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[naitram]

New Sportster® Model Brings Brawn as Chiseled Custom with Power and Performance
MILWAUKEE (January 22, 2010) – The new Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight motorcycle is a factory custom in the legendary tradition of the hot rod Sportster line with the raw, elemental appeal of the Dark Custom™ bikes.

Riding low with a slammed suspension and featuring the classic 2.1-gallon "peanut" fuel tank, the Forty-Eight backs up its bulldog appearance with the performance of its blacked out and polished rubber-mounted Evolution® 1200 cc V-Twin engine. The low solo seat, under-mounted mirrors, side mount license plate, clean rear fender and tall and fat front tire emphasize the Forty Eight's focus on chiseled customization.

And while the Forty-Eight model may break bad when it comes to radical attitude and straight-on style, it won't break the bank starting at just $10,499 MSRP in Vivid Black.

"With its classic bulldog shoulders stance, the Forty-Eight strikes a distinctive look and low profile that could only come from Harley-Davidson," said Ray Drea, Harley-Davidson Senior Director of Styling. "The Forty-Eight model has a collective past life experience and broken-in look that is raw and authentic."

As a Harley-Davidson Dark Custom motorcycle, the Forty-Eight is ready to ride as a radical custom and also primed to take on its rider's character and personality. Dark Custom accomplices of the Forty-Eight include the Nightster®, Iron 883™, Cross Bones®, Fat Bob® and Street Bob®. Check out more on Dark Custom motorcycles at www.harley-davidson.com/darkcustom.

Harley-Davidson Sportster models like the Forty-Eight have retained an aura of rebellion since their introduction in 1957, when the foundation of custom culture was being formed by hot rod gear heads hanging out on city street corners, in gritty garages or at dusty dragstrips. Sportster motorcycles became an iron canvas for many legendary choppers of that hot rod era and beyond.

Lying low from tire-to-tire, the Forty-Eight model showcases more of its black 1200 Evolution V-Twin engine with polished accents and other components with a clean look highlighted by the traditional peanut fuel tank, small solo seat and lightening holes in the backbone mounting bracket. The Forty-Eight has more than just custom cool styling with the smooth ride on new front fork sliders, a tall and fat front tire and slammed rear suspension.

With Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI) and performance tuning with a broad torque curve, the Forty-Eight motorcycle delivers a powerfully responsive ride with smooth clutch effort. The pipes on the chrome, shorty dual exhaust pound out the distinctive Harley-Davidson American V-Twin sound.

The Forty-Eight embraces the street up front with forward foot controls, low profile custom handlebar, under-mounted mirrors, fork-mounted turn signals, slammed speedometer mounting bracket and fork brace with lightening holes. A unique dual texture solo seat with a height of 26 inches fits the lone rider, while a passenger pillion, footpegs and backrest are some of the many accessories that can be added.

The black chopped rear fender with combination stop/turn/tail lights and a side mounted license plate help show-off the 150 mm rear tire and 16-inch Black Steel Laced wheels. The front tire also rides on a wide black wheel.

The Forty-Eight model comes in Vivid Black, Brilliant Silver and Mirage Orange Pearl colors and will be available soon at Harley-Davidson dealers.

Forty-Eight features and highlights:

Blacked out rubber-mounted Evolution 1200 cc V-Twin engine with polished covers
Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
Steel 2.1-gallon peanut fuel tank with lightening hole mounting bracket
One-piece, solo Sportster classic seat
26-inch seat height
Tall and fat 130 mm Dunlop MT90 front tire
16-inch Black Steel Laced wheels
Low profile custom handlebar
Under-mounted mirrors
New front forks with wide triple clamps
Chopped front fender mounted on fork brace with lightening holes
Blacked components including air cleaner cover, clutch and brake levers and turn signals
Chopped rear fender
Stop-turn-tail lights
Side-mounted license plate
Two-year factory warranty
Optional Harley-Davidson Smart Security System
Harley-Davidson Motor Company produces heavyweight custom, cruiser and touring motorcycles and offers a complete line of Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts, accessories, riding gear and apparel, and general merchandise. For more information, visit Harley-Davidson's Web site at www.harley-davidson.com.

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[SBB]

YAWN

SBB

[VaEagle]

I agree SBB,
Sad to read about HD and the stock going down in the other thread, and now it seems HD's solution is to change the color of lipstick on the same old pig....Very expensive bar hopper (won't go far with that small tank.)
For $10,500 other brands give you lot's more features and performance not just styling.
I still like HD and hope they will some day get a system in place where we can order a bike exactly the way we want it to begin with and not need the massive parts catalog. And just my opinion, but I think HD needs to get into the lower price and higher performance ranges of the competetors to get younger riders interested in order to survive. Not spend so much money and time on cosmetics.

[49445CVO]

I agree SBB,
Sad to read about HD and the stock going down in the other thread, and now it seems HD's solution is to change the color of lipstick on the same old pig....Very expensive bar hopper (won't go far with that small tank.)
For $10,500 other brands give you lot's more features and performance not just styling.
I still like HD and hope they will some day get a system in place where we can order a bike exactly the way we want it to begin with and not need the massive parts catalog. And just my opinion, but I think HD needs to get into the lower price and higher performance ranges of the competetors to get younger riders interested in order to survive. Not spend so much money and time on cosmetics.

WELL SAID!

Topper

[grandpadoc]

OK someone help me here, 48 what ?    Doc

[49445CVO]

New sportster model

[VaEagle]

Possibly a 1948 Bobber style? That's what returning war vets did to get their WLA or other Harley to go faster, strip it down to lighten it up some.
(Or maybe they think at least 48 people will buy one)

[nidan]

a Fatboy sportster ?  Harley will have to do better than that if they want to attract fresh blood.

[GregKhougaz]

 

  Looks like an orange Nightster.         

[grandpadoc]

Possibly a 1948 Bobber style? That's what returning war vets did to get their WLA or other Harley to go faster, strip it down to lighten it up some.
(Or maybe they think at least 48 people will buy one)

If they make 48, they might have a few left over next year. That bike should retail for 4.8 to sell well.      Doc

[Gecko]

Agree.  It's like Taco Bell re-arranging their five ingredients in a different way and slapping a new name on it.  And who writes their ad copy?  "It was a dark and stormy night.  Out of the inky blackness a single beam of stark white illuminated a lone figure astride the meanest collection of hot iron to come this way since armor-clad knights of olde rode fiery steeds into battle."  Buell was supposed to be the "entry bike" to Harley; something I never quite got: Blast-Sportster-Softail-Touring?  First they mocked that by selling crushed Blasts as coffee tables, then dumped the line entirely.  That leaves the Sporty as the entry bike.  Some models are a lot better at that than it used to be, but still higher-priced than most people getting into riding are willing to spend.  A gallon and a half of usable fuel is pretty ridiculous too.

I'm all for retaining models for long periods with improvements.  But this is just parts bin bolt-ons.

[ice6900]

If you go on holiday to Italy you will find thousands of sportsters already modified in this style, so thats a no brainer where these will sell well!

[CVOTequila]

OK someone help me here, 48 what ?    Doc

I think its for $4800 dollars more expensive that any other bike in its class. 

[tazmun]

If you go on holiday to Italy you will find thousands of sportsters already modified in this style, so thats a no brainer where these will sell well!

Well, if you go to Germany, Sweden, or England you see a ton of those C'Rockets..
You know, those "watercooled" extremely fast  dependable bikes?

[J-Carr]

Willie G. has to be a Rolling Stones fan.  Cause he thinks "Paint it Black" is the answer to everything.  How about something new?  A better engine? Electronics that aren't stone aged?  Maybe a full fairinged cafe racer (I'm just grasping at straws now).

Chip has it right.  Yawn.

Ride Safe,
J-Carr