2022 Harley-Davidson Nightster review - good bike, but no Sportster 883 in feel, attitude or price

The Harley-Davidson Nightster isn’t a bad cruiser motorcycle, and when you ride it hard it is great fun, but I’m not sure it hits its target audience’s needs and it certainly doesn’t replace the Sportster 883 as an ‘accessible model’ as Harley claim.

Priced at £13k it is far from an affordable access point into the brand while its rev-happy nature and sterile-feeling motor also makes it a bit soulless to ride.

It’s a good handling bike and when you put the effort in the engine and chassis responds with gusto but to me it seems Harley still have a huge hole in their model range left by the demise of the 883 that the Nightster fails to adequately fill.

If it was under £10k and had more mid-range the story may be different... It’s a good bike, but no Sportster 883 replacement in feel, attitude or price.

The Nightster feels remarkably light and agile and handles really well at speed despite its conventional forks lacking any adjustment and its twin shocks only allowing the preload to be altered.

You can treat it quite roughly and throw it into bends and it doesn’t protest, which is impressive, but an element of restraint is required as ground clearance is limited. However this agility does come at a slight cost and if you hit a harsh bump, the shocks and hard seat certainly let you know all about it.

As with the suspension, the single brake caliper is old-school conventionally mounted but it is made by Brembo and comes with ABS and braided lines. It’s acceptable in its performance and the ABS good but should you wish to increase the stopping power by using the rear brake as well, the lever’s end is a bit small and tucked away, making it tricky to locate.

The 60-degree Revolution Max 975T V-twin engine is heavily based around the 1250 engine found in the H-D Pan America and Sportster S, however it isn’t just a shrunk-down version.

Where the 1250 features variable valve timing on both cams, the 975T only has it on the intake, giving it a very different character. Sadly, unlike the Sportster models, it’s hard to form an emotional bond with this motor as it is quite whirry and clattery, making it feel like a sterile modern engine where the air-cooled models had a thumping soul.

Also the 975T motor likes to be revved with the power located high up the rev range, something that isn’t really in keeping with a Harley model. Yes, the Nightster is a modern sporty performance cruiser and when the rev rise is remarkably fast, but do riders really want to be forced to thrash it to unlock the meat of the power? It is hard to see it as that kind of bike and it would benefit from more low to mid-range grunt at the expense of top-end zap.

In keeping with the ‘Sport’ family’s more ‘modern’ thinking, the Nightster gets ABS and traction control (TCS) as well as Drag-Torque Slip Control (DSCS) and even three power modes – Road, Sport and Rain. Although the safety systems aren’t angle-responsive, swapping the power mode alters their sensitivity as well as the throttle response and mid-range power – not that you want to swap modes.

Rain and Road modes add a horrible lag in the throttle response to the point it feels like nothing is happening until over 50% throttle with Rain remarkably gutless and unpleasant. The Nightster is far better left in Sport mode irrespective of the conditions and the slightly abrupt throttle response!

The Revolution Max engine was brand new in the Pan America and MCN had one on the fleet for a year in 2021. The bike did over 7000 miles and was far from fault free.

That said, early first generation bikes can suffer issues and the engine in the Nightster is in a different state of tune with a different capacity and VVT arrangement so the jury is out on how it will perform for now.

A visual inspection of the Nightster suggests it is well built but it is hard to call it a pretty bike and there is a lot of plastic and exposed wires with the area directly in front of the engine (where the radiator and expansion tank are hidden behind black plastic boxes) especially unpleasant.

That said, its long and low performance cruiser stance is appealing and the wheels are very cool. The problem is it just doesn’t feel, or appear, £13k of bike when parked up and I’m not sure if customising it will be able to easily (or cheaply) mask its ugly parts.

Our Harley-Davidson  Nightster 975 owners' reviews highlight a few issues - one with the exhaust and one with a bike intermittently starting... it's worth having a read.

The Revolution Max motor has 5000-mile service intervals and thanks to the fact it runs hydraulic valve lash adjustment, there are no valve clearances to check. You need to expect to pay roughly £300 per service with a recommended annual oil and filter change £180, which is good value.

Traditionally Harleys tend to be very good in terms of holding their value, so depreciation is usually less of a factor than on many rival machines, but the water-cooled bikes are new to the market so this is yet to be fully determined. So what of its rivals? The Nightster costs £13,277 in black (plus £375 extra for grey or red paint options) where an Indian Scout is £12,295, but it is less sporty, and the Triumph Bonneville Bobber is £12,195.

You could say the far more performance-targeted £18,651 Ducati Diavel or £18,651 XDiavel are rivals or the Honda CMX1100 Rebel at £9499 (£10,399 with DCT) or possibly the BMW R18 Classic at £19,540. Realistically, it is hard to see any direct rivals for the bike. The main problem is that Harley are billing it as ‘an accessible entry point’ into the brand, which at £13k it isn’t really.

The Nightster costs over £13,000 on the road and for that you would expect inverted forks or at least some kind of adjustability in the forks, maybe a radial brake caliper, angle-responsive electronics, connectivity, even cruise control or an up/down shifter – however the Nightster lacks all this.

Ok, you get ABS and traction control (TCS) as well as Harley’s Drag-Torque Slip Control (DSCS) and three power modes (Road, Rain and Sport) but that’s it.

There is an argument the telescopic right way up forks and conventionally-mounted brake caliper give the bike old-school Sportster appeal, and it is questionable if  traditional Harley owners want angle-responsive electronics, but the price tag tends to suggest they should be there. And where is the keyless lock on the seat so you can access the fuel tank without requiring the key? It has a keyless ignition after all.

That said, it is good to see the motor contains variable valve technology. Oh, and should you wish to take a pillion a seat for them is £145 extra. And the pillion pegs will cost you £284.