Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Review: Rebel Yell!

As you get ready to rock and roll, the first thing you notice is the hard clutch lever that requires quite an effort to pull and is guaranteed to give your left arm a workout. Slot the bike into first and you are greeted by a loud ‘Clank’ which confirms the machine under you couldn’t have been built anywhere else but in the Wild West. As you dump the clutch, any throttle input that is more than necessary makes the rear step out, which is fun if you know how to bring it back home.

On the move, as you come to terms with the drama involved around riding the forty eight, escapism takes a break the moment you stop at a red light. All of a sudden, the lower half of your body starts to experience different weather compared to the upright half as the heat from the 1202cc Evolution motor makes you experience dual-zone climate control on a motorcycle. However, once the gods on two wheels play Houdini and make the traffic disappear, the Forty-Eight shoots off into the sunset as you begin to get a feel of the scorching torque at the disposal of your right wrist.

On the flip-side, all that twist and the joy can only be enjoyed till a certain level. If you begin to ride this Harley, as if you are in a tearing hurry to climb the ladder to the Sun, when the speedo climbs into the upper reaches of triple digit speeds, there’s little or no SPF protection from the wind. That makes your flared arms want to lose grip on the bars and those forward set feet placed at an angle on the pegs begin to lose their placement. The flat area of your shoe sole, fighting against the wind. One way to cheat that is place the feet behind the gear and brake lever, but that is recipe for doom if there is ever an emergency situation at those speeds.

The Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight is pretty much on rails in a straight line and even on lazy bends, however, show it a pair of fast twisties and the heavy front starts acting reluctant, largely due to the excessively fat but high on appeal front rubber. On another note, two up, the rear suspension starts to bottom out on uneven stretches of tarmac while the front hydraulic unit could’ve been set to be softer as it is unable to isolate the handlebar from any undulations that the front Michelin encounters. Brakes at both ends are not sharp as a Katana but do their job well in hauling down two hundred kilos of metal just fine.

The super cool main LED candle does its job of making the front look aggressive but illumination isn’t all that great. The throw disappears in front of the glare from oncoming traffic and we had a difficult time figuring out craters in the dark. The switchgear though is of top notch quality, operates with a reassuring feel and is a joy to use.

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