New Harley-Davidson Roadster Joins the Sportster Family

Harley-Davidson has introduced a new motorcycle in its Sportster family - the Roadster, which is launched in the US at a starting price of $11,199 (approx INR 7.42 lakh). 

The American leisure motorcycle manufacturer, Harley-Davidson, has always been appreciated for its comfortable machines with a roaring V-twin. Retaining all these characteristics, the company has introduced a new motorcycle that is styled to dominate the roads and it has been christened the Roadster. Inspired by the popular Forty-Eight model, the new bike joins the Sportster range and is priced close to its sibling at $11,199 (approx INR 7.42 lakh).

Retaining the chassis from the Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight, the Roadster gets some major upgrades like the 43mm inverted front forks with cartridge damping, low-rise handlebar with massive new triple clamps, rear-set footpegs, new offset-split 5-spoke alloy wheels and improved braking system. The bike runs on 19" front and 18" rear wheels with 120/70 and 150/70 section tyres, respectively. The new braking system gets dual 300mm disc up front and a 260mm disc at the rear, and it all comes with a twin-piston caliper. 

The bodywork of the Roadster is also majorly borrowed from the Forty-Eight. However, it is styled more aggressively. Both the front and the rear fenders have been chopped to provide it a minimalistic design, like a naked custom machine. The bike also gets a low-set headlamp to give it the look of a dominator and the new seat has been designed to work well with the sporty riding position. It also gets a new gauge with digital speedometer and analogue tachometer.

Talking about the new motorcycle, Brad Richards, director of styling, Harley-Davidson, said, “Since its introduction in 1957, the Harley-Davidson Sportster has proved capable of constant reinvention, and the Roadster writes a new chapter in that story. We’ve watched our customers take the Sportster in so many different directions. The Roadster is a mash-up of styling genres, but the intent was to build a rider’s motorcycle, a Sportster that’s lean and powerful and connects the rider to the road.”

Powering the bike is the same reliable 1,200cc Evolution engine that powers the Forty-Eight and 1200 Custom in India. The air-cooled, V-twin motor has been blacked out to complement the overall styling of the new bike. The engine has been re-tuned to deliver some extra torque and now it delivers 103Nm at 3,750rpm.

The Harley-Davidson Roadster will probably be launched soon in India as well. As the bike is priced much like the Forty-Eight in the other markets, here, we expect it to be priced around Rs. 9.4 lakh.