First Ride: Harley Sportster 1200s
The long-running Harley Sportster line gets two new variants: the Iron 1200 and the Forty-eight Special
NO BIKING BRAND polarises opinion like Harley-davidson. Those who like its bikes generally really, really like them, those that don’t generally have a pretty low opinion of them... usually without ever having ridden one. There’s a vibe, a look to Harleys that puts some people off but the American firm must have been doing something right as it’s one of the biggest biking names in the world and has been making motorcycles for 115 years... and Sportsters since 1957.
That makes the Sportster the longestrunning model in the world — though the reality is that all today’s machines share with the original is the name and an ethos: to deliver simple, stripped-back, lightweight motorcycling. The current generation uses
two engines: the 883, powering Harley’s entry-level bikes; and the 1200, which is a sort of premium entry-level. The 1200s are more expensive than the 883s but a big saving on bikes built around the bigger “Milwaukee Eight” twins.
I’m in Croatia to try the latest additions to the Sportster line-up: the 1200 Iron and the Forty-eight Special. At heart they share the same air-cooled, 4v pushrod 1202cc twin and tubular steel frame. The differences are aesthetic and ergonomic. The 1200 Iron has an all-black engine and exhausts, with a shroud above the single circular headlight; the Special has chrome pipes, chrome trim on the engine and a bare light; they both have “peanut” tanks but the Iron’s holds 12.5 litres and the Special’s just 7.9 litres.
More significantly, bars and pegs are different. The Special has feet-forward controls and “tall-boy” bars, while the Iron has what Harley calls “mid controls” (for non-cruiser riders, the pegs are in the right place) and slightly higher, straighter “mini-ape” bars. Most significantly of all, the front ends are different: the Special clamps a 16in front wheel running a chunky tyre between 49mm forks; the Iron has a 19in front wheel with conventional 100/90 rubber and 39mm forks.
I start my day on the Iron. I’m a big bloke and, standing beside it, I worry about the size: the saddle is just 735mm off the floor and it’s very narrow (though at 256kg, it’s no featherweight). In fact, I’m surprised how comfortable it is. The engine shakes and burbles away with what I suspect is deliberately engineered-in character. Clunk into first gear and pull away and a lot of that recedes, though not for long: there is a sweet spot, fairly low in the revs, but hold onto a gear and it gets buzzy; don’t rev it enough and it remains pretty lumpy.
It goes well, though — cutting through
coast-road congestion and then powering up into the inland mountains with real enthusiasm. Ground clearance is pretty limited, with footpegs touching down in every tight corner, but it goes round — it just takes a bit of rider input and a good line to keep speed up. It does need smooth roads, though, as the non-adjustable forks and twin shocks do precisely bugger-all to insulate the rider from the surface and every bump is like a kick in the kidneys. It stops after a fashion too, though the single front disc doesn’t have much power (and the ABS kicks in pretty easily), the back brake’s decent and using the two together can haul the Iron up fairly sharply.
That might make the bike sound rather unimpressive - and you could see it that way: only 66bhp, no traction control, basic ABS and zero wind protection translating into brisk but never lairy speed. But that doesn’t tell the true story: which is the Iron 1200 is an absolute hoot. It’s a bike that needs to be ridden and it rewards riding well. True, pushing hard and finding a corner tightening can lead to some wide eyes when the pegs are already on the floor but staying calm and hanging off a bit gets it round - it really is all in the riding.
Switching to the Forty-eight Special delivers more of the same, but with a very different riding position. It’s lower (705mm seat), the pegs are forward and the bars higher but pulled back slightly. It’s actually more comfortable, but I don’t get the same feel for the front end with that nearballoon tyre and I don’t feel so confident with the feet-forward pegs — but that’s purely personal preference. It’s still a two-wheeled grin factory, but the Iron 1200 suited me better.
That’s the point of the model variation: the Sportster riding experience is the same but you need to choose the 1200 that suits you. Performance and practicality will never justify the £9395 base price for a black Iron 1200 (add £300 for paint), never mind the £10,245 for the Forty-eight Special. But if you want a bike that looks cool and delivers sunny day fun, and you’re prepared to pay the Harley premium, the new 1200 Sportsters are on the money.
“The Iron 1200 is a hoot, a bike that needs to be ridden”