Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 launched at Rs 8.9 lakh

Harley-Davidson has had a dream run in India, becoming the largest selling premium motorcycle brand in just over half a decade. The American cruiser maker has been on a product offensive since it started selling motorcycles in India, launching new models each year apart from setting up assembly operations to price its motorcycles lower. Its newest launch is the Sportster 1200, a member of its Sportster family. The Sportster family was the entry point to Harley-Davidson’s product range in India prior to the launch of the affordable Street 750, with the Sportster 883 being its most affordable motorcycle.

The Sportster 1200 effectively replaces the Superlow 883, though the more affordable SuperLow and Iron 883 will continue to be sold. The Sportster 1200 thus slots in alongside the Bobber-styled Forty-Eight, which also uses the same 1202cc, air-cooled V-twin engine. The Sportster is a more classic looking motorcycle as compared to the Forty-Eight and will be a worthy option for those wanting a relatively light, traditional looking Harley with the performance of the larger 1200cc engine. As always, Harley hasn’t revealed the power output though the peak torque produced is 96Nm at 3750rpm, and the engine comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox, again the same as the Forty-Eight.

The Sportster 1200 gets lots of chrome garnishing all over in keeping with its traditional looks, though interestingly the speedometer pod on this one mounted on the handlebars unlike most other Harleys where it sits on top of the headlight. The Sportster 1200 is expected to go against the Indian Scout, though Indian Motorcycles’ sales and service network is no match currently for Harley-Davidson, who has as many as 19 dealerships across the country. 

The Sportster 1200 will be assembled in Harley-Davidson’s Bawal factory in Haryana, taking the total count of CKD models in India to eight, and the total model count to 13. The Sportster 1200 is on sale now and can be booked immediately at Harley dealerships across the nation, and is priced at Rs 8.9 lakh ex-showroom, New Delhi.