07 Harley Nightster 1200
Back when a "big" motorcycle was a leaky 650 cc British vertical twin, Harley-Davidson's Sportster kicked butt and took names with 883 cc worth of rompin' stompin' genuine American thoroughbred horsepower. Real men rode Sportsters.
Over the years, the Sportster got soft – it lost that "in your face" attitude and went from Fonzie to Pottsie. Current Sportsters are nice, sedate "entry level" Harley-Davidsons, but the 2007 Nightster is designed to reclaim some of the original Badass Mystique.
The Nightster may not go head-to-head with the latest superbikes but the retro, chopped minimalist styling makes it way cooler than most of the metric challengers.
Looking at the Nightster, I'm immediately reminded of the choppers ridden by Marlon Brando and Lee Marvin in the classic biker movie, The Wild One. In stark contrast to most Harleys, the Nightster has very little chrome, most of it being found on the staggered, slash-cut exhausts and wheel spokes. The air cleaner housing, engine cases, hubs, shocks, handlebars, levers, switchgear and belt guard (all normally brightly chromed on Harleys) are painted in various shades of black and dark grey.
When you ride the Nightster, you ride alone as the seat accommodates only one pair of buttocks and there are no provisions for passenger pegs. And, if you think the bike's illegal because there appears to be no taillight, the two LED turn signals with red lenses do triple-duty as brake lights, taillights and signals.
The licence plate is mounted on a hinged bracket on the port side of the chopped rear fender that lets the plate fold flat against the fender stay. It's possible that, um, under certain conditions, the plate might "accidentally" get knocked back, which might make it difficult for certain cameras to record the plate number just prior to entering and leaving certain electronic toll roads.
The Nightster gets the 1200 cc fuel-injected Sportster engine and it's a beauty. The rubber engine mounts allow it to shake in the frame at idle, but unwanted vibes don't reach the rider. The motor revs freely, is strong right off idle and the throttle response is spot on, all through the rev range.
The five-speed transmission shifts positively, if not lightly, and the cable-operated clutch requires a relatively hefty pull. The single front disc is a bit weak and a firm pull has the lever almost bottoming out on the throttle grip. Quick stops will require a large dose of rear pedal as well.
Seat height is a worm-scraping 642 mm (25.2 inches) and the suspension has been further trimmed to complete the chopped look.
Boasting only 99 mm (3.9 inches) of ground clearance (which caused the Nightster to scrape bottom on some speed bumps), the slammed, low-rider appearance has its price, which comes in the form of very little suspension travel.
The front has 76 mm (3.1 inches) while the twin-shock rear has a paltry 61 mm (2.4 inches), most of which is taken up by the rider sitting on the bike. The result is a ride that's downright harsh unless the road is billiard-table smooth. But if you want a motorcycle with these looks and attitude – just grit your teeth and suck it up, dude.
Handling is actually pretty good and the steering quicker than the raked-out front end would suggest. Once into a corner, it holds a line fairly well, but the low-rider stance has the extra long footpeg feelers scraping virtually everywhere, even at modest lean angles.
The rear shocks are adjustable for preload only and, when I jacked them up to try and increase ground clearance, the ride went from harsh to brutal. I returned them to "full soft" and tried to be a little mellower in the turns.
Fuel economy is fairly good at 5.7 L/100 km, but the 12.5 litre fuel tank means frequent stops to fill up. Given the Nightster's comfort level, owners will be ready for a break by then anyway.
This motorcycle wasn't made for riders of my (6-foot 4-inch) size or experience, but for smaller riders, perhaps women riders or those who prefer minimalist styling with maximum attitude, the lightweight Nightster might be right up their alley.
Source: https://www.wheels.ca/car-reviews/2007-harley-davidson-xl1200n-nightster/
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