Harley-Davidson 975cc 2022 Nightster First Look

[Hugh Janus]

Harley-Davidson’s 2022 Nightster brings a more familiar shape and style to the new-generation Sportster product line. (Harley-Davidson/)

The recent debut of Harley-Davidson’s Sportster S was a shock. The liquid-cooled, trellis-framed S is a major departure from everything that previously meant Sportster. Now, with Harley’s unveiling of the 2022 Nightster, H-D is both demonstrating the versatility of the new platform and returning to a more familiar silhouette.

The Nightster’s peanut tank seems vaguely familiar in front of its solo seat and twin rear shocks. It turns out the new cruiser chassis for the Revolution Max can properly carry the flag for the Sportster name after all. After breaking the internet for a few moments with the Sportster S announcement, the MoCo is giving us almost exactly what we wanted to see here: more traditional wheel sizing and a form that better represents the history of the Sportster model.

Related: 2022 Harley-Davidson Nightster Buyer’s Guide

The original Nightster was introduced in 2007 as a blacked-out bobber-style model on the Sportster platform. It ran until 2012, when it was cut from the line. The similarly styled Forty-Eight still exists now in 2022, though the Sportster name has been removed from its page on the Harley-Davidson website. Many of those original styling cues carry over to the new Nightster.

H-D Vice President of Design Brad Richards said making the Nightster look correct with classic Sportster styling was a challenge. (Harley-Davidson/)

Powering the Nightster is the new Revolution Max 975T, which H-D says is tuned for “muscular torque.” Like the 1250T in the Sportster S, the 975T is a liquid-cooled 60-degree V-twin. The Nightster’s engine will also feature variable valve timing, hydraulic valve lash adjustment, and internal balancers tuned “to retain just enough vibration to make the motorcycle feel alive.”

The Nightster is powered by the new Revolution Max 975T DOHC liquid-cooled V-twin. (Harley-Davidson/)

“We do want to retain some of the feel that’s so much of what Harley is about, yet we want to balance that with a comfortable ride,” said Kyle Wick, chief engineer on the Nightster project. “With an engine like this, where you go much higher into the rev range, it’s got a different characteristic. If you don’t balance this well, you can create a very poor experience. We want people to know they’re on a bike, that they’re on a Harley-Davidson.”

As we will see on any Sportster moving forward, the Revolution Max engine is a structural part of the Nightster’s chassis. Its aluminum tailsection and welded rectangular steel swingarm are new compared to the S model, accommodating twin emulsion shocks that increase suspension travel, again comparatively. The fork is a 41mm Showa unit with Dual Bending Valve internals.

The Nightster will come with selectable ride modes, each providing a different combination of power delivery, engine-braking, antilock braking, and traction control. Available ride modes include Rain, Road, and Sport, each increasing in performance and response.

A 3.1-gallon fuel cell is located beneath the Nightster’s seat, with a metal shroud shaped like a traditional gas tank covering the airbox. Riders looking to fill that fuel cell will have to lift the Nightster’s hinged seat to do so, an interesting design choice for an H-D.

“We had to make a step change in the performance of Sportster,” said Brad Richards, Harley-Davidson’s vice president of design. “We knew we wanted to do that, and in order to do that there were certain airbox requirements in terms of volume, and of course we have range expectations as well for the product. When we combined fuel size and airbox size, there was no option for a smaller-proportioned, classic-looking Sportster tank. So we were really struggling with how to do this. We also wanted outboard dual shocks ‘cause that was part of the Sportster thing as well. We quickly realized that because of these two things, maybe fuel under the seat would be a good play for us. As soon as we did that it enabled the proportion that we needed with the fuel tank so we got the classic Sportster silhouette.”

Unlike the Sportster S with its LCD gauge system, the Nightster will come with a 4-inch analog gauge with a multifunction LCD display on the handlebar riser, likely similar to that seen on other H-D models like the Street Bob.

H-D’s Nightster gets an analog speedo featuring a multifunction LCD display mounted on the handlebar riser. (Harley-Davidson/)

When asked about hiding new technology in a more traditional form, Richards said, “We knew with the Rev Max architecture that we wanted tremendous breadth in terms of modularity. We knew with Adventure Touring bikes and something like Sportster S we could get away with it, because those bikes didn’t have previous forms that we had to embody. But Nightster had to look like a Sportster. As soon as you take away the loop frame that becomes a real challenge. We did a lot of proportional foam mock-ups, we made a lot of models of this bike. The first ones, I’ll admit, weren’t very successful and we had to do some serious soul searching, and that’s when we got the fuel under the seat and we finally figured out how to put it all together and it was a serious challenge.”

Nightster models are expected in US dealerships April of 2022, so almost immediately. MSRP for the 2022 Nightster in Vivid Black is $13,499, with Gunship Gray or Redline Red coming in at $13,999.

The Nighstster promises to weigh less and produce more power than an old air-cooled Sportster 883, but it seems the 975T is playing a similar role as it pertains to the 1250T. Thanks to its low center of gravity, approachable engine with ride modes, and low seat height, the Nightster seems to be the new entry-level Harley-Davidson.

“This is a narrow bike and a low seat height and a low CG,” Wick said. “This bike is more approachable than arguably any bike in our lineup, and arguably any bike in this space.”

With less weight and more power than the air-cooled Sportster 883, the Nightster looks to provide more performance while still remaining approachable. (Harley-Davidson/)

2022 Harley-Davidson Nightster Specifications

MSRP:	$13,499 (Vivid Black)/$13,999 (Gunship Gray, Redline Red)
Engine:	Revolution Max 975T 60-degree DOHC V-twin; variable intake valve timing; 4 valves/cyl.
Displacement:	975cc
Bore x Stroke:	97.0 x 66.0mm
Compression Ratio:	12.0:1
Transmission/Final Drive:	6-speed/belt
Claimed Horsepower:	90 hp @ 7,500 rpm
Claimed Torque:	70 lb.-ft. @ 5,000 rpm
Fuel System:	Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI) w/ 50mm throttle bodies
Clutch:	Wet, 8-plate, slipper/assist; mechanical
Frame:	Steel trellis frame; aluminum forged mid-structure
Front Suspension:	41mm Showa Dual Bending Valve
Rear Suspension:	Emulsion shocks, preload adjustable
Front Brake:	Axially mounted 4-piston caliper, 320mm disc
Rear Brake:	Floating single-piston caliper, 260mm disc
Wheels, Front/Rear:	Cast aluminum; 19 in./16 in.
Tires, Front/Rear:	Dunlop Harley-Davidson Series Bias Blackwall; 100/90-19 57H / 150/80B-16 77H
Rake/Trail:	30.0°/5.4 in.
Wheelbase:	61.3 in.
Ground Clearance:	4.5 in.
Seat Height:	27.8 in.
Fuel Capacity:	3.1 gal.
Claimed Average MPG:	52.4 mpg
Claimed Wet Weight:	481 lb
Contact:	harley-davidson.com

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[Tym]

China buys HD in 3...2... 

[Buckster]

They are going to sell a ton of these. It has no appeal to me whatsoever.

[Tym]

They aint selling any, most will end up in a shredder.