Harley-Davidson Sportster XL1200V Seventy-Two Test

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Everything for style !

The Harley-Davidson Seventy-Two (72) enriches the Sportster range with a chopper version, a genre previously reserved for the brand’s high-end machines. Charming, even charming, this 72 nevertheless sacrifices a large part of its versatility on the altar of style. We can not have everything….

Harley-Davidson never does anything like everyone else. The vast majority of manufacturers take advantage of the motorcycle show period (logical….) To present their novelties. The Milwaukee firm unveils its new creations just before August, which marks the change of vintage for them. Then, six months later, takes advantage of his winter convention to pull out of his hat one or two additional models. As surprises from the chef, this year we were treated to the FLS Softail Slim and the XL1200V Seventy-Two (or “72” with the subtitles). And if the Slim embodies the sober and stripped-down spirit of the Bobber trend, the 72 clearly falls into the category of Choppers. That’s good because the "Chopper" style (understand with a thin 21-inch front wheel) was until then reserved for the Dyna range, much more expensive, as well as a lonely Softail Blackline…. For the record, the surname of Seventy-Two was chosen in reference to the 1970s, when this aesthetic trend became popular in the United States. Aesthetically, the 72 draws its references from the Frisco Style, a surprising mixture of stripping (taken from the Bobbers), debauchery of chrome and colored paints embellished with metallic flakes..

Harley Davidson Sportster 72

Discovery

Placed on its side stand, the Seventy-Two contrasts radically with the rest of the Sportster range with its large front wheel, whitewall tires and mini Ape Hanger raised handlebars. Other specifics of the 72 also include a small 7.9-liter tank, forward controls, a single-seater saddle and a truncated rear guard. The last detail that will delight purists is the return of the famous round “camembert” type air filter cover, exclusive to the 72 !

Harley Davidson Sportster 72

For the rest, aficionados of the brand will sail on familiar ground with the frame common to all Sportsters and a big rocked twin cubing 1202 cm3 open at 45 °, coupled to a five-speed gearbox and developing around 70 horsepower for 10 mkg of torque at 3200 rpm.

Harley Davidson Sportster 72

Like the new Slim, the finish of this Harley is flawless. In addition to the sumptuous red “metal flakes” paint (a shiny blue and a matte black are also available), the absence of unsightly wires and cables, the “pile-pile” fit of the parts, the shiny chrome, nothing comes to you. irritate the retina. Fly-loving zoophiles might say that the black plastic license plate holder swears a bit against the landscape, but the “side plate” option mounted on one of our testing machines will fix that bad taste ….

Harley Davidson Sportster 72

Pragmatists, for their part, will rail against the independent fuel cap (there is only that at HD) and dashboard indicators grouped under the huge speedometer, which is difficult to read in direct sunlight..

As for the liquid crystal bar displaying optional information (trip….), The information is scrolled by a button hidden behind the computer, which means you have to let go of the handlebars for a little stretching session…. You have to know how to suffer to ride beautiful !

Harley Davidson Sportster 72

In the saddle

The start-up is done the old fashioned way, not with the kickstarter, but the key must be inserted in a switch located on the right side of the steering column, the latter being blocked by a separate lock. Despite its 253 kg announced in working order, raising the Seventy-Two from its crutch is a pure formality. Between the low saddle (710 mm) and the center of gravity close to the ground, you have the impression of having a mid-size roadster in your hands.

Harley Davidson Sportster 72

Once in the saddle, however, the scenery is total. The forward controls and the mini Ape Hanger induce a typical riding position of choppers with the feet forward and apart and the arms slightly below shoulder level. We are far from the caricature of certain show bikes that allow you to sunbathe under your arms, but you still need a few kilometers on your handlebars before you find your marks and feel comfortable …. Paradoxically, the 72 seems to adapt wonderfully to all sizes, whether you are a wrestler or a ballerina. A good point !

In the city

Called on a bumpy slow motion, the 72 distills just the right amount of vibration but its vocals are much more muffled than on the Softail Slim, tested in parallel during this presentation. Pity…. But faced with the big machines in the range, this Seventy-Two opposes an unsuspected ease of driving.

Harley Davidson Sportster 72

The slender 21-inch front wheel, combined with the large handlebars, gives it little handling for its weight, and the city exercise would be almost a treat if the gearbox were a bit quicker in action. The twin’s flexibility and generous torque even make it possible to stay in second gear and relaunch the clutch if necessary in very low-speed movements. Electronic injection makes it possible to come and flirt with the idle speed and then resume on a trickle of gas without risking sinking a connecting rod.

Attention, the 72 is not a motorcycle made for couriers either, between the handlebars which reach the level of most mirrors and the footrests inducing a substantial width, scratching a car body will happen faster than you. don’t think so.

Harley Davidson Sportster 72

Departmental

If you’ve read the Softail Slim review, you already know our review takes place on the ridge road. And this sublime departmental is the ideal place to identify a cycle part. That of the 72 is in the good average for customs, that is to say healthy and reassuring, but limited in ground clearance as soon as you increase the pace a little. You also have to deal with a pair of rear shocks with too limited travel to be comfortable on anything other than billiards. Once these parameters are integrated, the Seventy-Two can be appreciated for what it is, a custom made for quiet cruising.

Harley Davidson Sportster 72

Without being at the level of the new HD 1700 unit, the twin 1200 evolution offers its share of sensations. It pulls hard out of a corner, and gears that are as long as a day without pain save you having to change gears. Too bad the soundtrack is not related to the sensations. When a Slim gives you "real", "broooo" and other rumblings peculiar to a large air-cooled twin, the 72 only lets you appreciate its vocals at (very) low speed. The aerodynamic noises quickly come to cover those of the exhausts. As for the famous “camembert”, with a smaller volume than the oval models, it strangles all inclinations of expression of the admission, even letting the noise of the tilted distribution appear at times … In short, the 72 is unfortunately and involuntarily voiceless to meet current standards. A shame when we know that some machines like the Aprilia RSV4 or the Ducati Diavel manage to circumvent the standards with all that is more legal tricks.

Fortunately for the Seventy-two, the use of the "stage 1" engine kit, although illegal, allows it to find a ramage more consistent with its plumage without attracting the wrath of the constabulary. Mandatory option for music lovers.

Harley Davidson Sportster 72

Motorways and expressways

Going through the highway box with this Harley chopper requires a certain amount of self-sacrifice. The stiff suspensions and the not very thick saddle are already two big brakes in this type of exercise. If we add a cruising speed limited to 110 km / h so as not to suffer too much from the wind resistance imposed by the raised handlebars and a range limited to just over 100 kilometers by the small tank, you will understand that the long journeys with this machine are to be avoided. It is not the philosophy of the machine which is there to have fun on the small roads.

Harley Davidson Sportster 72

Braking

The front brake, a single disc pinched by a two-piston caliper, lacks attack, bite and feel. But if you add the rear brake and engine brake into the equation, the 72 is able to brake very short. Reserved for emergencies only, the rear tends to block easily ….

Comfort / Duo

Here too, the 72 pays dearly for the Frisco Style. The duo is banned due to the lack of a passenger seat and the element dedicated to the driver is very thin and too flat. At the first big acceleration, the buttocks tend to want to go over the rear mudguard and we quickly find ourselves “feathered”, clinging to the big handlebars as best we can to stay in place..

Harley Davidson Sportster 72

Accessories

The catalog of home accessories is so vast that it is virtually possible to transform the 72 into anything to suit your needs or desires. Even if it means distorting the initial concept !

The 72 can thus have the windshield, large fuel tank and thick two-seater saddle attached to take on the highway as a duo. But perhaps the most edifying example of Harley-Davidson’s stylistic versatility can be found on the brand’s website. By clicking on the “personalization” box on the page dedicated to the Seventy-Two, you will be surprised to discover a magnificent old school Bobber, all in black, dressed with a suspended saddle and dragster type handlebars. Of course, these options come at a high price, but the possibility of accessorizing an HD as desired is one of the decisive purchase criteria.

Harley Davidson Sportster 72

Conclusion

For the pragmatic biker, this chopperized version of the Sportster 1200 is heresy. Not versatile for two cents, the Seventy-Two lacks autonomy, comfort and sacrifices far too many practicalities on the altar of its distinctive aesthetic. Even when compared to other Sportsters, it is the least functional and the most expensive model in the range. But now, we rarely buy a chopper for its practical aspects. The 72 is placed in a micro-niche, offbeat and atypical and if we refer to the canons of the genre, it has solid arguments starting with a top finish, a polished aesthetic, an obvious grip and especially its attack price against Choppers of larger displacement in the Harley range. Starting at € 11,095, the Sportster XL1200V Seventy-Two is € 2,600 cheaper than a Dyna Street Bob. The few foreign competitors are less expensive, but the low discount on the resale of the Seventy-Two partly compensates for this handicap ….

Strong points

  • style
  • finishing
  • grip

Weak points

  • autonomy
  • spartan comfort
  • twin choked by standards

available in matt black, glossy black and red

The SportSter 72 technical sheet

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