Old World Charm

Harley’s latest Sportster is touted as both sporty and special. But, is that just marketing-speak or is the Forty-Eight Special really… ahem… special?

- Shivank Bhatt

To most of us, Harley-Davidson has always been synonymous with big-burly cruisers and laid-back touring motorcycles. But you know what, they also happen to make some ‘sporty’ motorcycles. In fact, they’ve got a whole ‘Sportster’ range that’s dedicated to this segment, wherein speed and performance take precedence over leisure riding. And it’s not that they’re new to this business. In fact, Harley’s Sportster series – popularly known as the XL range – first came out in 1957, and it has since expanded to include some very exciting motorcycles.

As of today, the Sportster range has five motorcycles, namely – the Iron 883, FortyEight, 1200 Custom, Roadster and Forty-Eight Special. Now the last one is the latest of the lot, and it’s just gone on sale in India. As the name suggests, it’s based on the regular Forty-Eight, however, it does get some ‘Special’ treatment. But, is the new Harley as sporty or special as we’ve been told?

How is it special?