Harley Davidson XL1200Forty-Eigh

Harley Davidson XL1200X Forty-Eight

Make Model	Harley Davidson XL 1200X Forty-Eight
Year	2010
Engine	Air cooled, four stroke, 45° V-Twin, OHV, 2 valves per cylinder.
Capacity	1199
Bore x Stroke	88.8 x 96.8 mm
Compression Ratio	9.7:1
Induction	Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
Ignition / Starting	- / electric
Clutch	Multi-plate, we
Max Power
Max Torque	79 ft. lbs.107 Nm @ 4000 rpm
Transmission / Drive	5 Speed / Belt
Gear Ratio	1st 9.315 2nd 6.653 3rd 4.948 4th 4.102 5th 3.517
Frame	Mild steel, tubular frame; circular sections; cast junctions Swingarm Mild steel, rectangular tube sections, stamped junctions; MIG welded
Front Suspension	39mm Fork, 144mm wheel trave.
Rear Suspension	Coil-over; preload dual-adjustable, 54mm wheel travel.
Front Brakes	Single 292mm disc 2 piston calipers
Rear Brakes	Single 292mm disc 1 piston caliper
Front Tyre	MT90B16
Rear Tyre	150/80-B16
Seat Height	Laden2 660 mm / 26.0 in Unladen 681 mm / 26.8 in.
Wet-Weight	257.2 kg / 567 lbs
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating	453.6 kg / 1000 lb
Fuel Capacity	7.95 Litres / 2.7 gal

HARLEY-DAVIDSON FORTY-EIGHT IS A RAW AND RADICAL RIDE

New Sportster Brings Brawn as Chiseled Custom with Power and Performance

OXFORD UK (January 22, 2010) – The new Harley-Davidson® Forty-Eight™ motorcycle is a new factory custom in the legendary tradition of the hot rod Sportster line with the raw, elemental appeal of a Custom.

Riding low and featuring the classic 2.1-gallon (7.95 litre) "peanut" fuel tank, the Forty-Eight backs up its bulldog appearance with the performance of its blacked and polished rubber-mounted Evolution 1200 cc V-Twin engine. The low solo seat, under-bar mounted mirrors, clean rear fender and fat balloon tires emphasise the Forty Eight's focus on chiseled customisation.

"With its classic bulldog shoulders stance, the Forty-Eight strikes a distinctive look and low profile that could only come from Harley-Davidson," said Ray Drea, Harley-Davidson Senior Director of Styling. "The Forty-Eight has a collective past life experience and broken-in look that is raw and authentic."

As a Harley-Davidson Custom, the Forty-Eight is ready to ride as a radical custom and also primed to take on its rider's character and personality.

Harley-Davidson Sportsters like the Forty-Eight have retained an aura of rebellion since their introduction in 1957, when the foundation of custom culture was being laid by military veterans, swaggering greasers and anyone else with a gritty garage. Sportsters became an iron canvas for many legendary choppers of that hot rod era and beyond.

Lying low from tyre-to-tyre, the Forty-Eight showcases more of its black 1200 Evolution V-Twin engine with polished accents and other components with a clean look highlighted by the traditional peanut fuel tank, small solo seat and lightening holes in the backbone mounting bracket. The Forty-Eight has more than just custom cool styling with the smooth ride on new front fork sliders, a fat and wide 150 mm front tyre and slammed rear suspension.

With Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI) and a broad torque curve, the Forty-Eight delivers a powerfully responsive ride with smooth clutch effort. The chrome, staggered shorty dual muffler pounds out the distinctive Harley-Davidson American V-Twin sound.

The Forty-Eight embraces the street up front with forward foot controls, low profile custom handlebar, under-bar mounted mirrors, fork-mounted turn signals, slammed speedometer mounting bracket and lightened fork brace. A unique dual texture solo seat fits the lone rider, while a passenger pillion, footpegs and backrest are some of the many accessories that can be added.

The black chopped rear fender with combination stop/turn/tail lights help show-off the fat 150 mm rear tyre and 16-inch Black Steel Laced wheels. The front tyre also rides on a wide black wheel.

The Forty-Eight is available in Vivid Black, Brilliant Silver and Mirage Orange Pearl colours.

Forty-Eight features and highlights:

    * Blacked and polished rubber-mounted Evolution 1200 cc V-Twin engine with chrome accents
    * Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
    * Steel 2.1-gallon (7.95 litre) peanut fuel tank with lightening hole mounting bracket
    * One-piece, solo Sportster classic seat
    * 710mm seat height
    * Fat balloon tyres
    * 16-inch Black Steel Laced wheels
    * Low profile custom handlebar
    * Under-bar mounted mirrors
    * New front forks with wide triple clamps
    * Chopped front fender mounted on fork brace with lightening holes
    * Fork brace mounted chopped front fender
    * Blacked components including air cleaner cover, clutch and brake levers and turn signals
    * Chopped rear fender
    * Stop-turn-tail lights
    * Two-year factory warranty
    * Harley-Davidson Smart Security System

Test Drive

Daytona, Florida. With post-war Harley looks and Sportster heritage that dates back to the 1950s, the 48 is quite a stunner, standing out from the row of new bikes when I picked it up for this test in Daytona. Based on the Sportster 1200, this bike stands out with a small orange tank, called a “Peanut” tank by Harley people and introduced in 1948 – hence the model name. Add a retro solo seat, a truncated rear fender with no taillight as well as some massive tires, and you have the look and feel of the 50s – in a modern, reliable machine. In my humble opinion, all these elements make the 48 one of the sharpest-looking Harleys out there.

Nice fat tires, a small headlight, that unique peanut tank and, a solo seat and these inverted rear view mirror mounts - all 50s stuff. It gets much better when you add a disc brake, fuel injection and today's much better tires.

An effective engine… with the right character
Powered by the latest evolution of the 1200 Sportster V-twin, a pure Harley engine in every sense of the word, the 48 definitely has some bite. Silent bloc insulated mounts handle the characteristic but non-intrusive engine vibrations below 2,000 rpm — as required by Harley aficionados.

Take off and you will benefit from the best that The Motor Company offers, with a strong, convincing thrust at low revs, to the point of giving off a larger-displacement feel. The clutch lever felt heavy, surprisingly so given the work by H-D engineers to lighten the effort on the lever and thus facilitate operation by less muscled riders. In typical H-D fashion, the tranny delivers quick, precise shifts, and benefits from well chosen ratios, wide enough to take advantage of the generous torque from 1500, and a flat curve from 2000 to the peak of 79 lb-ft at 4000 rpm. This means that five ratios can do the job and reduce the tap dance on the shift lever that less torquey engines require. As is the norm with most manufacturers, there is no word from H-D about peak power, which likely hovers around 66 hp at 6000 rpm.

Form over function
One-up riding only is what the beautiful American is about, stretching the rider’s legs and upper body forward in the process — maybe a bit too much for me (5’9’’). The firm yet nicely sculpted seat is great for shorter stints, and I do mean short, as the lack of comfort up to my expectations, and limited tank capacity (8 litres).

Riding in style
For Harley lovers, straddling the 48 feels almost instinctive, with an ultra-low seat and narrow handlebar making the first ride – and every one after that – always a pleasure. Of course, the easy-to-love engine helps. Despite coming from a lineage of competent models with a “Sporty” name, this bike is neither sporty nor really fast.

In fact, the engine does give up rather early after the initial torque rush – at least too early for me or those used to even the more humble Japanese or Euro offerings, say the SV650, Ninja 650R, or retro Triumphs. But use the bike in its habitat, like city or nice country roads, and it will deliver the enjoyable ride and mellow performance it was built for.

Around Daytona, bumps are few and far between, making the ride a fun, relaxing experience, especially if you like the wind in your face, as there is no protection against the elements on the stock model.

The latest evolution of the Sportster V-twin, a pure Harley engine in every sense of the word, and now cleaned up with all the taps, wires and fuel lines hidden from view. Still, as long as you ride on well-maintained roads, the sweet 48 will happily give you enough time to admire the scenery, or cruise down the strip to a trendy little café to see and be seen. Remember to stop by the gas station if you’re out for longer than an hour, though.

Bottom line
The 2010 Harley-Davidson 48 packs a lot of character and mechanical presence, not to mention a clean, slammed look that projects a form of delinquent youthfulness. If you want to make a clear Harley statement during short rides in and around the city, and if you put styling at the forefront of your decision criteria, you need to have a close look at this baby.

Source moto123.com