Harley-Davidson Forty Eight

Harley- Davidson is an iconic brand that invokes memories of powerful engines, wide open highways, the wind in your face and mile munching in total and absolute glorious freedom on 2 wheels. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1903 this legendary manufacturer has kept the spirit of American motorcycling alive with its pathbreaking products.

Known for the distinctive 'potato potato' sound courtesy their potent large capacity V-twin engines these bikes have made many a motorcyclist drool with the sheer auditory delight. As of today, the current product line-up has been categorised under the following categories - Sportster, Dyna, Softail, V-Rod and Touring. The 'Sportster' range features a wide variety of motorcycles with unmatched performance at an affordable price with classic Harley styling. The star of the lot is obviously the beefy and mean Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty Eight. With bespoke styling and a beefy front end, this sure manages to catch some eyeballs and then more.

Powered by the famed Air cooled Evolution V-twin unit displacing 1202 cc the Sportster Forty Eight is the king of the ring in the Sportster range. Featuring a bore X stroke ratio of 88.9 X 96.8 mm and a compression ratio of 10:1 this ESPFI (Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection) engine manages to crank out a behemoth 96 NM of torque @ 3,750 rpm. Boasting all-aluminium engine heads & cylinders for enhanced cooling the engine unit stays cool & unstressed to keep performance at an all time high.

Featuring black powder coated cylinders with chromed pushrods, the engine looks like something that walked straight out of a noir graphic comic book.The engine also features rubber mounts to keep vibes in check. The torquey engine is mated to a 5 speed transmission that helps keep the engine speeds and wheel speeds in constant balance ensuring that power and torque are available throughout the rev range as and when required depending on the road and riding conditions. Cruising at triple digit speeds at low engine rpms is made possible due to this perfect match between engine and gearbox. This also ensures that engine internals are also not subject to unnecessary wear and tear thus helping the engine in the long run and also keeping routine service and maintenance expenses low at the same time keeping service intervals pretty far apart.

Mileage claims made by manufacturers always vary from actual figures since riding conditions, engine condition and riding style differ from person to person. The Sportster Forty Eight returns an overall 20 kmpl under standard conditions.

Users can expect between 16-19 kmpl in the city with highway runs returning 19-22 kmpl.

V twins are known to be very distinctive in terms of their method of delivering output and transferring it to the road in an easy and comfortable manner. The Sportster Forty Eight is no exception here either, in fact it actually pushes the envelope as far as performance is concerned. It piles on speed with surprising potency all thanks to the wonderfully linear torque curve. The 255 kg kerb weight does not feel like much and the bike handles corners with surprising ease. The aggressive low handlebars work with the front mounted footpegs with integrated controls to give you a very flexible seating position. Thus it is able to tackle urban situations and dominate them with the sheer stance alone and of course the low saddle height helps immensely. You can whip it through traffic like nobody's business. Bear in mind though that this is a cruiser and not a sportbike so lean in too hard and you risk grounding the pegs or the exhaust.

Having said that, the lean angles at 27.8 degrees on the right and 26.1 degrees on the left are somewhat better than the lower powered cousin- The Iron 883. The lean angles and the largish 1,520 mm wheelbase go together like Laurel & Hardy. The low mounted front & rear suspension is adjustable for preload helping keep the setup free to suit individual choices. The Michelin Scorcher tyres provide ample grip and aid handling sufficiently. Featuring a massive 130/90 front on a 16 inch wheel and wide rear 150/80 also on a 16 inch wheel, the Forty Eight gets a mean stance with a wide footprint. Braking duties are taken care of via a 2-piston 300 mm single disc front and 2-piston single disc rear brake system featuring braided steel lines for maximum braking efficiency.