BIRTHDAY HARLEY IS BEST SPORTSTER YET

When I was trundling back from Delhi to Belfast on an Enfield Bullet in 1998, I never thought I’d see the day when I’d describe a one-litre motorcycle as a great little bike. Well, that day has arrived with the compact but sporty Nightster, the latest and finest incarnation in the 65-year history of Harley Sportsters.

It looks like a proper Sportster, for a start – a bike stripped down to the basics of an engine, two wheels and a sculpted single seat which welcomes your buns like the concierge of your favourite hotel.

With mine gratefully welcomed, that left me free to admire the fabulous bar-end mirrors and an instrument panel which is a little beauty of classical form and contemporary function – small and circular, but with all the info you need, including which of the three modes you’re in, Rain, Road or Sport.

Although it’s a compact bike, with a low seat and mid-mounted pegs, it proved entirely comfortable for a spirited morning’s ride even for your average normal 6ft 7ins gentleman motorcyclist.

The engine’s 89bhp means it can be limited to 47bhp for A2 licence holders, and while it’s not as much as the 121bhp of the Sportster S, it’s more than the piffling 51bhp of the previous Sportster 883 and 67bhp of the Sportster 1200.

And it’s a peach. With 89bhp propelling 220kg of bike towards the horizon, progress even in Road mode is satisfyingly lusty, accompanied by a deliciously visceral snarl from the exhaust to remind you, if you need reminding, that a V-twin is probably the most satisfying sound in the motorcycling world.

But the best bit is yet to come. The fuel tank isn’t a fuel tank, but houses the airbox. The fuel is actually below the seat in an 11.7-litre tank which Harley claims gives a range of 148 miles, although I suspect enthusiastic riders will get 120 or fewer.

With a centre of gravity lower than a dachshund’s undercarriage, handling is gloriously light and agile, while Sport mode made acceleration even more enthusiastic, although at the expense of slightly snatchy fuelling at low revs.

All in all, this is a superb bike, a joy to ride and a fitting birthday present from Harley to the motorcycling world on the model’s 65th anniversary.