The Harley-Davidson Sportster S achieved a record of covering 3,141 km in a 24-hours endurance test. Starting off the 24-hour clock at 1500 hours on Saturday, February 5, 2022, the team went through 31 pit stops, which included fuel refill, rider change and fresh tyre changes after every 1,000 km. Every rider completed six runs of an average of 100 km on each run, which was roughly one full tank of fuel. The team averaged 130.9 kmph over 24 hours to achieve this feat. A team of five riders, including national racers Anushriya Gulati and Vijay Singh who joined Malo Le Masson and Vijay Thomas from Hero MotoCorp to achieve the feat at the test tracks of Hero MotoCorp's Global Centre for Innovation and Technology (CIT), located in Jaipur.
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The 24 hours endurance test was flagged off by Ravi Avalur, Head, Harley-Davidson Business Unit at Hero MotoCorp.
The 1.74 kilometre-long oval high-speed track was specifically chosen to attempt the run to test the limits of both human and motorcycle endurance. The 24-hour endurance test was supervised by two leading members of Hero's team at CIT, David Lopez Cordoba, Head of Chassis Functional Development & National Racing Program, and Alex Busquets, Head of Vehicle Validation at Hero MotoCorp. David and Alex bring years of experience in endurance racing all over the world and this proved invaluable in the preparations leading up to achieving this feat.
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The five riders went through 31 pit stops, which included fuel refill, rider change and fresh tyre changes after every 1,000 km. Every rider completed six runs of an average of 100 km on each run.
Speaking about the experience, Ravi Avalur, Head - Harley-Davidson Business Unit at Hero MotoCorp said, "We recently took the Harley-Davidson Pan America to the highest unpaved motorable road in the world and that inspired us to do something uniquely different with the new Harley-Davidson Sportster S. The team at CIT and Hero MotoSports Team Rally stepped in with all their experience and helped us complete this extremely challenging attempt. It is a strong testament to the quality of this H-D motorcycle to have successfully endured the test and gone further than any other motorcycle in the country in 24 hours."
Harley-Davidson Sportster S retains the original ethos of the Sportster range, with stripped-back styling
Harley-Davidson stopped operations and manufacturing in India last year. But the iconic American motorcycle brand continues to have presence in India under a new business model, with a tie-up with Hero MotoCorp, India's largest two-wheeler manufacturer. After the brand was re-launched in the partnership with Hero MotoCorp, the Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 was launched, the first ADV from the American brand, followed by the H-D Sportster S.
The 1,252 cc v-twin puts out 121 bhp, (instead of the 150 odd bhp on the Pan America 1250), but peak torque has been moved down the rev range, with 127 Nm hitting at 6,000 rpm. The redline is quite high too, at 9,500 rpm, and with variable valve timing on
The Harley-Davidson Sportster S was launched in India in December last year. It's the second model based on the Revolution Max 125 platform after the Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250. On the Sportster S draws power from the same 1,252 cc, V-Twin engine tuned for more torque lower in the rev range, but makes less horsepower. The engine produces 121 bhp and 127 Nm of peak torque that hits at 6,000 rpm. The bike redlines at 9,500 rpm. The motor comes with variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust ports for sporty performance. Suspension duties are handled by Showa with 43 mm inverted forks at the front and a piggyback reservoir rear shock with remote preload adjustment. Suspension travel is limited, with just 91 mm on the front, and 50 mm of travel on the rear monoshock.
The Harley-Davidson Sportster S began life as the 1250 Custom and while the name is new, much of the styling has been retained. It looks muscular and beefed up with a short front mudguard and tail section, a high-mounted exhaust, while the solo seat takes inspiration from the Harley-Davidson XR750 flat tracker. The bike gets a 4-inch TFT instrument console and comes with Bluetooth connectivity. The bike also gets full LED lighting with the signature Daymaker LED headlamp.
