WHAT’S NEW, OLD SPORT?
In 1957 the Asian flu spread across the world causing a global pandemic, the USSR launched the Sputnik satellite into space, and Elvis Presley was ‘All Shook Up’ at the top of the charts. Meanwhile, in Milwaukee, serious men in three-quarter lab coats finished tinkering with the first Harley-Davidson Sportster, the 1957 XL.
Fast-forward to 2021 and we have another pandemic on our hands, LOL is a better-known acronym than the USSR, Elvis has left the building, and Harley has just launched a brand new Sportster S. And it really is new in pretty much everything but the name.
How did we get here?
The Sportster nameplate has stood the test of time longer than most in the industry. Since the first Sportster was unveiled in 1957, the concept has evolved, and we have seen a host of machines under the Sportster banner, including racing variants such as the 1970 XR750 flat tracker and 1972 XR750TT road racer.
The heart of any Harley is the V-twin powerplant, and in 1986 the Ironhead engine was retired as the new Evolution engine was introduced. The Evolution chapter ended last year as the curtains were drawn for the Sportster’s air-cooled V-twin when Euro5 emissions regulations made it impossible for it to chug-chug-chug along any
