Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Special vs Indian Scout Bobber vs Triumph Bonneville Bobber: Spec Comparison
Retro, fast and low-slung, cruiser motorcycles that go fast have been quite popular in the Americas and gave birth to the Sportster series of motorcycles from Harley-Davidson. The US-based manufacturer has a range of motorcycles as part of its Sportster line-up in India and has now added the new 2019 Forty-Eight Special in the country. Priced at ₹ 10.98 lakh (ex-showroom), the Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Special is both fast and retro, and adds to a segment that has offerings like the Indian Scout Bobber and the Triumph Bonneville Bobber. With such lucrative choices in the market, we take a quick look at how the Forty-Eight Special competes against the Scout Bobber and the Bonneville Bobber on paper.
Styling
Visually, the three motorcycles are as different as they can get but do share some similarities like the low riding stance, single-seat, and extended handlebar. The styling remains a strong point on the motorcycles and is strong character for the buyers too. The Harley Forty-Eight Special gets the tallboy ape hanger handlebar that do not make it the most comfortable but certainly distinctive. With the Scout Bobber, the long wheelbase is hard to miss but the low sweptback handlebars will be convenient on an open road.
The Triumph Bobber gets a flat handlebar and looks the sportiest off the three. The Forty-Eight Special and the Scout Bobber ride on the wide 16-inch tyres at the front and rear with cast aluminium wheels, while the Bonneville Bobber uses spoked units with a 19-inch wheel up front and a 16-inch wheel at the rear. The bikes get all-black finished components to add to the appeal.
Powertrain
The new Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Special borrows its powertrain from the standard version and uses the same 1202 cc air-cooled, V-Twin Evolution engine that is tuned to produce about 60 bhp and 96 Nm of peak torque at 4250 rpm. The motor is paired with a 5-speed gearbox and top speed is rated at 175 kmph. The Indian Scout Bobber is identical to the Forty-Eight Special in both displacement and output. The bike uses a 1133 cc V-Twin engine that produces 97 Nm of peak torque with 94 bhp on offer. The motor is also paired with a 5-speed gearbox. In contrast, the Triumph Bonneville Bobber uses a similarly displaced 1200 cc liquid-cooled, parallel twin engine that churns more torque at 106 Nm with 76 bhp on offer. The motor is paired with a 6-speed transmission, and has overall a modern feel over the Harley and Indian's old-school V-Twin setup.