New Harley-Davidson Roadster: a new chapter opens for Sportsters [PHOTO]

New Harley-Davidson Roadster – The new Harley-Davidson Roadster is at home in urban landscapes and on winding roads, but is visually bold even when stationary.

The new Harley-Davidson Roadster has been revisited to ensure maximum riding pleasure even on challenging routes and attention has been focused on suspensions and other technical details that influence performance and comfort. “Since its introduction in 1957, the Harley-Davidson Sportster has constantly reinvented itself, and the Roadster™ writes a new chapter in that story.” said Brad Richards, director of styling at Harley-Davidson. “We've seen our customers interpret the Sportster in many different ways. The Roadster is a mash-up of stylistic genres, but the intent was to build motorcycles to ride, an agile and powerful Sportster, which creates a strong bond between the rider and the road".

The new Harley-Davidson Roadster integrates the Harley-Davidson Live Your Legend concept to complete the Dark Custom range. The minimalist design inspired by classic racing bikes winks at naked customs and stripped-downs, while the silhouette recalls the Sportster racing bikes that marked the decade between 1950 and 1960. “AWe wanted to give the Roadster the DNA of the high-performance KHR models of the mid-50s, and the drag strip-prepared Sportsters“Richards added. “Motorcycles with cut fenders, small tank and lightened to the essentials to achieve a single purpose: performance. "

The new Harley-Davidson Roadster offers modern performance with a combination of new tires and high-quality suspension. The 19-inch front wheel and 5-inch aluminum alloy 18-spoke Offset-Split rear wheel were designed specifically for the Roadster and contribute to its balance and sporty structure. Furthermore, the 1200cc air-cooled V-Twin engine that guarantees torque at mid-range. The suspension of the new Roadster is enriched with a new 43mm single cartridge upside down fork with tri-rated springs, with robust triple clamps. The rear suspension has coilover shocks and tri-rated springs with adjustable preload that offer more suspension travel than any other Sportster model (4,5 inches in front and 3,2 inches in back).

The new Harley-Davidson Roadster suggests a very aggressive riding posture, thanks to the new low handlebars and central footrests which unbalance the rider's weight beyond the profile of the classic 12.5 liter Sportster tank. The rear fender has been cut and shortened compared to previous Sportsterbobbed fenders, in keeping with the Roadster's "naked" styling. The belt guard and carved muffler shields mimic the lightening holes typical of racing components. The single instrument, featuring a large analog tachometer with a digital speedometer and measuring four inches in diameter, was hidden in front of the triple tree.

The new Harley-Davidson Roadster will be available in four color choices: Vivid Black charcoal denim pinstripe; Black Denim red pinstripe; Velocity Red Sunglo red pinstripe; and two-tone billet silver/vivid black burgundy pinstripe.