Dubbed the Ironhead, HD’s new motor was freer breathing, higher revving and quicker than anything the company had produced before. Debuting in 1957, the new Sportster XL combined the telescopic front-end and hydraulic rear swingarm suspension of its predecessor, with an all new overhead valve engine. Harley took notice and quickly went to work to reclaim its middleweight crown.
#Sportster face for facebook movie
So popular were those British marques that 1953’s motorcycle movie classic The Wild One featured its star, Marlon Brando, and his entire gang astride English twins - with their logos in full view for the first time in movie history. Lightweight, fast and maneuverable bikes from the likes of Triumph, Norton and BSA were cropping up everywhere, leaving the Bar and Shield’s current K-series offerings in the dust, literally. By the time the second World War had ended, motorcycling had firmly rooted its presence in American culture - but Harley-Davidson was no longer leading the charge.Īt around the same time that John and Paul were learning their G chords, a British invasion of an entirely different sort was taking place on American streets. But riders quickly wanted increasingly lighter, faster and more nimble machines. Harley’s WL platform used in the front lines found favor with many a returning soldier and civilian alike, resulting in the rise of “biker” culture as we’ve come to know it today. H-D’s only real homegrown rival, Indian Motorcycles, was chugging to be sure, but at a much slower pace. Thanks to its contribution to the allied forces in World War I, Harley-Davidson enjoyed a stranglehold on domestic motorcycle success in the 1920s. How that came to be is an interesting story. In fact, the Harley-Davidson Sportster is the best-selling bike to bear Milwaukee’s celebrated Bar and Shield.
That their original recipe has changed very little - and continues to grace showroom floors some 57 years later - is living proof of its importance in the automotive pantheon. It was conceived with racing in mind and designed to deliver results on the track as well as the street. Before you start writing that angry email, consider this: sports cars of the early ‘50s showcased how a lightweight, dynamic chassis could create effortless speed Harley-Davidson did for motorcycles with the original Sportster. The Sportster is America’s first superbike - full stop.
0 kommentar(er)
