2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S First Ride Review: Is It Good Enough? 

Motovlog here on my vlog channel: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rM-2M2MK0h0.html

I'm in my late 20s, naked/sportbike kind of rider and have never paid any attention to Harley at all, but I have to say this thing just looks so cool, it made me immediately want one. Then I got the chance to ride one and it turned out to be such a fun bike to hoon around. It doesn't have much ground clearance, so you really have to climb around and hang off to keep the pegs off the ground if you're going for a spirited pace. I was also quite surprised by how well it corners with that fat 160 up front. It requires some elbow grease to turn in, but altogether it makes for a super engaging ride. I felt like I had burned 1000 calories after 20 minutes. The best part is the engine though, that thing is brilliant. Tons of torque and character, and revs like a Ducati. If I could afford a second bike, this would be it. I hope they eventually bring back the Bronx, this engine needs to be in a sporty naked bike.

Looks good other than the exhaust

Something batman would ride

What an excellent and detailed review on this Sportster S, well freaking done. I'm picking up my S on Monday and having all this detailed information really makes my day and answers questions I didn't know I had. I'm keep this video handy to refer to as I get more and more familiar with my new S. I can't thank you enough, I am, a loyal subscriber and I so look forward to going back and watching your past videos. I don't know if you have them but I'm going to be looking for help and suggestions on modifications, I'd like to removed the rear tail light and find a strobe like stop light to attached under the tail fin, change to mid controls, a different seat, possible alarm system professionally installed, passenger backrest, aftermarket exhaust, different mirrors, install the heated grip components, smoked windshield and more, sounds like over $6000 with labor costs but a labor of love. I feel like a kid at Christmas, thanks again for the most excellent review. By the way, I'm 70, I'm in good shape and I can still sprint and climb mountains, he who dies in the end with the most toys, wins!! Peace!!

Digging the rating feature 👍👍 more of it and nice review of this bike!

I can’t wait to get one next year I love the look of this bike so much!

I seriously had to get back to work....and then this popped up!!! Thanks Mate

Excellent review! I hope this bike is a big success for Harley-Davidson.

So glad to see your review! How was the heat of both the engine and pipe?

Years ago I had a 100 year anniversary Road King CVO, so the proper 103 screaming eagle motor - 102 kw with 198nm on rear wheel in near standard guise (tuning chip, airflow management, tuned exhaust with rev limiter reset) - This was the rocket of the V-Twin Harley with the sound to match - incredible acceleration, with the occasional front wheel pop and good for abt 220 kmph. I have never had a more satisfying bike, I could tour as far as I wanted in relative comfort (suspension was firmed up over standard) and teach lessons when the need often arose. Cornering was a bit of a wrestling match but satisfying when lighting up the foot boards/exhaust while hanging your ass off the side. I wonder how this new generation would stack up performance wise given that it's a lot lighter?

Great review video. I enjoyed it immensely.

Great engine, looks great, but feet-forward, next to no rear suspension = a bad back. Put this engine in a proper flat tracker with rear-sets and blow the FTR away. I like the jacket.

I like the look of that. I like the direction Harley are going with the new styles on offer, should appeal to more people. Great vid Rob.👌🏼👍🏼

Nice review. Despite the chunky front and stock forward controls, the riding position and relative lack of comfort takes this much closer to a sporty naked than a cruiser like the Indian Scout or Triumph Bobber IMO. I like that H-D have set this bike apart from your typical offering in the former category but I'd much rather seem them innovate in what they do best - the true cruiser. Maybe with a new middleweight line that builds on the modern aesthetic shared by the M8 Fat Bob, Livewire and this bike.

Great and honest review! It seems like you don't like the bike! I saw this bike in person and it looks better in person than it does from photos and videos. I do not like the look of the exhausts. I have put this bike on my list to check out but not sure if I want to go in this direction or not. How does it compare to the Indian 1200 to you? Which do you prefer? Thanks

Really really like this presentation, very easy on the brain, concise and to the point, just the bike was the problem cos just fail to appreciate the philosophy!

The sportster s is tuned down from the power of the pan am. Same motor just tuned down from 150 to 120. Gotta throw some pipes, and a tune on there and she'll make well over 150hp. I rode one, tbr pipe, crazy tune, and mid control kit, had to be making over 160 or around that. Front end goes straight up, I hit 137mph in 5th, I backed off because I was on a back road

I like your new “rating chart” Bob 🏍😉👍!

This should have a mud guard little longer from the rear side

Great review Bob what brand is the black jacket you are wearing??

4:00. I absolutely love that this review emphasizes how great the engine is, having less horsepower. There is a horsepower war happening right now, and every year, horsepower seems to be going up by 10% on every model of every bike. The horsepower war is great, but not if the engines aren't fun to ride at low speeds, and in city traffic. I'm glad to see reviews like this one, that understand how important low speed torque is. There's a reason that a Hayabusa is more fun to ride than most sportbikes, it has a much longer stroke, and more low RPM torque than most bikes. I'm so glad that Harley did the right thing here, and focused on the low RPM torque, instead of maximum dyno performance.

Looks like modern version of the Fat Bob

Man i just rode this bike today and it’s actually comfortable. My only complaint were the exhaust is on your leg and the bike is too fast for the seat 😂

I was surprised it was smaller in person. I really love it. Bang on, especially with a tail tidy to clean up back end.

Test rode this bike myself, and it’s very impressive for a Harley. Love that motor. But it’s still not what I’m looking for. Praying we still get the Bronx or something like it from Harley🙏

Great review, just surprised they said it was initially setup for comfort when it has about 1/3 of the suspension travel of an S1000RR (in another review they even said rear had only 1.5" of travel!)...hard to imagine that providing any comfort how ever you set it, combined with the foot forward controls, a perfect recipe to use your back as a stress member. Why even bother putting a shock? :P Looks good for a Harley (a round headlight and it would have looked REALLY good), but I suspect most owners won't be riding this more than 50km at a time (at least I hope for them). Maybe they have only perfect roads around the factory?

The only two negatives for me can be fixed but why should I have to? A front tire that’d be at home on a swamp buggy and forward mounted cruiser controls on a bike meant to be at least somewhat sporty.

Definitely getting this bike.

Would be nice if they make a 48 ver with spoke wheels n some fancy graphics

This is a really fair review. I think you are bob on.

A very 'kind' review, Rob. Not sure who this bike is aimed at though, particularly in the UK. Can't make its mind up what it wants to be. For the same money I think the FTR wins.

The new rating feature is awesome in your video, please continue it. Stealth mode is completely off with that bronze/ copper engine😄

I’m very excited about it

A Treviso presentazione ufficiale della nuova Harley-Davidson Sportster S - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CgU_KzoC_8g.html

I checked one out in person......felt good but when I noticed the price they added a markup.

I came for the Sportster S review but the Pan Am stats really surprised me. 150bhp and what was it, 127Nm of torque? That's pretty tasty!!!

looks good but I would like to see a 60's cafe style full fairing with saddlebags & larger gas tank.

I have seen this bike in person. Never ridden it but it looks like a dragster kind of bike

Since u did this review, can u also review the forty eight which is very very similar 1200 but that old engine or the 1200custom

I think it looks fantastic. All the stuff I like about how the Fatbob looks but in a lighter, leaner bike. I'm just worried about how my 6'2" frame would fit on it.

Test rode one of these 2 months ago and really liked it, but just couldn’t get over that rock hard stock seat :/

Damn this review is so good 👍

single front disc?

Never owned a Harley cuz of weight and low power. I am interested in this bike. Previous Sportster was almost $12,000 with alarm, paint, and abs. This new bike is a bargain and is better in every way. More horsepower, engine part of frame, light weight, RDRS standard vs optional on touring.

Not my type of Harley but the quality looks extremely nice.

Beautiful looking bike and really different from HD, however 51mm of rear travel on our UK roads😭, my coccyx is wincing just thinking about that😂

It's okay I guess but against the FTR & Diavel? Not a chance.

Thank YOU very much 😊

I hate the mufflers. I would prefer mid or semi-rear controls for the handling. You can;t ride it when it is wet out. There is no rear fender and the water and mud off the rear wheel would drench your back. The Breakout does that too and it even has a short bobbed fender.

Its not a sportster, or a harley sportster, i been riding sportsters for a decade. What I will say the look is aggressive, the torque is amazing the suspension and features are awesome, but its not why i love my Nightster, its the vibration, the noise, smell, simple design that made me love the sportster. That bike is sexy tho, wish it was louder.

I wonder if they will put the same engine tech into their old (crap) street line and the iron 883 since they are discontinued due to emission regulations

I love the look of it.

Every rider looks HUGE on this bike. Harley should have made the seat “deeper” so you don’t look like you’re riding a kid’s bike. How was this overlooked? Big miss by the design team. Great review!

HD did mistake when thye cancelled Bronx. That bike would be much loved by bikers more than this. Hope HD will revive it soon.

Mr.Buell should come back to HD. He's not scared, he builds a rational and unique bike.

SPORTSTER S DESIGN 😍

I sat on one and the handlebars felt really wrong to me. Needs a higher bar

Unless you already have the Harley tattoos, I think that you would be much better off with the Yamaha MT 10. The sportster s cannot really be considered a cruiser, in fact the sportster family never was thought of as a cruiser but more of a hot rod. You are very kind in this review as most reviews of this bike have been. People tend To say good things about this bike along with a disclaimer, for A Harley. I find it fascinating that you cut the bike a lot of slack for its miserable suspension by saying that people don’t really want to ride a bike like this very far. If I’m going to spend over $16,000 or so on a motorcycle I’d really like to ride it quite a bit, not just park in front of a tavern and look at it. One last thing, that speedometer, data screen should be about three times bigger so that you can actually utilize all the information that seems to be available. That little screen reminds me of looking at my Apple Watch.

Gutted. You beat me to it. I’m out on one tomorrow. 😭

I think that is a very fair review of this Harley Bob. 👍 I think there was something wrong with the handlebars on the one I rode 3 weeks ago. The two most important hand controls (indicators and horn) you couldn't see or find them when on the bike. I had to stop the bike to try and find them before continuing. They were tucked right up under the left control body which houses all those computer controls, which personally I wouldn't use. I also had to take my left hand off the bars to operated the indicators which made riding very difficult when having to clutch in/out for slow speed riding or manoeuvring. I told the dealer but they didn't seem interested in making any adjustments, which annoyed me a little as I am an engineer and a designer. Personally, if it had a Yamaha, Suzuki or Honda badge on the bike you wouldn't have known it as the engine was so similar to modern Japanese engines than any previous Harley motor I have encountered. BTW I also own 2 Harley Davidsons. I guess emissions and regulations are making all vehicles much the same these days. I was pretty disappointed with the handling and the ride. I hit a small pothole and it nearly launched me off the bike, perhaps a little more than 2" of rear travel might help, plus there is very little in the way of comfort from the very thin seat padding. From all the marketing about it being similar to a sports bike, well I thought that funny, as the bike requires a good deal of counter steer for any type of corner. In fact the handling reminded me of the original Breakout and Fatboy. For me, there is too much tech on this bike that is really only good for the cafe run. The tech can distract you from concentrating on the riding. Anyway, two days after riding the Sportster S, I was at my local Triumph garage putting a deposit down on a new Speedmaster...

I would've really loved it to be an XR1200R essentially with more front and rear travel. I want the 1250 motor, but in something I can hooligan on yet ride comfortably all day.

Good review, it sure has a lot to offer, power and tech, but not in the looks. I'm sorry but they really hit it with the ugly stick, my god , whats with the jerry cans out front of the engine? and forward controls ? on a 'sportster' ? my two cents worth. thanks.

Whats that on your right side of handle bar? Compas, or? Pls link or name looks damn nice.

Aftermarket is HUGE for Harley..nobody has one that is bone stock..changing the pipe and the seat and this bike looks so much better..still runs 10sec 1/4mile..

I wonder if Harley will ever come out with a bike with an even bigger revolution motor in it?

Great looking bike apart from that much needed second front break disc

Why do you have a beeline? The bike has a Satnav

Bro you are awesome ❤ love from 🇮🇳

wont the exhaust burn your leg

Looks cool

Is the tank for the Sportster s metal like the nightster 975

It can bring passanger ?

that's a beautiful machine

Mine has 300 miles and check engine light just came on. Had a case of limp mode throttle..SMH

If they make a new version of the night rod or v rod I'd buy one in a heart beat. So, I Will just buy another night rod.

I want one.

This appears to be a really cool bike, I've seen one in person but didn't test ride it. I however think that Harley needs more bikes like this. They should have kept the old Sportster especially since the retro bikes are all the rage now And the older bike was way more affordable somebody want to get into the Harley brand. But also cut a lot of their bikes from their lineup that are essentially the same bike. So far Harley is doing a good job in my opinion.

Looks very interesting. The engine is powerful enough. But the passenger seat, the exaust, rear travel and the little tank are unacceptable. A trivial windscreen is very expensive! The Sportster was ever a little bit strange, the new is it too.

Can't find anyone else that has ridden and talked about the sportster s and the triumph bobber. So between the 2, which 1 would u choose motobob? And why?

Needs a standard type frame....where I live. Interstate 75 or 30 miles of twisties. Missed my interest....need comfort at 70,mph 6 Hours to Daytona.

I like it - and I'm not really a HD type of person 👀

How much CC does sportster s 2021 have?

So what does this go up against? RNineT, SpeedTwin, Indian? It’s best looking Harley ever.

i want to hear it cammed with an exhaust..

Which bike were you reviewing??? - Those thick tires make maneuvering difficult - Low handle bar and feet forward position is very uncomfortable _(& terrible for control),_ - Single disk in front for that heavy bike make very weak brakes

whats going on with turn by turn nav? you say it has it but i see that you were using beeline nav

Before Harley only offered ABS as an option, now RDRS

The engine braking on this bike is insane also. Surprised didn’t mention that in the review.

Can we start calling this engine the halo-head? Those heads look like master chief helmets.

Incredible 🙂

That front wheel looks so out of place like it should not be there, and there is a break disc missing from the front wheel, and the fuel tank is not big enough to hold enough fuel for long rides apart from that it's a great bike

Are the copper-colored parts plastic?

I like this one 👍

Why does Harley keep making the Sportster crappy? The Sportster has always been cosmetically beautiful in its various forms. Same engine case as Pan America but they limit the hp. Would definitely buy this bike if it had the 150hp stock. Paying for stage kits on a new bike to get mediocre performance gains is ridiculous to me.

Hi bro pls what’s the of name of your sunglass.

I’m not a customer but why do they expect to be paid more if you want colour ? Didn’t black used to be the hardest finish to get right ? You call it “stealth” but being an old sod I think of it as synonymous with rat bike. New engine, it looks like a plastic moulded toy from Mattel, so how are the valves operated ?

This sort of runt salesman at the Harley dealer laughed at me several years ago when I told them air cooled engines were garbage yeah who's laughing now?

That EU exhaust though... No. It doesn't sound like a Harley should!

I don’t see how you can’t just get a 1000cc Rebel, looks like the Rebel speedo lol, it only cost 10k, has cruise control, hella comfy and feels like nothing between your legs Harley loves those little baby tanks sup with that, and the exhaust is super but