Harley Davidson Forty Eight

Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Review: Rebel Yell!

Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight (14)

Talking about the fuel tank, it first appeared on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle back in 1948, providing the inspiration for the Forty-Eight model name. The small 2.1 gallon tapered peanut fuel tank holds strong even today with its traditional styling and modern attitude. The front end is beefy where the tall, fat MT90 tyre gives the Forty-Eight a grounding visual equal to that of a 1950 Mercury. At the business end of things, the slammed black, old school, drag-style handlebar with speedo and under mount mirrors adds to the stripped down, minimal look of the Forty-Eight. The rear again is clutter free where three reflectors flank the licence plate and illumination for turning, braking and positioning is all taken care by the retro-styled Stop-Turn-Tail lights.

Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight (36)

All ready? Let’s twist the key and start rolling. Hang on a second; allow us to tell you about the key itself, which would look out of place even if it was meant to unlock a cheap suitcase. The ones which open without notice and make all your dirty secrets go public. So you slot the malnourished key, turn it two clicks and the headlights come on. Push the engine kill switch to ‘Run’ position and the fuel-pump comes to life. What happens next though makes you want to respect that flimsy little thing.  As you push the start button, the 1202cc Evolution motor comes to life and as it wakes up, it creates a tremor around the chassis which could be measured on a Richter scale and once it settles into idle, your arms still feel the aftershocks. Blip the throttle and you’d be greeted by a sound that is closest to the one which is perhaps heard only from the deepest bellies of this blue planet, a growling roar that might fill the air when you tick off something as fictional as a ‘Yeti’. Something that would make the ordinary crows around you leave their apartments and turn them into migratory birds.

Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight (34)

The riding position is rather comfortable though, where one feels like sitting in the saddle rather than on it. Grabbing the bars makes your arms flare and once your feet land on the forward set pegs, you suddenly transcend into a different world of motorcycling. One thing we noticed though is the exposed metal rod between the seat and the tank, which makes you shudder with the thought of it turning out to be a weapon that terminates the word potency from your vocabulary. Thankfully, everything still works fine.

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2 thoughts on “Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Review: Rebel Yell!”

  1. Karan

    The links for the next page at the end of each page are not refreshing the page. A new page is opened each time.

    Nice read though.

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