Harley-Davidson, 1989, XL 883 Sportster “H-Paradise”

Harley-Davidson, XL 883 Sportster "H-Paradise", 1989, USA

The Harley-Davidson Sportster is one of the most famous and long-running models of the Milwaukee company, introduced in 1957 to fight the increasing influence of British sports bikes in the US market.

In 1986 the Sporty will be updated with the new Evolution engine with two displacements, the famous 883cc and the 1200cc. The powerplant is still being used on the Sportster range, with a small upgrade in 2007 when electronic ignition was fitted.
The Sportster is the entry-level model of Harley-Davidson and also the most sporty of the range; racing models are usually named XR to distinguish from the road-going models, named XL.
Museo's XL 883 is a wonderful customized special. The displacement was raised to 1200cc.

Curiosities:

The first Harley Davidson’s carburetor, produced in the early 1900s, was made from a can.
Even though, a few years later the brand became so prestigious that nowadays it is the symbol of the “American motorcycle”.

The Italian band ”883“ took its name from the capacity of this model because the members (Max Pezzali e Mauro Repetto ) were really passionate of Harley.

In one of the scene of 1996 “Escape from L.A.” movie, directed by John Carpenter, the main character, played by Kurt Russell, is running away on a Harley Davidson Sportster.

Credits: Hugo Wilson, Enciclopedia della motocicletta, Mondadori, 1997; 2ruote - enciclopedia illustrata della moto, Istituto Geografico De Agostini, 1978.

Shooting, video Andrea Bocelli with Ed Sheeran, Harley Davidson.