Harley-Davidson Sportster Seventy-Two (2012 - present) review

A beautiful thing to just look at and clean as it ticks and pings itself cool in your garage. London Hipsters take note
Stylish, unintimidating, cheap (for a Harley)
Riding position not easy on the butt

The Sportster is the Ducati Monster of the H-D family – entry level. Although you can trace the Sportster’s roots back to the 1952 Model K (the first unit-construcion Harley) it was the 1957 XL with its overhead valves that started the Sportster family tree for real.

Now THAT, is a long production run; for even though the engine has evolved over the years it’s still pretty much the same dimensions and layout as the 1957 original. And talk about versatile, it’s been successfully used for flat track racing and road racing, spawned the first Buells and has been a corner stone of the Hog family for nearly fifty years.

This, the 72, is the latest edition to the sporty saga and it takes its styling cues from the late 60's, early 70's West Coast choppers with ape hangers, forward controls, a super-skinny front end with a 21in front wheel and a peanut tank. In the flesh it looks more like something out of a custom builder’s shed than a Milwaukee production line. Purdy.

Read more: http://www.visordown.com/road-tests-first-rides/first-ride-harley-davidson-sportster-72/20038.html#ixzz2CrsIp3Wj

The Sportster is the Ducati Monster of the H-D family – entry level. Although you can trace the Sportster’s roots back to the 1952 Model K (the first unit-construcion Harley) it was the 1957 XL with its overhead valves that started the Sportster family tree for real.

Now THAT, is a long production run; for even though the engine has evolved over the years it’s still pretty much the same dimensions and layout as the 1957 original. And talk about versatile, it’s been successfully used for flat track racing and road racing, spawned the first Buells and has been a corner stone of the Hog family for nearly fifty years.

This, the 72, is the latest edition to the sporty saga and it takes its styling cues from the late 60's, early 70's West Coast choppers with ape hangers, forward controls, a super-skinny front end with a 21in front wheel and a peanut tank. In the flesh it looks more like something out of a custom builder’s shed than a Milwaukee production line. Purdy.

Read more: http://www.visordown.com/road-tests-first-rides/first-ride-harley-davidson-sportster-72/20038.html#ixzz2CrsIp3Wj