I'm from Germany and after me and a friend did a (car-) road trip along the us west coast in 2008, I decided to finally get a motorcycle. Back then I remembered being fascinated by the XR 750 which I once saw on photographs. Out of curiousity, I checked the Harley models - when I discovered the Nightster (in ORANGE / black) I was blown away by its looks. Of course I bought it. Still ridin' it. Love it.
Do you still have it? I can’t find a decent review on it. I’m a new rider and it’s on my radar next to the sportster 1200 custom. I found one with 8k miles for $4500 2007
I also agree! HD should bring him back on board - AND LISTEN TO HIM! HD's new designers are OK, but they miss the mark - consistently!! I bought my first HD 30 years ago, and loved them for many years, before that.
@@CORYSart The new roadster has dual 11.8 inch discs with crappy calipers, the Buell XB used a single 14.5 inch rotor with either a 6 piston caliper or 8 piston perimeter caliper. The Roadsters brakes are closer to the XR1200 brakes, and that is in looks only. The XR has a better master cylinder and Nissin 4 piston calipers.
My first Harley was a 2007 Nighster and for me, this has been the best cruiser model that HD ever made. Perfect riding plus the coolest and bad ass looks.
The moniker of Sportsters being a "girls bike" probably comes from the older chromed Sporties like the 883 Low. The blacked out look did away with that. I just traded a 15 Fat Boy for an Iron 1200 because I wanted a more limber bike. Riding is more exciting now!
@@MattLaidlaw perhaps "Urban Bike" its better suited for the riders of today! Question Matt, does the 1200 have different gearing than the 883? Thanks for the videos!
Ive been ridin bikes for 25+ years. I got an iron 1200 last year and i love it. A 1200cc motorcycle is not a girls bike at all. I just didnt want a bike heavy ass bike plain n simple
Matt I personally love when you do vids like this. Even more than model reveals and rides. You should do more such as this one! Its informative and gives insight on an Era of motorcycles.
Sportster 48 was my first bike. Love it! 6 years later I still own it a ride it a love the hell out of it. I also have a street glide but my sporty is my first love! Great vid Matt!
I’m glad the Sportster is still around. After four touring models I bought my first Sportster to go with my Ultra Classic. I love the lil Sportster. Harley should NEVER eliminate the Sportster lineup. Just put a 6 speed transmission in them and introduce a scrambler model with some good ground clearance and off road suspension/tires/handle bars.
Great job, Matt!!!! Keep coming out with this type of videos. You spark discussions about different topics related to Harley and it is a nice change of pace from the awesome review videos. I started on a 2005 883 Custom, then eight months later went to a 2006 1200 Custom. I put 21k miles on the 1200 Sporster before hand it to my sister who within a month took it from Philadelphia to Sturgis SD, RIDING IT!!!!!!
Great video Matt, I agree that “the writing is on the wall” the demise of the Sporty is here! I hope HD keeps them, maybe make upgrades , but please don’t delete the line totally! My wife still has her 883 low , ‘08 model, still going! Long live the Sportsters! “Potato,potato,,potato Harley!
My first Harley was a 2007 Nightster with the blue paint (Suede blue pearl) and I loved it. It was so awesome! I’m on my third Harley now, so to say the Nightster got me in the door and hooked, is rather an understatement. I hope HD doesn’t ditch the Sporty line, maybe pare it down because there’s a lot of different Sporty models. If I could find that bike again, I’d buy it.
I fell in love with the Nightster as well as the Night Train in 1998, I was 14 and put the pictures on my bedroom wall and PC wallpaper. Really beautiful bike.
My first bike, the 2007 Sportster XL1200 Custom, will always have a special place in my heart. I'm a chrome guy, but the black stuff looks pretty cool too.
Great video! I had forgotten how much I wanted a Nightster back then. It was absolutely the bike that made me look long an hard at HD. I never rode a Nightster, but it was the bike that led me to Harley-Davidson.
Awesome video Matt! I’ve had the privilege of owning a Sportster Iron 883. When I heard that HD was discontinuing the Dyna I traded in the Iron for the Dyna StreetBob. I’ve been fortunate to own and ride two iconic Harley Davidson Motorcycles.
I love my 2015 Iron 883. If I ever get a new bike, I'm not going to trade it in. Gonna keep my sporty forever. It's kind of sad that Harley is going to phase them out. Great video Matt
Just got a new Sportster 48 and I'm glad I got mine before the Sportsters were phased out. I don't plan on trading it in if I get a bigger Harley, like the Soft Tail DeLuxe.
My first bike I bought in 2015 was an 07 nightster 1200 with custom paint and lots of willie g skulls, white walls, spoke wheels, loud exhaust, under tank lights, it was uncomfortable but it hauled ass and it got me on the road. It was good bike to get me rolling. I just sold it a few weeks ago and bought a 2016 Road Glide Ultra. I will miss that bike and it’s style but it served it’s purpose and I will always be grateful for that
Yeah, I remember when this and the Night Train came out. That's when I really started looking at buying a new Harley. Also, that's a pretty tempting deal Harley's got going with the new Sportsters...
I remember when I first saw a nightster, but know one had to tell me what it was. The motor co. doesn't create trends. They copy or mimic what they see you and i do to our bikes. Motor co. employees are at all of the major bike events and shows looking at our bikes to determine the next or a knew style, trend to mimic. They are very good at it. Mgmt. does determine what line of bikes makes it or not but believe me that it is us that determines style of that line of bikes. So get it right. They'll be watching...
Super informative video Matt! Thanks :). Brings back memories of when I just got my motorcycle driver's license added to the rest. A good Harley friend of ours recommended the Nightster to me, but I was going to move abroad to the US for 3 years, so waited to buy one. Came back, and 6 months later I bought the FLS slim which I still ride today :)
Nice!! Bad Ass bike. Just brought home the iron 883 dead wood green. Love it. But this nightster harley is amazing love the style!!!!!! Thanks for these awesome videos!!!!
At the time I had a completely chromed Vrod, which is the bike that brought me into the HD family. I loved the Nightster it was the polar opposite of what I had done. Two yrs later added the Iron to the stable w/ 1250 kit it was great! Thanks for the video Matt, these videos need to be seen by everyone that has said Harley hasn't had a new idea in 100 yrs..........Ride hard or stay home😎 ......ps: love the Evo motor but really love the M8 as well. Scrambler/ Tracker would be a great edition but I think HD is a little behind the curve on trends in the entry level bikes. In the last five years HD has lost some great visionaries and risk takers to retirement. Beals, Willie G and a couple others are hard to replace. Hopefully we'll see some some new styling and out of the box thinking from HD. The FatBob and FXDR are good starts but the price point for new riders is a bit out out line. Here's to the next 100 yrs of being leaders and not followers in the mc industry! Lead, follow or get out of the way!...Lee Iacocca
I own an '08 OD Green and Black Nightster I purchased brand new. Got the all black Vance and Hines short shot pipes, extended pegs, and a stage 1 air intake. Love my bike! 28000 + miles on her!
I bought an 2007 that was salvaged / totaled in a accident and rebuilt it myself. I fell in love with it. I will post a video of it this week on my sight.
I stopped by a dealership in Carrolton Tx during the day to kill an hour before a meeting with no thought of buying a motorcycle. This was in June of 2007, and right in front of the entry was a Vivid Black Nightster with VH Short Shots, a Screaming Eagle K&N conical air cleaner, and Sport tuner. I had always liked the Sporties but never owned a Harley. I took it home that night and still have it today.
I grew up around motorcycles I love them. When I was 14 my friend took me to the Harley-Davidson dealership were her father's friend worked. He let me walk around sit on the different bikes. This was just after the nightster was released and they don't have one yet. But I sat on a 1200 custom and from that point forward I wanted a Harley-Davidson. I agree with Sportster is going the way of the Dyna very soon. I want to buy a 48. Just so I can have a brand new 48 before they cancel it. But I just bought a street bomb sale maybe I'll get one right after they cancel it lol. Thanks for the content! I really appreciate someone in the industry reaching out to the buyer base.
I just bought a 2019 Iron 1200, as my first bike. It's a great bike and I have had a blast on it so far. I knew a guy who had a Nightster a few years ago and I credit that motorcycle as my first introduction to Harley-Davison.
Thank you for these videos...been riding my street 500 for 11 months and 1 week so in 3 weeks I get to upgrade to full licence. Your reviews have kept me frothing for my next Harley and while my head says get a sportster and then go the full size bike in another year or 2 of riding, think my heart will win out and a new Fat Boy will be on order!!!
Matt I think your spot on. The sportster line has been great for HD but with all the new models coming online and let's face it; hd is having sales issues right now......they need to trim the lineup and offer a new direction. The demise of the dyna line and consolidation of the softails was a shocker but looking back was a great move. I think the next couple of yrs will either be a make or break for hd. They better do something because current situation is not working.
i literally no nothing about motorcycles so i come i with no preconceived notions, and i have to say. i absolutely LOVE the sportster in this video. the one you're riding is perfect. i love everything about it.
My uncle has been a through and through Harley boy my own whole life here in UK, I’ve never known much about harleys other than they’re built like they’re still stuck in the 60s and they sound absolutely awesome. As a young motorcycle technician at my mates shop for the last 3 years I’ve seen all kinds of bikes of all walks of life’s such as Movistar GSXR’s, 90s Ninjas, Fireblades, Bandits, CBR’s, R1s and a whole variety of V twin bikes like marauders, but only recently we bought a beaten up second hand Nightster in white and black and I’ve had the pleasure of spending 2 weeks repairing and repainting every thing on it to sell it. I can honestly say it’s the only bike in the years of working on all sorts of bikes that I’ve genuinely wanted to buy on the spot and fallen in love with, I don’t have a bike license and my riding experience is limited to 30mph up and down the yard moving bikes in and out the shop, but the nightster will now always have a place in my heart, the way it feels, the idle noise, the roar of that lumpy V twin opening up and the way it rocks when you blip it and the way it looks just strikes so many chords with me. One day I’ll get a license and one day I’ll buy one and fix one up just to ride around town to and from the shops to experience the pleasure of it for my own
I own two 2018 HD baggers, but love my 2007 Sportster & what it stands for, great history on them. It would be horrible to drop this line of bikes, I think anyway. Thanks ML for another awesome video!
If it is true that the end is near for the Sportster it will be the final nail in the coffin for harley-davidson, mark those words! Matt I love your videos!
Very nicely done! So good, in fact, that I think you could make this a genre of videos: identifying for various models in the current Harley-Davidson lineup earlier bikes that prefigured or influenced the current model’s design. Again, nicely done.
I just brought my first Harley-davidson 2 months ago. I didn't buy a sportster I picked up a street glide. And for the last few month I've been looking at sportsters for a month now. I love the look and what you can do with them.
So I got myself the 2017 sporster 48 and I honestly love this ride. I'm also having a lot of fun putting mods on it as well. Can't wait til I'm done with it. Great vid 👌
I love my 2008 Sportster xl1200n Nightster! I absolutely will never sell mine! 12” Bars,white wall tires, Coil and ignition relocation,a Saddleman seat, swing arm bag,front fork bag and a 2” tank lift. It’s perfect to bop around town! I even sometimes leave my Road king in the Garage when I go on decent trips.
I am on my 3rd sportster, had chrome and blacked out, love both. It will be interesting to see what they come out with. As long as they don't go electric we should be ok once over the initial shock!
I was afraid to purchase a Harley as my first ride, so I picked up Yamaha 535XV to practice, that lasted about 1 month! I found a used 08 Nightster that I became obsessed with on FB Marketplace. Love it!
I out grew my 48 but every time I see a picture of it in various photo galleries I get nostalgic and start looking through used bikes for a 2015 or older 48 (I like the spoke wheels vs. the mag wheels).
A month ago I bought my first bike, a Sportster 48. The first time I saw it was on a youtube video, with the hard candy custom color, and instantly loved it. I'd never seen a 48 in person until a month ago. I test it and didn't need more than a few miles to know that I really wanted this to be my first bike.
I've been a hater of harley for many years...not really the bikes but rather the idiotic and exclusive attitude of harley owners here in Australia. But at 56 years young, I was tempted into the HD showroom (I rode there on my Norton Commando) to check out the Roadster. This actually my type of bike! I will have to eat some humble pie with my biking mates though!
Very nice video. I have a 08’ Nightster and really love it. Like you said, Nightster was the first Sportster model in this new bobber era. Sportster is a perfect HD street riding.
I love that style of bobber, beautiful bike. I’m 6 foot tall 220lbs. I would probably look like donkey Kong on a tiny bike right? That why I go big or go home.
Bought a Nightster in '09 when I got back from Afghanistan. Just wanted to cruise and be alone. I was 19 at the time and it's the best, still have it and I won't let it go. Didn't want what my father had or grew up with, I was part of a new generation of combat veteran and the Nightster suited me. I'll love Harley forever for giving me something that no other seller could.
I have a 2008 Fat Bob, black denim. I think there will always be room for the smaller cruiser bikes. I always considered the Sportster a great, "My first Harley", bike to get people introduced to Harley Davidson. It's light, nimble, and was affordable ,for a Harley. I also think that Harley is starting to price itself out of the market. What you get on a Street Glide Special, you get standard, on a Indian Dark horse. (LED lights, 111cc, infotainment Center, ABS, better suspension ,and it's cheaper) I hope Harley makes improvements on their suspension, and starts making LED lights standard across the board. I do like the Milwaukee eight, I can actually see what model car is behind me. Not just, there's a car behind me, as it shakes in the mirror.
I think the sportster is due for an overhaul. I'm hoping for a 6th gear bigger displacement engine and a better insturment cluster put a gas gauge on them for Gods sake! But I'm pretty sure a mono shock suspension is coming for the sportsters for sure! Might be some exciting changes? I for one like the improvements in the new softails! Not crazy about some of the styling but man do they run!
@Moto Danny I might be interested also? I have 2 touring bikes road glide and a street glide and my wife has a 48 special. I would sell the street glide for a smaller lighter fun bike for short hops! Been thinking about a street bob? Going to wait and see what happens?
Matt excellence video. You rightly give the Nightster it's due. It is still the coolest Sporster in my book and I really like Sporsters. I'm in my 60's and have been riding 52 years. I have owned 4,Sporster plus several big Harley's but the Sporster will always be my favorite model. I'm currently in the market for one and looking for a Nightster in my area.I think they are keepers !
Comming from more of the British Cafe world I never considered Harley until they came out with the Sportster Roadster. I love it! And so do all of my friends who ride Nortons and Triumphs. At first they made fun of me for getting a Harley until, they saw my bike, and now they totally get it. I'll be sad to see the Sportster discontinued, but I'm more excited to see Harley focus on more performance oriented bikes.
I think the Sportster is something that needs only a little change and not a complete make over. I have to admit, the blacked out theme was something I disliked at first. I grew up loving chrome and I did not understand why some people didn't care for it. I bought a 2008 1200 Custom (which is laden with chrome) and modified it with mini apes white grips and pegs with mini floorboards and Avon Cobra whitewalls. I loved (and still love) but traded that bike. I wish I still had it. The blacked out look is something I now really like, as well. The bike Matt is riding in this video is so good looking it eclipses most bikes I commonly see. I know they have to gain acceptance with new customers, but the guy that bought my Sportster never had a Harley before and is 21 years old. He loves it.
I never gave Harley a second thought after they shutdown buell. I never had much interest in them even growing up outside Milwaukee and taking a school field trip to the engine plant. I grew up riding a a kawi 80cc two stroke trail bike and was hooked on motorcycles. then one day, I saw an ad for the street rod 750, that got my attention until I found out it was way too small for me. then the sales guy showed me a roadster, which was interesting. then he introduced me to the low rider S, which wasn't too shabby. but non of them really did it. then the 2018 fatbob landed and I HAD to do a demo ride. I was shocked by how much I liked it, HD finally made a bike I could call good. the price is still steeper than I think it should be but they at least made me believe they could make a bike that backed up some of the hype. I am very interested in the 1250 custom (baby fatbob) hopefully they start getting more info out on them, and hopefully they do not disappoint in performance or in price. personally I think HD is heading in the right direction and making "sport cruisers" and that they should look at competing with ducati more directly. ducati maintenance and reliability turn a lot of riders off, if Harley can get in there and offer something ballpark, I think they will snag some market share.
Great video. I would hate to see the Sporty line end. Back in 1965 I flat tracked a Sportster, I am 73 now and still enjoy riding my 02. Please rethink how you ride through traffic.
I was a sport bike freak...never like the Harley. But one day I sat on one...fire it up and I was in love with the machine. What I love most is how it rorr and feel the kick from the engine. The only engine that play beat to me... I own my 2019 sportster and I enjoy ridding it.
Didn't look at Harley once until my dad bought a 05 street glide for a grand. I rode it once found the nightster and I'm in love I'm doing everything I can to own one.
Matt I absolutely loved the video and great content! You should really do a video on the dynas next! For example how the Dyna Low Rider S was the last dyna and was a badass bike, etc. (Owner of a 2016 FXDLS) ;)
I went to a Harley dealership looking for battery cables to hook on my Vespa for my gps. Came in and the Iron was right there. I was amazed and surprised! I had no idea Harley made such bikes. At the time, I thought of Harley as a brand for older people. I bought the battery cable and kept going my way to the Vespa scene. However, the Iron stayed on the back of my mind. Several years later, I went into the same dealership and bought the Iron. I have since upgraded to another icon, the Softail Blackline!
Miss my 07 Nightster. Customized the hell out of her. Got nothing but compliments. Never understood the Sportster hate. Fun, flickable, no-nonsense bike.
First keep on with the vids and the channel! Always looking for your next vid. Really enjoyed this vid because I did not know the history and significance of the the Nightster. It had been 20+ years since I had owned and ridden a motorcycle, but one day in 2016 I got this idea that I should get back on a bike because it would fill a void inside of me and make me feel alive again. I started looking around at different makes and models at first was attracted to low hp (500 cc or less) and low cost and really thought I was set on one particular model. Harley wasn't on my radar but something made me go online to check them out and when I saw the Iron 833, I was blown away by it's blacked out looks-it just looked mean and modern. I had to see it in person. My next day off I went to a local HD dealership and was blown away! I bought one that very day. I loved everything about that bike. It also was a great learning platform for customizing, which I did a lot of. Two of my friends saw my Iron and went down the next weekend and bought their own Irons. Keep in my that all three of us were in our 50's at the time. This platform did for us emotionally want very few things in life could. All of us kept our Irons for about a year, but then felt the need for more power and the ability to go longer distances. There are days I wish I just held on to it and when the day comes that HD decides to ax the Sportster line, well I can definitely say that there will be a little bit of my soul lost.
When I went to pick out a Harley, I intended to buy a used Nightster, but the only one at the dealership was rolling away as I pulled in. Worked out well because I ended up with my '09 Low Rider. No one rides Low Riders here in the Boston area, so that ended up being cool. People ask me if it's a Sportster & I usually just laugh and say yeah, it's the big one. On a side note, it seems that any time the old crusties grumble about the "new" Harleys it winds up being good for the company. I say, grumble away! I can't wait to see the next line of bikes in person!!! Great vid as always Matt. Keep it up brother
This video caused me to buy an 08 nightster, thanks Matt lol. Hopefully the sportster family doesn't come to an end but if it does I have the icon of the blacked out sportsters 👍
Loved the Nightster when it was released but the 1200S came first. My 2001 Sportster Sport is mostly blacked out as stock including the exhaust and has a dull grey finish to the engine. Still looks great.
Nightster’s are cool as hell. Idk why they stopped making them. I was looking for one back in 2014 but couldn’t find one and ended up buying a 48. Not complaining tho, I love the 48.
These will be the bikes that save Harley Davidson, something that’s peppy and agile but still has its lineage. It has so much character and they’re pretty quick too! By far my most favorite little cruiser (1200cc “little” lol) and I want one so bad. Best of all, they’re CHEEEAP too! Stay upright my friend, great video.
The Sportster 48 is IMHO one of the coolest, best executed bikes HD has ever produced. Stock, with no modifications. The seat was P in-the A literally and the rear suspension needed the improvement that came years later. But as far as looks and cool factor, man... I was the proud owner of the very first one to be sold in Mexico. And was presented with it on stage in the first Love Ride Mexico. ⚡️ The Nightster was the first step towards this and now I'm very hopeful for a complete (and controversial) overhaul of the Sportster line.
It would be a sad thing to see the Sportster go away. It has it roots buried deep into history as it began with a side valve engine. I rode one between 1977 and 1995. It was the 1968 XLCH version with the adjustable Fairbanks magneto and Tillotson carb. This bike always brought me home somehow...
Matt I ALWAYS love your vlogs covering the history of HD! I'm a Motorcycle Enthusiast, I LOVE & APPRECIATE bikes of all types. With that said, my FIRST bike was a 2002 FXDX and I bought it in Japan, while I was in the Marine Corps. I wanted a Sportster BUT all were either cast metal or chromed! 👎👎👎 What attracted me to it and HD was the blacked out engine jugs, rocker boxes covers, primary covers, etc. I was STOKED! I brought it back stateside and continued the blacked out theme (ABSOLUTELY HATE CHROME!). Your Baby Boomer statement was ON TARGET! I was a young Sergeant riding my chromed-stripped and suspension raised FXDX in 2003 and the OLDER Marines riding HD Chrome Sleds would give me the business! "DAMN, YOU'RE THE ONLY MARINE I KNOW WITH A HARLEY THAT REMOVES THE CHROME TO BLACK IT OUT!" "WHY'S THE SUSPENSION SO HIGH? IT LOOKS STUPID!" "WTH DID YOU MOUNT DIRT BIKE BARS ON YOUR HD?!" Those were the rotational insulting questions. The truth was, I wanted an ANTI-CHROME, American street bike that could corner deep, handle well, run, stop, turn BUT had the HD look and sound! I have Track experience from riding at Texas Motorsports Ranch, various technical courses and of all my bikes: FXDX, VRSCR (I blacked that one out too!😉), 883 Iron, Honda RC51, Ninja 636, If it wasn't for the blacked out powerplant of the FXDX, I NEVER would've owned a HARLEY. Thank you for covering one of my FAVORITE HDs made! Would you do a history vlog on the Night Train? THAT'S my FAVORITE from the Softail Family! MUCH RESPECT from the East Coast & Semper Fi Brotha!👊⚡
I'm 28 and a 09 nightster was my first bike. My friends all had/got street bikes. Now I still have a nightster and my friends sold the street bikes one got a nightster also, 1 got a 48, 1 got 72 . Brought my generation to Harley.
Im a 33 year old male looking to buy my first bike. I've always adored cruisers and i'm looking to get the Forty-Eight. Of the upcoming new line, i really like the Custom 1250. If i bought the FXDR i would probably change the exhaust and the headlights for some twin lamps
So Matt as a recent retiree I always had a dream of getting a bike. The bike that brought me into the Harley Fold was the Roadster. Your cafe racer video was instrumental in bringing me to the Roadster. I just loved the Cafe style look, along with its performance. So having a bit of disposable income I got a stage 4 upgrade and the bike just screams. I'm hoping that however Harley replaces the Sportster that a cafe racer type remains in the mix.
I just bought my first bike and it was a 2018 Iron 1200 exactly the same as the one in the video and I LOVE IT, I am slightly partial to harley but never truly considered buying one because of how big they are. I dont need something huge, I look at bikes as a quick ride around town or a ride to work kind of thing. I have no use for larger bikes that harley produces. I can ride them all day long no problem but they arent for me. Maybe consider a street glide or bagger in the future but my sporty is perfect for my needs, i can toss it around and beat the piss out of it and never have to worry about the size of the bike. I ride it like a dirt bike! Already buying parts to make it my own because i have already seen 5 different people local to me with the exact same bike!
Hey man this video was great, I do like that you mentioned that Nightsters phasing out. I'm glad I've just bought mine. It's nice to be unique in the Sportster Family. Great vid again.
My first HD was the first year 883, it was actually THE bike they used in our Cycle Canada review, bought it with 2,200 klms on it for $5,999. and no tax, great first Harley. That was almost 20 HD's ago, lol