“…LESS VIBRATION AND LESS INERTIA OFTEN MAKE FOR A MORE RELAXED RIDE”
The Nightster might just be all you need in a motorcycle: a pair of wheels, handlebars, V-twin motor, brakes, seat and an American soul. It’s the second liquid-cooled machine released in Harley’s Sport category, but it’s not a Sportster: that name has been reserved for the 1200cc, fat-tyred, single-shock machine released in 2021.
But I reckon the Nightster is closer in design, style and performance to the Sportsters of old. Its smaller engine will still smoke any air-cooled Sportster, the 19-inch front wheel is more traditional than the 16s on the Sportster S, and the conventional forks and twin shocks… they look right.
And from the perspective of someone looking to customise, the Nightster platform looks to have a lot less roadblocks than the Sportster S.
Being three grand cheaper than its sibling doesn’t hurt, either.
THE ENGINE
This is the third Harley with the Revolution Max engine, but this one (known as the 975T) is smaller displacement at 975cc. It’s heavily over square at 97 × 66mm, which is why it’ll rev hard if you let it. Both bore and stroke are reduced compared to the 1250 engine, which goes partly to explaining why it feel so similar, although
