 Special.

Those who have hidden this bike can understand how speechless they felt after rolling the throttle on a straightaway to see what it can do. But considering the amount of power that is packed onto a motorcycle that weighs in at only 502 lbs, the Sportster S is a bike much more appropriate for intermediate and experienced riders.

Engine Specs

It Is The Most High-Tech Sportster Ever Made

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone for a motorcycle made in 2024 to be packed with technology. Before, Harley-Davidson would reserve all of its cool gadgets for its high-end touring motorcycles. If you wanted a motorcycle that came loaded with the latest in riding technology, you would probably have to save your money for a CVO. Now with the Sportster S, you get all of that and more.

Equipped with a four-inch circular display, riders can connect to their with a headset or Bluetooth helmet, sync with the Harley-Davidson app for its GPS, use voice commands, cycle through the bike’s instrument cluster, ride settings, and media controls. Riders also can select from five different ride modes: Sport, Road, Rain, and two customizable modes to choose their own personal settings for power delivery, engine braking, and cornering.

Not to mention that. It may not be the Sportster that many hardcore Harley-Davidson riders can relate to, but the newest generation of riders is certainly also the most tech-savvy to date. It’s a lot like that memorable quote from Back to the Future, “I guess you guys aren’t ready for that, yet. But your kids are going to love it.”

Special Features

• Bluetooth connectivity
• Turn-by-turn navigation
• Music
• Cruise Control
• Five selectable ride modes (Sport, Road, Rain, and Two Custom Modes)
• Phone charger

The Sportster For a New Generation

Just like any other major industry, preferences, and trends of the market will dictate which products will be successful, and it is up to companies to change along with them. Harley-Davidson, much like its other competitors, is no different as it looks to see who its customer base is and what they are looking for in a motorcycle.

While there will always be a percentage of people in the market for a simple, affordable, and user-friendly Sportster like the discontinued Iron 883 and Forty-Eight, there is also a strong percentage of riders that have the experience and spending cash for a newer, more exciting bike. With many of these riders stemming from the sports bike world, the Sportster S has made itself a very attractive option for those looking to shift over to the Harley-Davidson world while on a bike that can keep up with a lot of sports bikes out there.

Many Sportster S customers are trading in a bike with a high seat and mid-controls located under their hips in favor of a bike with a low seat height, forward controls, a forward-riding stance, lots of technical upgrades, a muscular look, and the option for personal customization. In other words, the exact opposite of what they’ve been riding so far.

Harley-Davidson’s New Approach

Just like the Pan America, which looked at the growing Adventure bike market, the Sportster S aimed at its competitors in the sports bike world as an alternative to your typical, run-of-the-mill sports bike. Younger riders love the fact that there exists a Harley-Davidson that runs and operates on par, as well as surpasses certain high-performance bikes on the market, while still staying true to the modern Harley-Davidson esthetic, and delivering a riding experience that can satisfy adrenaline junkies everywhere.

Not to mention that its siblings, the Nightster and Nightster Special, are also snatching up former sports bike riders from Japanese and European motorcycle brands. So, with the Sportster S, younger, experienced, and tech-savvy riders can get their fill of speed and performance, all while having the confidence and enjoyment of doing it all on a Harley-Davidson. It’s one giant win-win situation.