With this year being the 50th anniversary of the H-D Sportster, we were really looking forward to what the MOCO had up its sleeve for a special anniversary-issue scoot. Reminiscent of H-D's 100th, the XL's 50th wasn't much of a celebration for a bike with such history-the limited-edition XL came bearing nothing more than some commemorative badges, stickers, and paint. Aside from the addition of EFI to the entire lineup, the Factory still had a surprise in store for the '07 Sportys. Announced about six months after the rest of the new '07 models, H-D debuted the XL 1200N, the Nightster.
For the unobservant, the Nightster might reflect just another iteration of flat paint and mixtures of medium-gray powdercoat and black. In fact, the majority of the components on this bike have been carefully designed to emanate a sinewy, asphalt-jungle ethos. One of the most significant redesigns on this bike is the chopped rear fender. In addition to the shorter rear skin, the taillight and license mount have been moved to the left side of the rear wheel. Another nice touch was integrating the brake and taillights into the rear turn signals. Up front, the black 39mm forks got fork gaiters, while the new front fender mounts received the lightening-hole treatment.
With the stitched solo seat coming in at a mere 25.3 inches from the ground, the Nightster puts the rider as close to the pavement as the 883 Low and a full inch shorter than the 1200 Low. That low seat height comes courtesy of the rock-like 11.5-inch rear shocks. Although H-D claims 2.4 inches of rear-wheel travel, riding the Nightster feels as if there's less than that. Combining the low-profile seat (which is moved forward compared to a 1200 Custom) and the mid-mount pegs makes the Nightster a compact bike. Of course, lowering any bike reduces ground clearance, too, with the front exhaust pipe touching down before the peg in right-handers.
Coming in at a dry 545 pounds, the Nightster feels lighter than that, probably due to its low center of gravity. It is an extremely nimble machine, slicing through traffic and slow-moving parking lots with ease. The rubber-mounted chassis makes a happy home for the fuel-injected 1,200cc Evo XL motor, with vibes apparent only at idle. Once moving, even at 85-mph highway cruising speeds, the black mirrors were actually usable. The new EFI worked flawlessly in temps varying from the 40s to near triple-digits, with the electronic brain taking care of cold-start duties. Turn the key, thumb the electric leg, and get the fun on.