Life Begins at 60
One of my all-time favourites is turning 60 and I’m in the mood to celebrate! The Harley- Davidson Sportster was released in 1957 as a lightweight sports model to take on the British parallel twins, and has never been out of production. In a sea of modern bikes pretending to look old, a brand-new Sportster is the real McCoy.
The Sportster can trace its lineage directly to the famous 750cc WLAs that mobilised the US infantry during WWII and countless outlaw motorcycle gangs in the years afterward. Like many side-valve Harleys, WLAs ran four gear-driven single-lobe camshafts (one for each valve) which were retained when the WL was modernised with unit construction and a swingarm chassis — both firsts for Harley — in 1952 and renamed the Model K. Overhead valves came in 1957 and with them the new moniker.
This story is from the April 2017 edition of Australian Road Rider.
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This story is from the April 2017 edition of Australian Road Rider.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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