Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website New Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Special and Iron 1200 Sportsters fuse Throw-Back design with modern performance
march 15, 2018 - Harley-Davidson

New Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Special and Iron 1200 Sportsters fuse Throw-Back design with modern performance

Harley-Davidson adds to the long legacy of its Sportster motorcycle line with the introduction of the Iron 1200 and Forty-Eight Special models. The latest in a line of 100 high-impact motorcycles the company plans to introduce by 2027, these new high-bar Sportsters combine throw-back styling trends from the custom-bike scene with the solid foundation of the Sportster platform and the punchy performance of the Evolution 1200 V-Twin engine.

Since its introduction in 1957, Sportster motorcycles have been repeatedly reimagined, in the hands of both the Motor Company and bike owners: The Sportster as a bobber, a chopper, a scrambler and a café racer; as a hero on flat tracks and drag strips and road-race courses; as an accessible entry-point for first-time riders, and as a custom-of-one cruiser.

“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 V.P. of Styling &Design. “A Sportster is a relatively easy bike to strip down and reinvent. What we’ve done to create the new Iron 1200 and #fortyeightspecial is what Sportster owners have been doing with their own bikes for generations.”

New fuel tank graphics distinguish both the Iron 1200 and the #fortyeightspecial, and combine bold color stripes with a formal typeface, color and graphic elements originally popular in the 1970s.

“The art on these two fuel tanks reflect contemporary trends we are seeing on #custom bikes and in design in general, a move away from more complex and intricate art to a look that’s very simple and clean,” said Richards. “It’s also important to note that these graphics respect the shape of the fuel tank and in the case of the Sportster, that tank shape is a classic design element in its own right.”

Further information in the press release to download