The Harley-Davidson Nightster is a cruiser motorcycle from Harley-Davidson. It is currently on sale. Cruisers are built for relaxed riding, typically with a low seat, a laid-back posture and an engine that pulls from low revs. With a 975 cc engine it sits in the big-bike, 800 cc-plus class.
Power comes from a 975 cc twin-cylinder liquid-cooled fuel-injected engine that makes 89.7 PS at 7,500 rpm and 95 Nm of torque at 5,750 rpm. Its bore is wider than its stroke (97 mm x 66 mm), a short-stroke layout that generally favours higher revs. Divide power by kerb weight and it has about 406 PS per tonne; by that measure, it is genuinely fast, well beyond everyday traffic speeds. The claimed top speed is 180 km/h. It has electric start.
It has a 6-speed manual gearbox with a 1-down, 5-up shift pattern, and a chain carries drive to the rear wheel. Its slipper clutch lightens the lever and stops the rear wheel hopping when you downshift hard.
It is built around a Hoop-style frame. At the front, the suspension is 41 mm SHOWA® dual bending valve conventional forks. At the rear, it is dual outboard, direct-acting (no linkage) emulsion technology shock absorbers with coil springs and a threaded collar for pre-load adjustment. Braking is by a disc at the front and a disc at the rear, with dual-channel ABS. ABS on both wheels keeps either tyre from locking under hard braking. It rides on 19-inch front and 16-inch rear alloy wheels with tubeless tyres — 100/90-19 at the front and 150/80-16 at the rear.
The seat is 705 mm off the ground, which is low and makes it easy to put your feet down. It weighs 221 kg ready to ride, which is heavy, so parking and tight U-turns need care. Ground clearance is 110 mm — low, so take speed breakers and steep ramps slowly. It is 2,250 mm long, with 1,545 mm between the axles. Its 11.7 L fuel tank and claimed mileage of 18 kmpl work out to roughly 211 km per tankful on paper; real-world range is usually lower.
Equipment includes an analogue and digital instrument console, an LED headlamp, daytime running lamps and service due indicator. Safety equipment includes side-stand warning, engine kill switch, traction control and low fuel indicator. It has three riding modes: Rain, Road and Sports.
Warranty terms: Unlimited km or 2 years. For the Harley-Davidson Nightster, Mechiee offers a fixed ₹9,999 doorstep service.
It is best suited to relaxed riding and unhurried weekend trips. Its low seat also makes it approachable for shorter and newer riders. With this much performance, it is better as a step-up bike than a first bike.
Recommended tyre pressures are 31 psi front and 40 psi rear, solo or with a pillion. Its chain drive needs regular cleaning, lubrication and slack adjustment.
