Harley-Davidson India's new offering, the Roadster, seems much like a grown up Forty-Eight, with an aggressive stance and no-nonsense attitude
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The brand-new, never-seen-before addition to the Harley-Davidson India line-up is the new Roadster. At first glance, it looks as if the Forty-eight just grew up.
What we're trying to say is that it might not have the same extreme edginess as the Forty-eight but it hasn't turned dull or boring either. The name Roadster belies a certain sporty quality and, taking it all in, it sure does look the part. The little headlamp, low-slung bars, and sawed-off fenders all give it a wicked, street-racer vibe. Out goes the little peanut tank; in comes a chiselled 12.5-litre tank and old-school 'two-up' seat, which adds to that rugged, minimalist charm.
The beefy tank with pin-striping is a stand-out. Pic/Harley-Davidson India
Both the blacked-out 1,200-cc evolution engine and dual side exhaust are essentially the same as the one on the Forty-eight; though the mirrors are not cafe racer style. It is 40 millimetres higher off the ground with a 150-mm ride height, handy on our uniquely contoured Indian roads. The stance of the Roadster has been made more aggressive with the combination of 19-inch wheels up front and 18-inchers at the rear. They are wrapped in 120/70 and 150/70 Dunlop kicks respectively, and the five-spoke cast aluminium design ties it all in.
Swing a leg over and you'll feel the comfort, and the forward-set, low-slung handlebar, along with the mid-set pegs are slightly high-placed, which means the natural seating position is on the aggressive side.
Double-barrel exhaust adds a little drama and a lot of growls
The switchgear is pretty sorted, although we still need some time to get used to Harley's signature one-on-each-side indicator set up. The key slot for the ignition is located on the side, below the tank in typical cruiser fashion. The part digital, part analogue, small, circular information pod is minimal and retro-chic, but takes a bit of squinting to decipher when the sun is on your back.
Fire up the air-cooled 1,200-cc V-twin and it growls delightfully. You'll notice that the gearbox is a bit loud, with the bike slotting into gears with an audible clunk. Despite the noise, the gears slot in quite smoothly and seamlessly. The 78 Nm of torque kicks in pretty low on the rev range and peaks at 4,250 rpm. In fifth, you can cruise comfortably until 140 km/h, and while the bike is capable of more, the lack of wind protection becomes evident, even if you crouch on the tank. It has enough vibes and shakes, but the rubber mounts have enough absorb-ability not to have it get out of hand.
The Roadster is a fun bike to corner, too. Getting into a lean and out does require a bit of physical effort, but the weight is manageable enough. The 43-mm USD forks work pretty well with the twin shocks, with dual-rate spring set up in the rear. Both in corners and when dealing with patchy tarmac, the rider is kept pretty comfortable, and you can even adjust and fine-tune the preload further as per individual requirements at the rear. The stopping power on the Roadster is provided by twin-discs up front, a single at the rear and ABS, which, of course, is now standard across the range. There is good urgency and stability under hard braking, so no complaints there.
It comes with a price tag of R9.7 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi. The Roadster was quite a blast to ride and makes perfect sense for those who want that cool sporty feel and aggressive attitude that you get from the Forty-eight, minus all the extra quirkiness.
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