Harley-Davidson has been manufacturing the Sportster family, coded XL and powered by an overhead valve engine, since 1957. The roots of the range go back to the 1940s and the 1952 K Sport and Sport Solo models, which were equipped with a flat head engine. Thankfully, 50 years later innovation has become the key word, and today’s Sportsters use some advanced techniques – though not all of them – to better meet both client needs and environmental standards. And like the rest of the Harley range, style comes before function, comfort, performance and mechanical efficiency, a strategy that has served The Motor Company well these past 50 years.

The 883 SuperLow and Forty-Eight are no exceptions, both carefully staying true to the spirit of the original Sportster, whose minimalist, low-profile looks are highly valued by the genre’s aficionados.

Sportster Forty-Eight

The Forty-Eight’s exclusive styling comes from the solo seat, the lowest and smallest of the entire Sportster range. (Photo: Philippe Champoux/Moto123.com)

The Forty-Eight is named after a granddaddy model launched in 1948, the WR 1000 Flathead. It has inherited the “peanut” tank, the solo seat, the chopped rear fender sans tail light (the red flashers take care of the job), the fat tires and the 1,200-cc V-Twin.

Seductive and veritably bursting with low-rpm torque, the pushrod-operated, air-cooled V-Twin rolls up its sleeves on corner exits, thanks to a remarkable wallop of torque reminiscent of 1,500-cc plus engines. On tortuous roads, simply shift into third gear and let the good times roll – no other input needed.

The Forty-Eight’s exclusive styling comes from the solo seat, the lowest and smallest of the entire Sportster range. And an ultra-low saddle means a low-slung suspension and thus the absolute minimum in travel. My first contact with the machine was on the beautiful roads around Daytona last March, and I was living the dream at my first visit to the legendary Bike Week.

But I had quite the harsh reality check back up here on our moon-crater roads, where the Forty-Eight had a whole other experience in store for me, bottoming out then curtly bouncing back at the slightest provocation, making too many of our roads unbearably uncomfortable, if not downright unridable.

The burly front tire pays for its weight and inertia, making the steering a bit vague on corner entry. Traction isn’t a problem as long as you stick to leisurely rather than sporty riding.

The burly front tire pays for its weight and inertia, making the steering a bit vague on corner entry. (Photo: Philippe Champoux/Moto123.com)