The new Nightster is the first Harley-Davidson motorcycle to feature the brand’s 975cc liquid-cooled V-Twin. This engine was first shown off in the Bronx street naked concept, but that model has been shelved. Performance wise, this 60-degree V-twin produces 90hp at 7,500rpm and 95Nm at 5,750rpm. Like its bigger 1,250cc sibling from the Sportster S and Pan America, this DOHC engine also has a variable valve timing system, but here, it only works on the intake valves whereas the bigger engine has it on the exhaust valves as well.
The chassis is a similar steel tubular unit that we’ve seen in the Sportster S and it uses the engine as a stressed member. This new design layout allows Harley to make significant weight savings and the Nightster weighs in at 218kg, which is massively lighter than the previous gen air-cooled bikes from the Sportster family.
The 2022 Harley-Davidson Nightster has a low 705mm seat height and it comes with a 19-inch front wheel and has tyres that are slimmer than the Sportster S. Ground clearance isn’t quoted, but hopefully it will be better than the Sportster S’ meagre 93mm.
Suspension is handled by a 41mm Showa telescopic fork and twin shock absorbers, in contrast to the 43mm USD fork on the Sportster. The brakes are also simpler, with a 320mm front disc and an axially mounted four-piston caliper whereas the Sportster gets a radially-mounted caliper. What’s similar to the Sportster is the slim 11.7-litre fuel tank.
The Harley-Davidson Nighster also gets full LED lighting and a host of electronic rider assists.
The Nightster S presents itself as a more affordable and practical alternative to the strictly single seater Sportster S. The bike will launch in India in the coming months and we expect the ex-showroom price to be somewhere in the Rs 14.5 lakh-15 lakh range.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
