WIDE APPEAL
Motoring World|June 2023
A sporty Harley sounds like an oxymoron. The Nightster disagrees
Anubhav Sharma
WIDE APPEAL

Legacy, tradition and heritage are strong words in the Harley-Davidson world. That’s not surprising when you are a 120-year-old company. Over the years, Harley has built itself quite a reputation with its big V-twins, leather-clad riders and its distinct ‘potato-potato’ sound. Success brings along competition and many have tried to unseat Harley from its haloed position. Some have succeeded, while most have just copied, or been inspired, if you will. Times are changing, though, and younger generations, especially in India, do not always want a big, heavy motorcycle for their Sunday morning chai run. Harley is moving with the times and the Nightster is a step in that direction.

Folklore (blogs on the Internet) tells me the Sportster family was launched in the ‘50s to counter the sporty café racers from British marques. The Nightster is obviously not the first attempt, with the Iron 883 being the most recent., but what makes the Nightster special and important is the new Revolution Max 975T engine. You may feel it lacks presence, but that’s just down to the Nightster not being that photogenic — but it gets the same attention on the road as any Harley would.

This story is from the June 2023 edition of Motoring World.

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This story is from the June 2023 edition of Motoring World.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.