Why the 2022 Harley Davidson Sportster S Is The Best Sportster Yet

Harley-Davidson entered a new era with the introduction of the liquid-cooled Revolution Max engine. First seen in the Pan America adventure bike, its second application was in the brand new Sportster S model, finally replacing the original Sportster that has been in production since 1957.

The Original

Harley Davidson introduced the Sportster in 1957 as a light and compact sports-cruiser model. Before the Sportster was the Model K, which made use of a flathead, side valve engine of 750cc, designed to compete with British manufacturers such as Triumph, Norton, and BSA, which were extremely successful in the U.S. flat track racing.

The 1957 Sportster used most of the chassis and suspension components of the Model K, but added an overhead valve version of the engine, a 45° V-twin built-in unit with the gearbox. The original Sportster engine was called the Ironhead and displaced either 883cc or 1000cc. This engine ran until 1985, when it was replaced for the 1986 model year with the Evolution version of the engine, which featured aluminum cylinder blocks and cylinder heads.

By 2000, the engine was unable to meet European emissions regulations so the Sportster was dropped in that territory and others around the world. The new Sportster S featured only the third new engine in the Sportster’s history.

Enter the Sportster S

In 2021, Harley Davidson revealed the new Revolution Max engine, a 60° V-twin displacing 1247cc, featuring water-cooling and producing around 150 horsepower. It was first fitted into the Pan America adventure bike but soon found a second home in the new Sportster S, released late in 2021. For this application, Harley Davidson reduced the horsepower of the Revolution Max 1250T version of the engine to 125 horsepower but concentrated on improving the torque curve.

Harley Davidson claims 94 pound-feet of torque available from very low revs all the way up to the 9,000rpm redline. Crankshaft counter-balance shafts keep things running smoothly and variable valve timing contributes to the broad spread of power. Compared to the version in the Pan America, the Sportster S’s engine features new pistons, cylinder head, velocity stacks, and intakes to increase the torque figure and delivery.

They fitted the engine as a stressed member of an entirely new chassis, featuring fully adjustable inverted forks and a monoshock rear, giving a soft tail look to the low-slung model. The electronics suite also brings the Sportster S bang up to date.

Where’s the Traditional Harley Sound?

Perhaps sadly, the traditional ‘potato-potato’ exhaust note of Harley Davidson has disappeared with the Revolution Max engine. While this might be a disappointment to many, no one can argue that the sound of the Revolution Max engine is not distinctive. It has a raspy and aggressive note courtesy of the flat track-inspired high-mounted mufflers, that strangle as little of the sound as possible. Luckily, the exhaust headers that run along the right-hand side of the engine don’t throw off too much heat onto the rider’s leg.

New Gearbox and Clutch

Regular riders of Harley-Davidsons will know that the gearboxes have never been slick or silent in operation: they’ve always had a hard, chunky, mechanical feel to them which has matched the personality of the bikes better than you might think.

With the new engine, however, comes a brand new, six-speed gearbox operating through an assist- and slipper-clutch for a whole new level of refinement. The throw of the lever is still quite long but the clutch is smooth and light and the gears click through with a solid feel, matching the performance of the engine.

The Electronics

The words ‘Harley Davidson’ and ‘electronics’ might seem like odd bedfellows but, with the new Revolution Max engine, that perception is properly challenged.

The electronics suite on the new Sportster S is unlike anything you’ve ever seen on a Sportster (or any other Harley, for that matter, with the exception of the Pan America).

There is an Internal Measurement Unit (IMU) controlling the lean-sensitive ABS and traction control and wheelie control (on a long and low-slung cruiser? Yes!) There’s a tire pressure monitoring system and no fewer than five rider modes, from Rain, Road, and Sport (preset) and two rider-customizable modes. In sport mode, the Sportster S feels like no Harley Davidson has ever felt, with a sharp, snappy throttle response that, thankfully, the chassis can handle perfectly.

Where’s the Chassis?

It was Philip Vincent, creator of the iconic Vincent v-twin motorcycles in the 1940s and ‘50s, who said, ‘‘What isn’t present takes up no space, cannot bend, and weighs nothing - so eliminate the frame tubes." Thus, the Vincent v-twin engine was a load-bearing element of the chassis of the motorcycle.

Harley Davidson has gone the same route for the Sportster S, with the Revolution Max engine being a stressed member of the chassis. The headstock and rear suspension assemblies are bolted directly to the engine which gives a much stiffer chassis and impressive weight savings - Harley claims as much as 60 pounds weight saved over the old Sportster’s frame. That’s a lot.

This all gives advantages in how the bike handles, steers, accelerates, and brakes, which is nothing sort of night and day over the old Sporty.

Suspension by Showa

Showa suspension has been used front and rear: inverted forks at the front and a monoshock at the rear. Both ends are manually adjustable for compression and rebound and cope with road irregularities brilliantly, as well as providing excellent behavior in the corners.

The rear suspension has only two inches of travel which can be a bit compromising, especially if the rider is on the heavy side and bumps can be transmitted to the rider’s spine, especially with the foot-forward riding position and thin seat padding.

But, make no mistake, this is the best-handling Sportster ever built.

Brembo Handles the Braking

Harley really has gone all-out on the Sportster S, equipping it not only with Showa suspension but also Brembo brakes - the best in the world.

There might still be only a single front disc, but the four-piston caliper grips the 320mm disc with enough strength to give safe and reassuring retardation. Even better, there is so much feel at the lever compared to the wooden items used on many Harleys.

As with many long-wheelbase cruisers, the rear brake gives a braking effort out of all proportion to its size meaning that the Sportster S not only goes better than any Sportster before it, but stops better than almost any Harley you’d care to mention, with the now-normal exception of the Pan America.

Full-Colour TFT Dash

Harley Davidson instruments vary from the impressive, such as on the large and faired touring models, to the ridiculous, as on the 2019 FXDR, which trumpeted its two-inch LCD display mounted on the handlebar riser clamp and was barely visible with a magnifying glass!

The Sportster S breaks new ground in having a single, circular, full-color TFT dash, which manages to be both stylishly simple and functional at the same time. It has all the information you need set out in a clear manner. You can also connect your smartphone via Bluetooth enabling you to access the phone, music, and navigation.

Talk about Harley Davidson being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century!

The Revolution Is Complete

The Harley Davidson Sportster S is the sign, if any were needed, that the company can successfully bring its model line-up bang up to date without losing any of the essences that makes a Harley, a Harley.

The Sportster S brings new levels of performance and handling to the company and, even though the engine is completely new and has only the configuration in common with H-D engines of the past, it is still unmistakably a Harley Davidson v-twin.

With prices starting at $15,499, that means you can buy into the future of Harley Davidson for not that much more than it took to swing your leg over a 2021 Sportster Iron 1200, which would have set you back $9,999. Okay, so that’s

$5,000 less but, with the Sportster S, you are getting an awful lot more than $5,000-worth of difference.