Harley-Davidson Sportster Models: Past, Present and Future (1957-2023)

The Sportster is presently included by Harley in a category called Sport, together with its two Nightster siblings. It's one of the freshest bikes in the bike maker portfolio, but one that has a past richer than pretty much everything else Harley sells today.

The Sportster bloodline was born in 1957, and that makes it not only one of the oldest Harleys still in production but one of the oldest bikes of any kind still in production. It came about as the Americans were experiencing a flood of well-built European bikes, and they needed something local to fight them off.

That's probably why the bike still is the least-Harley-in-appearance two-wheeler in the company's portfolio. But despite this, it's also one of the most successful lines of such machines ever made, thus more than worthy of a much closer look at what it is all about.

Historically speaking the Harley-Davidson Sportster was produced in two major series over the decades, each with a multitude of models. Some of these models have been so successful that they even got distinct names. Let's break them down.

The K Series

• Weight: 399 pounds (181 kg)
• Power: 40 hp
• Fuel tank size: 4.5 gallons (17 liters)
• Fuel delivery: Carburetor
• Mileage: 40 mpg (5.8 liters/100 km)
• Oil capacity: 2.9 quarts (2.8 liters)
• Top speed: 80 mph (129 kph)
• Price $865 in 1952 ($9,800 today)

The Sportster saga began in 1952, when the family's forefather, the K Series, was introduced. That was the first Harley meant for civilian customers to use a new suspension system for both wheels, in the form of hydraulic shock absorbers.

Derived from the W series, the bike came with the same kind of 45ci flathead engine tied to a 4-speed transmission.

The range was on the market only briefly, until 1956, but branched into three distinct models: the K (with the KK subvariant), the KR (used only for racing purposes), and the KH (with the KHK subvariant).

The Model K and KK were powered, just like the KR, by a 750cc side valve engine, whereas the KH and KHK used a slightly larger, 888cc engine.

The Ironhead XL Series

• Weight: 495 pounds (225 kg)
• Power: 40 hp
• Fuel tank size: 4.4 gallons (16 liters)
• Fuel delivery: Carburetor
• Mileage: 50 mpg (4.7 liters/ 100 km)
• Oil capacity: 3 quarts (2.8 liters)
• Top speed: 100 mph (162 kph)
• Price: $1,100 in 1957 ($12,200 today)

The first true Sportster, at least in the sense we know it today, came about in 1957, when a bike called XL was released. Because of its name, the entire subsequent family, which includes a wide range of distinct models, took on the XL series name. The most famous members of this family include the XL, XLCH, XR750, XLCR, XR-1000, XLR, and XLS Roadster.

Although the range borrowed a lot from the preceding K Series, meaning things like the frame, fuel tank, suspension system, and even the fenders, it came with a new kind of engine to the party: the K's side valve unit was replaced by the mighty Ironhead.

Named so because it had cylinder heads made from iron instead of aluminum, it came in a two-cylinder V-twin configuration as well. It was capable of developing significantly more power than the previous unit, namely 40 hp, allowing the bikes to reach top speeds of as much as 100 mph (161 kph).

The engine was so appreciated by customers (and Harley, for that matter) that it powered all Sportster models made until 1986. That's a total of 29 years on the market and an amazing feat, no matter how you look at it.

During all this time the Ironhead was significantly upgraded only once, in 1972, when the engine's standard displacement, 54ci, was taken a bit higher, to 61ci.

As for what-bike-came-when in the XL Series, the namesake model was in production between 1957 and 1985. In 1958 the XLCH came into the spotlight, but this one was discontinued a bit earlier, in 1971. That's because it used a kick-start system, and that disappeared when electric start was introduced.

The XLR was meant for racing, more specifically as a tool meant to allow Harley's entry in the AMA Grand National TT series. This bike was made from 1958 to 1969, but not all that many of them were assembled, considering what they were meant for.

The XLCR café racer came about in 1977, but this one was such a niche machine that it was pulled from production just two years later, and after a run of just about 3,000 units.

The XR-1000 was next. Made for just two years, in 1983 and 1984, it came solely with the 61ci engine and packed engine hardware borrowed from the XR750 racing version. The bike was street-legal, making it quite a hot presence on the road.

The XLS Roadster, made from 1979 to 1985, was meant to take the Sportster range into the sport touring segment.

Perhaps the most important of all Ironhead XLs is the XR750. Like its name says, it had a differently sized engine in its frame, a 750cc one (46ci), and quickly became the dominant force in the AMA Grand National Championships.

It's a bike made famous by daredevil Evel Knievel, who rode one of these babies between 1970 and 1976. On its back, the Motorcycle Hall of Fame American set the world record for jumping over no less than 19 cars.

The Evolution XL Series

In 1986, Harley-Davidson made a major switch in the kind of engines it used for Sportsters and introduced the then-just-two-year-old Evolution to the range. Also a V-Twin by design, it was used across other Harley families as well.

For the Sportster range it initially came in two sizes, 54ci or 67ci, but a 73ci version was added just a year later. Just like all the engines before it, it worked with a 4-speed transmission, but that changed in 1991 when a 5-speed was introduced.

Just like the Ironhead before it, the unit proved highly successful and was kept in production in various variants up until 2021, when the present-day Sportster S rocking the Revolution Max in its frame was introduced.

The most notable members of this family of Sporsters are the XL1200C (born in 1996), and the higher-performance XL1200S (from 1998).

It was from the 2000s that the Evolution-powered Sportster XLS started to really grow. That year, the first major frame redesign in years came, bringing with it rubber mounts, an enclosed battery, and a new oil tank.

In 2007 Harley dropped carburation from all existing Sportsters, offering only fuel-injected bikes of this type from that point onward. Seven years after that, in 2014, upgrades of a more techy nature were performed, as the Sportsters receive stuff like keyless ignition and ABS.

Revolution Max Sportsters

In the summer of 2021 Harley-Davidson brought back the Sportster after a brief absence from the market with the launch of the Sportster S. The model not only put an end to all previous machines of this kind, but also to the technologies that they used.

At the core of the new range sits the Revolution Max engine, the one that debuted a few months prior on the Pan America. The unit too is a V-twin, and it will eventually be made to include sizes from 30ci to 76ci.

In its initial configuration deployed on the S, the engine developed slightly less power than on the Pan America, despite being the same size (121 hp vs 150 hp).

As said earlier, the Sportster range is a highly successful one, and spawned over the decades well over 40 motorcycle models and submodels. Many of them had only minor changes compared to the bike they were based on, but others were so different that they got their own spots in the motorcycling history books: Nightster, Forty-Eight, Seventy-Two, Iron 883, and of course the Sportster S.

Harley-Davidson Nightster

• Weight: 545 pounds (247 kg)
• Power: 57 hp
• Fuel tank size: 3.3 gallons (12 liters)
• Fuel delivery: Injection
• Mileage: 43 mpg (5.4 liters/100 km)
• Oil capacity: 3.5 quarts (3.3 liters)
• Top speed: 110 mph (177 mph)
• Price: $9,500 in 2007 ($14,300 today)

Back in 2007, at the time when the Sportster range got fuel injection across the board, the Nightster was born. Internally called XL1200N, it brought to the table a lot of novelties, including in terms of styling (especially at the rear, where it got a bobbed rear fender and side license plate holder). It quickly caught on, and aside from the Sportster itself it is the only legacy model to be offered in the range today.

The original version was discontinued in 2012, but Harley brought the name back not long ago and is selling the present-day model in two variants, Nightster and Nightster Special. Both are powered by the Revolution Max 975T engine capable of developing 90 hp and 70 ft-lb of torque in both applications.

What sets the two models apart are minor elements, like the presence of the headlight cowl and side license holder on the Special and their absence from the standard version. Some color changes and different wheels also help tell who's who.

Pricewise the two models are not that far apart. The standard version starts at $13,499, while the Special at $14,999.

Harley-Davidson Iron

• Weight: 548 pounds (249 kg)
• Power: 49 hp
• Fuel tank size: 3.3 gallons (12.5 liters)
• Fuel delivery: Injection
• Mileage: 50 mpg (4.7 liters/100 km)
• Oil capacity: 4 quarts (3.7 liters)
• Top speed: 100 mph (160 kph)
• Price: $7,900 in 2009 ($11,400 today)

Seemingly named as a throwback to the Ironhead engine that powered the range for so long, the Iron came about in 2009 as somewhat of a toned-down version of the Nightster. Whereas the parent model sported the 1200cc (73ci) engine in the frame, the Iron rocked an 883cc (54ci).

As usual, Harley didn't resist temptation, and soon after it introduced the Iron powered by the 1200cc engine, essentially making the Nightster all over again, with small differences: blacked-out engines, cast wheels, and narrower handlebars.

To differentiate the two, the bikes were named in honor of their engines, going as either Iron 883 or Iron 1200. Perhaps more than the Nightster they were derived from, they became favorites of the custom industry, which rolled out scores of them in modified form over the years.

Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight

• Weight: 560 pounds (254 kg)
• Power: 61 hp
• Fuel tank size: 2 gallons (7.5 liters)
• Fuel delivery: Injection
• Mileage: 38 mpg (6 liters/100 km)
• Oil capacity: 2.7 quarts (2.6 liters)
• Top speed: 110 mph (177 kph)
• Price: $10,500 in 2010 ($14,800 today)

The Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight is another successful and well-known derivation of the Nightster. It first surfaced in the form that our generation knows it in 2010 as the XL1200X, and it aimed to appeal to riders in the market for a dark two-wheeler with classic styling.

Technically speaking though the model has its roots firmly set in a motorcycle of the late 1940s, 1948 to be more precise. It was then that the bike maker introduced the peanut-style fuel tank. The Forty-Eight uses the same design, hence the commercial nickname it was given.

Aside from the fuel tank, the ride set itself apart thanks to the wire wheels it rode on, the rather wide front tire, and the chopped front fender. It also rode low to the ground, and that made it one of the favorite rides for customization work for shops around the world.

Harley-Davidson Seventy-Two

• Weight: 545 pounds (247 kg)
• Power: 70 hp
• Fuel tank size: 2 gallons (7.5 liters)
• Fuel delivery: Injection
• Mileage: 48 mpg (4.9 liters/100 km)
• Oil capacity: 2.8 quarts (2.6 liters)
• Top speed: 100 mph (160 kph)
• Price: $10,500 in 2010 ($14,800 today)

Between 2012 and 2016 the Sportster range was empowered with the launch of something called the Seventy-Two. Of all the styles these bikes embraced over the years, that of the Seventy-Two is the most appealing, especially for those who look for a bike that screams custom right from the factory floor.

This model was designed from the get-go to be reminiscent of the choppers and bobbers of the 1970s. Named after Whittier Boulevard in Southern California (aka Highway 72), it brought into the world the same peanut tank as the Forty-Eight, wire wheels with whitewall tires, and a longer front fork to give it that unmistakable chopper look.

Harley-Davidson Sportster S

• Weight: 487 pounds (221 kg)
• Power: 121 hp
• Fuel tank size: 3.1 gallons (11.7 liters)
• Fuel delivery: Injection
• Mileage: 48 mpg (4.4 liters/100 km)
• Oil capacity: 4.7 quarts (4.4 liters)
• Top speed: 137 mph (220 kph)
• Price: $16,399

The undisputed king of the Sportster range in our day and time is the Sportster S, brought into the spotlight back in 2021, at a time when no such bike was available.

It is perhaps the most aggressively styled bike of its kind ever made – that feeling is in no small part owed to the design, with fat tires wrapped over the stubby wheels, a short of body and rear fender, and the position and angle of the exhaust.

The most expensive of the present range, as it sells for $16,399, the bike throws into the fight the mighty Revolution Max 1250T engine rated at 121 hp and 94 ft-lb of torque.

As it stands, the recently revived Sportster range has all the chances of once again becoming one of the pillars of the Harley business not only in the U.S., but globally as well. Continuing the tradition of the models that came before them, the Sportsters and Nightsters of today are just beginning to be recognized by the custom industry as worthy base models for insane manifestations of ideas.

Together with the Softail bikes, Sportsters have always been favorites of the custom world, and a story about them would not be complete without a closer look at some of the most extreme conversions made over the years.

Harley-Davidson Blackbird

Based on a 2016 Sportster Forty-Eight, the Blackbird is the work of Polish custom garage Nine Hills. It's an all-black apparition that is more than proof of how aggressive these conversions can get in the right hands.

The bike sports the usual changes made to stock Harleys, meaning mostly visual ones – a new fuel tank up top, custom seat, modified fairing, and one-off fenders. The engine remains the one Harley originally fitted in there six years ago.

The bike is perhaps the only one of its kind in the world to have been inspired by a chase boat. Built by Scandinavian company Windy, the source of inspiration is called SR52 Blackbird and it was first shown during the Cannes Yachting Festival in 2010. It was named best chase boat in the world by Superyacht Magazine in 2015.

Harley-Davidson Draker

The work of Spanish garage Lord Drake, the Draker is a custom Sportster of the new variety, the one introduced in 2021. As per the shop's own account, it is one of the first Sportster S bikes to be fitted with a 240 mm wide rear tire over a custom, spoked rim.

The bike was the recipient of the usual visual changes consisting of the addition of a new seat, hand-built license plate holder over the rear wheel, and new handlebar, fenders, and LED turn signals.

The engine is the stock one, but it breathes through a custom exhaust system, and stopping power is handled by aftermarket gear.

The bike is one of the most in-your-face custom Sportsters out there thanks to the vivid color combination of white, black, and orange.

Harley-Davidson Saalbach

An Iron 883 by birth, the Saalbach is a custom project handled by German custom shop Kodlin. It was made as a special order bike for the Austrian guys who put together each year, in the Austrian Alps, a two-wheeled meet called Biker Mania.

The build was inspired by racing, and that's made clear not only by the paint scheme and markings, but also by the aftermarket hardware that went into it. The original wheels were replaced by Roland Sands Design ones, the stock engine breathes through a custom exhaust system, and a new seat is there to support the rider.

Harley-Davidson Orange Bullet

Also a new Sportster S by trade, the Orange Bullet is the result of work conducted over in Lithuania by a garage named Killer Custom. It's also perfect proof that even cheap conversions of Sportsters can result in dramatic effects.

Generally speaking Killer Custom does not venture into modifying too much of the original bike, and the same happened in the case of the Orange Bullet.

We only get as aftermarket pieces the covers, a new front fender, and a new fairing over the headlight. Those small elements are backed by an amazing paint scheme in orange, gray, and black.

All the changes made to the Sportster amount to just $1,900 worth of custom bits, making the ride one of the most affordable customs we've ever come across.

Harley-Davidson SPS 3

Thunderbike is one of Europe's largest Harley-Davidson customizers, and their experience in the field is more than visible on the SPS 3, a Sportster S conversion that makes you believe you're looking at a two-wheeled Bumblebee.

The modifications made to the machine are as usual extensive, and include everything from the fitting of in-house made wheels wrapped in Metzeler Marathon tires to the Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde exhaust system slapped over the stock engine of the bike.

All the extras brought forth by Thunderbike are worth a combined $9,600. That's a lot more than the Orange Bullet, but still affordable enough to keep Sportster owners dreaming.

In fact, it's this bike family's rather small price, and the ease with which it can be customized, that makes Sportsters such hits.

The fact that the breed is considered both a suitable beginner's bike, and a two-wheeler for those capable of properly enjoying rides also helps the breed stay relevant, no matter what else happens in the world.

At the time of writing we know of no other Sportster model being cooked up in the Harley-Davidson labs, but if we're sure of anything is that sometime in the future a new model will be launched, and the Sportsters will still be around. Who knows, maybe for long enough for them to turn 100.