Harley Davidson XL1200X Sportster Forty-Eight 2020 Service Manual

The Forty-Eight is one of Harley-Davidson’s most recognisable Sportsters, “fat tires on a skinny bike” with an iconic peanut tank that made its debut in 1948 and gave the model its name. It has been part of the Sportster line-up since 2010, and Harley left the 2020 bike unchanged from the year before. The styling is a signature bulldog stance, with a slammed speedometer, under-bar mounted mirrors, a solo seat and a classic 2.1-gallon peanut tank that shows off more of the engine. The wheels are 16-inch black split 9-spoke cast aluminum with machined highlights, wearing a fat front tire that gives the bike a dominating presence up front, and the exhaust is black, staggered and shorty with dual mufflers. The 2020 US price was $11,299.

Power comes from the air-cooled, rubber-mounted 1,202cc Evolution V-twin, with an 88.9mm bore, a 96.8mm stroke and a 10:1 compression ratio. Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection feeds it. Harley lists torque of 73 lb-ft (99 Nm) at 3,500 rpm by the J1349 method, which is 96 Nm by the European EC 134/2014 method, and power of about 66 hp (49 kW) at 6,000 rpm. The gearbox is a 5-speed with a multi-plate wet clutch and belt final drive. Harley’s estimated fuel economy is 48 mpg (4.9 L/100 km), and it recommends 91 octane fuel.

The chassis is a steel frame with a 49mm front fork and rear emulsion-technology shocks with preload adjustment, lowered to give the bike its low profile. Rake is 30.2 degrees with 5.3 inches (135mm) of trail, and the wheelbase is 1,495mm (58.9 inches). Tires are Michelin Scorcher 31, a 130/90B16 73H at the front and a 150/80B16 77H at the rear. Braking comes from single floating discs front and rear, and lean angles are 27.1 degrees to each side.

Harley’s dimensions are an overall length of 85.2 inches (2,165mm), a width of 32.9 inches (835mm) and a height of 43.3 inches. Seat height is 26.2 inches laden and 28 inches unladen, with 4.3 inches (110mm) of ground clearance. The tank holds 2.1 gallons (7.9 litres), with a 0.65-gallon reserve. Engine oil capacity is 2.8 quarts (2.6 litres) with the filter, and the transmission takes 1 quart. Weight is 545 lbs (247 kg) as shipped and 556 lbs (252 kg) in running order, with a gross vehicle weight rating of 1,000 lbs.

This factory service manual covers the procedures, torque specs, and diagrams needed to keep a Sportster Forty-Eight XL1200X running the way it was built to.