2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S Overview [w/ Mid-Control Kit]

With none doubt, I’m going to overlook the Evolution-powered Sportsters. They represented the fundamentals of bikes, being not way more than a easy two-valve air-cooled V-twin motor, a primary body, and primitive suspension. Stability is at all times the magic that makes for motorbike, and the now-discontinued Sportsters had it. The Irons, the Forty-Eight, and the Customized all spoke to me—don’t even get me began on the Seventy-Two. Regardless, time marches on, and we now have the 2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S—a Sportster for the twenty first century.As a result of I used to be nonetheless testing the outdated Sportsters by way of their ultimate 12 months, I’m a bit late to the Revolution Max celebration. That is my introduction to the fashionable Harley-Davidson Sportster type issue, and I grabbed an instance with a Mid-Management Equipment ($694) put in. I wasn’t bought on the ahead controls once I sat on the S—it’s near the Forty-Eight—so once I had an opportunity to journey one with mid controls, I pounced on it.To make certain, the 2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S is an uncommon motorbike—not only a departure for Harley-Davidson. The liquid-cooled Revolution Max 1250T 60-degree V-twin cranks out 121 horsepower at a comparatively lofty 7500 rpm, together with a muscular 94 ft-lbs of torque at an simply accessed 6000 rpm. Even the flat-track-inspired XR1200 from over a decade in the past didn’t have cool up-pipes like the brand new S. Whereas the Sportster title celebrated its sixty fifth birthday in 2022, the S is a rebirth reasonably than an evolution. You both lead, sustain, or get left within the mud.Sitting on the 2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S isn’t a well-recognized feeling. The flat seat is an uncommon platform from H-D. The mid controls are proper for me, making for a compact rider triangle that offers a way of dominance over the bike. The slender handlebar isn’t unknown within the Sportster canon—the Roadster involves thoughts—however the switchgear is intensive. There’s a big range of switches, buttons, and toggles the place there was the naked minimal.There’s no key—only a fob. You flip the ability dial to the on place. The change is just about equivalent to the identical merchandise on my Nikon Z9 digital camera, reasonably than one thing I’m used to seeing on a motorbike. That lights up the spherical sprint—a TFT show with intensive readouts, together with the smallest-font clock within the motorcycling world.Contained in the power-on/-off dial is the beginning button—once more, it’s just like the shutter launch button on my Z9. Push it, and one in every of two issues occur. If it’s in impartial, the Revolution Max 1250T springs to life, although not with the unbridled rubber-mounted enthusiasm that made me so enamored with the Evolution powerplant. When you’re in gear with the clutch pulled in, the motor is reluctant to spin up, and also you begin worrying about battery capability. Suffice to say, when it’s time to fireplace the S up, be sure it’s not in one in every of its six gears.With the 1250T working, it has sound. Though the exhaust sports activities the longest shields within the enterprise, the tone is nice, and the pipes don’t get in the best way. With that DOHC motor, the response when blipping the throttle in Sport mode is satisfying. Let’s go driving—I’ll attempt the Street and Rain modes later.As quickly as you get happening the 2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S, you’ll get captivated by its defining characteristic—the 160mm broad 17-inch Dunlop GT503 entrance tire, which is on show whenever you’re within the cockpit as a result of bobbed fender.I’m a fan of fat-tired bikes. They appear cool and are nice for cruising. Nevertheless, plump tires are usually not sporting tires, and this can be a Sportster, in spite of everything. Any goals of darting by way of the canyons had been extinguished as I exited the driveway of the Harley-Davidson Fleet Heart.Though the ergonomics and low seat gave me a sense of dominance over the 500-pound motorbike, it didn’t flip like I anticipated. The Dunlop isn’t just fats; it additionally has a really steep profile.The tire runs on a skinny strip of rubber when upright, and the 30 levels of rake, almost 60-inch wheelbase, and 180 rear Dunlop need it to maintain going straight. Getting the tire off that centerline requires a little bit of muscle and physique English. As soon as achieved, the tire flops right into a flip with authority—over you! The steep profile and broad tire imply it’s sluggish to provoke the lean, however turns in rapidly as soon as it will get off the middle strip.Abruptly, the ahead controls on the usual Sportster S made sense. This isn’t a sport bike, in spite of everything—it’s a contemporary energy cruiser. I change modes in my head, although depart the motor in Sport mode, and it’s time to tear round Los Angeles. After all, that also means some city twisty motion on Mulholland Drive and its feeder canyons.The Sportster S is nice enjoyable round city, and I like the seating place with the mid controls. As a substitute of enjoyable my manner down the town streets, I’m in a extra attentive stance, ready to do battle with no matter wheeled automobile comes my manner.With out query, the short-stroke Revolution Max 1250T is nice enjoyable. It has the low-rpm energy you need when site visitors is heavy, after which spins up for a satisfying rush when there’s room to stretch its legs. The Sport mode isn’t in the slightest degree abrupt—it’s simply intuitive.The Street mode relaxes throttle response, which will be useful should you’re tooling together with nobody round. I did change into Rain mode once I was confronted with some rivers flowing over Mulholland Drive a day following heavy rains, and was glad to have it. The rider can arrange two customized modes, which is at all times factor. Nevertheless, throughout the take a look at, I used to be completely happy within the Sport mode if the road was dry.The six-speed transmission labored transparently, and I at all times welcome a clutch with help and slipper features. Lengthy rides with no sore left hand attest to the success of the help characteristic.When driving throughout Mulholland Drive, the Dunlops revealed two personalities. Face with a easy, linear radius curve, the tires really feel nice. They put loads of rubber on the street, and the Sportster S has that ultra-secure on-rails feeling and many cornering clearance. Ought to the nook be tough or have a variable radius—and they’re ample on Mulholland Drive and the encircling canyons—changes are a bit disconcerting. You end up questioning the place that assured feeling went. You be taught the place to choose your fights on the Sportster S fairly rapidly.I discussed tough roads as a result of the suspension journey on the Sportster S is meager. There’s a mere two inches within the rear, and three.6 inches of fork journey—that’s not plentiful. Motion is nice, however there’s solely a lot you are able to do with a stroke that restricted.When driving on city streets, the suspension acquits itself decently. The Dunlops draw consideration to themselves in two good methods. The fats tires are nice at keeping off potholes—and I encountered dozens of nasty ones after the LA rains. The tires additionally add a little bit of cushion to assist the suspension, so that you by no means actually get jolted, because the thick rubber knocks the sting off hits. I’ll additionally give a shout-out to the mid controls once more, as they make it straightforward to raise my rear off the skinny seat once I see a success coming.With the upright seating place and no safety, freeways won’t appear to be a super venue for the Sportster S. Nevertheless, the fats Dunlops snort at California freeway rain grooves, and that’s no small feat. They deal with ridges nicely, and all of the low-bidder irregularities, aside from arduous dips and lips. When the going will get tough, the suspension will get overwhelmed, and the rider bounced—ouch. Once more, the high-profile tires do blunt the sharpness of the hit, which helps the rider retain management. The slender handlebar stops the rider from changing into a sail, and it’s straightforward to stand up to extra-legal speeds with out realizing it—a facet impact of the easily highly effective Revolution Max 1250T.In all conditions, the brakes do a superb job. Certain, I might welcome a pair of discs within the entrance. Regardless, the one 320mm disc and the radially mounted four-piston Brembo caliper work with the fats tire to sluggish the Sportster S down as wanted. The 260mm disc and plump rear tire group as much as give the rider loads of really feel and good energy. Cornering-aware ABS is on-hand must you want it.As fairly because the full-color spherical TFT show is, I not often consulted with it as I desire to maintain my eyes on my motorized adversaries. A lot of the info is tiny and tough to learn whereas coping with site visitors. Solely your velocity is displayed prominently, which is all I actually need to know.There’s a scrollable line of information beneath the velocity readout; above it’s a pictogram telling you what mode you’re in, although the throttle response will inform you that. The gear place indicator is sorta readable, however I by no means wanted it, besides to ensure I used to be in sixth gear on the freeway. The time and gas degree readouts are tiny. Additionally, an analog-inspired tachometer surrounds every thing, although it’s superfluous. If you wish to distract your self from the enjoyable of driving the Sportster S, you’ll be able to join your smartphone to the sprint through Bluetooth—no thanks.I’ve lastly needed to let go of the Evo-powered Sportsters. Yeah, it’s painful, however I should buy one if it hurts dangerous sufficient. The Revolution Max 1250T-powered substitute does the Sportster title proud. It’s lighter, extra highly effective, and handles higher than the air-cooled selection—all good issues. The S lacks the visceral expertise of the outdated Sportster, however that’s the character of evolving automobiles. When you’re an old-school Sportster proprietor searching for a brand new motorbike, give the 2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S an sincere probability—it would shock you, even when it’s not a direct substitute. Go forward, get the S, and hold your Evo, too!Images by Don WilliamsRIDING STYLE2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S Specs ENGINE

• Kind: Revolution Max 1250T 60-degree V-twin
• Displacement: 1252cc
• Bore x stroke: 105 x 72.3mm
• Most energy: 121 horsepower @ 7500 rpm
• Most torque: 94 ft-lbs @ 6000 rpm
• Compression ratio: 12.0:1
• Valvetrain: DOHC w/ hydraulic self-adjusting lifters, variable consumption and exhaust cam timing; 4vpc
• Cooling: Liquid
• Lubrication: Semi-dry sump
• Exhaust: 2-1-2 w/ in-muffler catalyst
• Transmission: 6-speed
• Clutch: Moist multiplate w/ help and slipper features
• Closing drive: Chain

CHASSIS

• Chassis: Burdened engine w/ three subframes
• Entrance suspension; journey: Totally adjustable 43mm inverted fork; 3.6 inches
• Rear suspension; journey: Linkage-assisted totally adjustable shock; 2 inches
• Wheels: Solid aluminum
• Entrance wheel: 17 x 4.5
• Rear wheel: 16 x 5
• Tires: Dunlop Harley-Davidson Sequence GT503
• Entrance tire: 160/70 x 17
• Rear tire: 180/70 x 16
• Entrance brakes: 320mm floating disc w/ radially mounted 4-piston Brembo caliper
• Rear brake: 260mm disc w/ single-piston Brembo floating caliper
• ABS: Cornering conscious

DIMENSIONS and CAPACITIES

• Wheelbase: 59.8 inches
• Rake: 30 levels
• Fork angle: 28 levels
• Path: 5.8 inches
• Seat top: 29.6 inches
• Gas capability: 3.1 gallons
• Estimated gas consumption: 49 mpg
• Curb weight: 502 kilos
• Colours: Vivid Black; Mineral Inexperienced Metallic; White Sand Pearl

2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S Worth: $15,499 MSRP ($16,593, as examined

2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S Overview Photograph Gallery