Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1396232
RIDE REVIEW I 2021 HARLEY-DAVIDSON SPORTSTER S P92 Initial throttle response, if you're used to traditional Harley-David- sons, feels almost Japanese in its precision. The clunky early throttle openings that almost became a Harley trademark in the past is now firmly in the rear view, and the way the variable valve tim- ing system smoothly shifts the motor's behavior from low to high rpm is impressive. The system adjusts valve timing independently for each exhaust and intake pair of valves, meaning cylinders one and two are treated separately as are intake and exhaust circuits. Depending on ride-mode selec- tion or other settings, the bike will adjust power delivery via valve timing. You don't go hunting revs on the Sportster. It's best to keep them below 5000 and play with the torque, allowing the motor to use the most of the tall gearing in first and second to get the best performance. Due to the forward mount controls, the gearshift is not as precise as I'd have liked when the shift lever is in the standard position. It's very high with lots of fore/aft play, so unless you've got big feet (like, above size 12), you'll find neutral an annoying number of times when cruising at low speed and shifting from first to second, although moving the shift lever down will largely fix this. Bring your tools because it's not a fast job to do this. The gearbox itself is a remark- able improvement over Harley's past. It's much smoother, lighter and more precise than any Harley I've every ridden and you won't get that massive clunk! when selecting first gear anymore. It's a bummer Harley doesn't offer a quickshifter with this bike, a small thing that would really push it into the "now" and differentiate it further from the last 64 years of Sportster history. Taking hints from their flat track program, Harley has fitted the Sportster with two massive ex- haust pipes that exit out the right side. Considering their size, they are extremely quiet, but they're (Clockwise from above) Sunken headlight between the forks is reminiscent of the Fat Bob line. Typical minimalist dash does the job and has a surprisingly large array of features in it. The pipe. A talking point. It looks great, but the heat coming from the combination of it and the rear cylinder heat is obnoxious on warm California days. Hand knob for preload adjustment is a welcome feature.