Is the ‘New Age’ Nightster Really Worth $12,000
Latest Nightster begs the question–are you ‘New Age’ or ‘Old-School?’
Are you considering buying a Harley Davidson Nightster? Maybe you’re drawn to that nifty new, liquid-cooled Revolution Max 975 engine, a radical departure from the decades of air-cooled engines the Motor Company is famous – or infamous – for.
If you’re close, but can’t quite pull the trigger, you might want to take a close view of this excellent in-depth video review by a Revzilla motorcycle reviewer.
The Nightster, along with the Nightster Special and the Sportster Special, are the “new age” Harley sport bikes. They have earned both admiration and scorn from different generations of Harley riders, especially those who are loyal to the legendary line of Harley sportsters that have been around since 1957.
‘Core of the Struggle’
This video review, as thorough as it is, concludes with the same dilemma many Harley Davidson sportster fans have.
It’s summed up by the lyrics from an old country song, “Old Hippie,” by the Bellamy Brothers” “Should he hang on to the old, should he grab on to the new?”
“This is at the core of my struggle with the Nightster,” concludes Zach the Revzilla reviewer. “…I think if I was going to choose between this bike and a (air-cooled Harley Davids0n) 48, I’d get a 48. I think this bike delivers in a lot of ways, many of the ways the 48 does not. I’m still a sucker for the old school.”
‘Perfect Gear Spacing’
The reviewer makes no mistake about how much he loves the Revolution Max 975 engine, which pumps out a claimed 95 horsepower at 7,500 RPM and 70 foot/pounds of torque at 5,000 RPM.
“The gear spacing is just perfect in my opinion,” says the Daily Rider reviewer. “I find myself not even needing sixth gear sometimes, the engine’s so smooth. And when I do shift to sixth, the engine is still smooth but the revs drop down to an even more kind of mellow pace.
“It’s just way smoother and refined for what I was expecting from this bike.”
Lackluster on the Curves
So what’s not to like? Not that much, the video says, but the flaws that do exist in the bike are big.
Such as the looks, particularly on the left side, the transmission, the disconnected feeling between throttle and rider, and the riding position.
Also, the reviewer found it lackluster on city curves.
“It offers enough sporting ability to be entertaining to beginning or intermediate riders, but if a true sports bike is what you want, then obviously you’re not going to be barking up the Nightster tree,” the video says.
Consider the Nightster’s Competitors
The reviewer’s evaluation matches my own after several test rides. Harley has a great motor, if you don’t mind the modern sound, but they got cheap when they built everything around it on the Nightster. I felt like I was riding a toy.
So, is the bike worth $12,000? It might be worthwhile to consider the Nightster’s competitors.
HD’s own Nightster Special costs $13,500. For that, you get passenger accommodations, a significant upgrade in technology, cruise control and a tire pressure monitoring system.
The Honda Rebel 1100 DCT costs $9,500. For that you get saddlebags and a shiftless transmission.
The MSRP on the Indian Scout Rogue is $12,749. Indian says it makes 100 horsepower, 72 foot/pounds of torque and has a low seat height of 25.6 inches.
Or you could go old-school, opt for the 48 and listen to that air-cooled song. The Harley Davidson 48 had an MSRP of $12,300 before it was discontinued, and now has an average retail price of around $9,000, according to JD Power.
Photos: Harley Davidson
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