Quick Ride

1996 HARLEY SPORT SPORTSTER

QUICK RIDE

Return of the Fire-Breather?

THE REDUNDANT NAME applied to Harley's new XL1200S tells exactly how far the Sportster had

strayed from its performance roots—it originally earned the first five letters in its name, you know. From its introduction in '57 through the late Sixties, the Sportster was that era's V-Max and ZX-11, the meanest and quickest streetbike around, the ruler of dragstrip and stoplight grand prix.

Bü{thëJapanese superbikëin vasion caught the Sportster in the Seventies and transformed it from fire-breather to just a vi brating, slow and not very reli able V-Twin. Retreating, Harley repositioned the Sportster as a vi sual and cultural icon, a machine that sold simply because it was what it had always been. Instead of hunting for more horses, H-D spent its efforts fixing the Sport ster's quality. And with the mar ketplace failures of the XLCR Cafe Racer and XR-1000, Harley seemingly abandoned the perfor mance market for good.

Until now, that is. Tagging a double "Sport" onto its newest 1200, the Motor Company has built what it describes as a per formance Sportster.

In creating the Harley's engineers have been busy indeed. A new gearbox shifts more smoothly and quiet ly, and packs slightly tighter ra tios. A new ignition module eliminates low-speed knocking and aims to enhance drivability. New nine-spoke wheels carry soft-compound Dunlop K591s. Twin floating discs stop the front wheel, working with a master cylinder sized to reduce braking effort. The gas tank has swollen to 3.3 gallons (final ly!), while designer Louie Netz sweated to maintain its classic peanut proportions. The front fork uses dual-rate springs and cartridge dampers, while both the fork and nitrogen-charged reservoir shocks offer adjust-

ment of rebound and com pression damping.

The result, as we learned during a brief ride at HarleyDavidson's press introduc tion at the Streets of Willow Springs racetrack, is, quite simply, a sportier Sportster. While its engine makes no more peak power this year than last, the suspension, brakes and tires are a world apart from anything that ever came fitted to a stock 1-larley. Tracking compliant ly over bumps, the XL-S at tains impressive lean angles with stability and aplomb. To the left, it lightly grinds away at its footpeg and rela tively soft-mounted kick stand until the primary cover touches at loony speeds. To the right, though, the shortie dual mufflers drag early and hard, and will lift a wheel off the ground if you pitch the XL-S in as decisively as you might a Japanese 600. The front brake requires slightly more effort than that of most race-replicas, but hauls the 1200 to a stop with delightfully linear control.

In the end, that's what's essential about the XL-S; not that it's the performance equal of imported sportbikes, but that it's the best Sportster ever, and the solid foundation for a classic all American hot-rod. Harley's Parts and Accessories divi sion is already talking of a 90-horsepower engine kit for the XL-S-fit that, and your Sport Sportster might just re-earn both its names.

Steve Anderson