Courtesy of Harley-Davidson

The New 2018 Harley-Davidson Iron 1200 And Forty-Eight Special Add Style To Harley’s Sportster Line

Harley-Davidson’s Sportster model lineup gets two new bikes based around current trends in the custom scene

The Harley-Davidson Sportster has been the base platform for all sorts of custom builds ranging from bobbers, choppers, café racers, scramblers, dirt trackers, drag bikes, roadracers, and adventure bikes.

It was the most accessible and user-friendly in Harley’s line for almost 60 years, beginning with its release in 1957, and an ever-increasing wealth of aftermarket parts and accessories make it one of the most customized motorcycles in the world.

Harley claims it was the custom scene that drove the creation of two new Sportsters: the 2018 Iron 1200 and the 2018 Forty-Eight Special.

“Since its inception, the Sportster has offered the perfect combination of size, power, and character that makes it appealing to so many different riders,” said Brad Richards, Harley-Davidson VP of styling and design. “A Sportster is a relatively easy bike to strip down and reinvent. What we’ve done to create the new Iron 1200 and Forty-Eight Special is what Sportster owners have been doing with their own bikes for generations.”

The 2018 Harley-Davidson Iron 1200Courtesy of Harley-Davidson

2018 Harley-Davidson Iron 1200

The 2018 Harley-Davidson Iron 1200 enters as a bigger brother to the Iron 883, its 1,202cc Evo V-twin motor making a manufacturer-claimed 36 percent more torque than the 883 (73 pound-feet versus 53.8 pound-feet). The Iron 1200 gets a taller 8.75-inch-rise Mini-Ape handlebar and mini headlight cowl, as well as a “fast-back” single café seat. Finishing the package is a ’70s-inspired graphics package on the 3.3-gallon tank.

The Iron 1200 comes with the Harley-Davidson Smart Security System and has ABS standard. It has an MSRP of $9,999 (only $1,000 more than its little brother Iron 883).

The 2018 Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight SpecialCourtesy of Harley-Davidson

2018 Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Special

The Forty-Eight Special is a new yet vintage take on one of The Motor Company’s most popular Sporties, returning a little more to Harley’s roots than unabashedly hipster Forty-Eight.

The fat front tire is now paired with Harley’s 7.25-inch-high Tallboy handlebar, which was chosen for having less pull-back than the Mini-Ape used on the Iron 1200. The Forty-Eight Special gets its own vintage tank graphics, though it keeps the tiny 2.2-gallon peanut tank from the Forty-Eight and is available in Vivid Black, Wicked Red, and Billiard White.

As with the Iron 1200, the Forty-Eight Special comes equipped with an alarm system and ABS. It has an MSRP of $11,299 (the same as the regular Forty-Eight).

Harley cites the Iron 1200 and Forty-Eight Special as the latest in its lineup of the 100 new high-impact motorcycles the company plans to introduce by the year 2027. While many complained the revamp of the Softail line was nothing but more of the same, I actually found those models to be a huge improvement over their predecessors and incredibly encouraging for the future of H-D given its claims. These two models, however, feel far more like they're phoning it in so they can reach that goal, as they really seem to be nothing more than parts-bin bikes.

If anything, these two new models cast a shadow on my thoughts that the Sportster range was next in line for an overhaul, as it seems less likely for Harley to put time, energy, and money into these two only to completely rework the platform soon after. Aesthetically, I like both of these bikes more than the others in the Sportster line but, in my opinion, the entire lineup needs to see the level of attention and upgrades as the Softail line.

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