2021 Harley Davidson Sportster S 1250 Service Manual

Title:
Sportster S 1250 (2021): 65 Years of Sportster History, Reset From Zero

Description:

When Harley pulled the wraps off the Sportster S in 2021, it wasn't presenting an update — it was starting over. Gone is any air-cooled DNA, gone is the traditional steel frame, gone is nearly every part number a Sportster owner from the prior six and a half decades would recognize. What's left is a bike that borrows the name and the general low, muscular silhouette, and builds everything underneath from scratch.

At the core sits the Revolution Max 1250T, a liquid-cooled 60-degree V-twin that shares its fundamental architecture with the Pan America adventure bike but runs a distinct tune: smaller valves and intake ports, a reshaped combustion chamber, and different piston geometry, all aimed at delivering meaningfully more torque in the 3,000-6,000 rpm band than the Pan America's version of the same engine. Output lands at a claimed 121 hp at 7,500 rpm and roughly 94 lb-ft of torque at 6,000 rpm, spinning to a 9,500 rpm redline — genuinely high-revving territory for a Harley — through dual overhead cams, four valves per cylinder, variable valve timing, and a slipper clutch. The engine itself replaces the frame as the structural backbone of the bike, with everything else bolting directly to it, a design choice that trims weight and tightens up the chassis considerably.

Styling channels raw muscle rather than nostalgia: a wide front and rear tire combination gives it the broadest stance of any Sportster ever built, a 2-into-1-into-2 scrambler-inspired exhaust routes up and over with distinctive header pipes, and bronze accents mark it out from the rest of Harley's lineup. Electronics arrived genuinely new to the Sportster name too — selectable Road, Sport, Rain, and Custom ride modes, lean-sensitive cornering ABS and traction control, and a round 4-inch TFT touchscreen with Bluetooth connectivity, putting the platform's tech on par with Harley's most modern offerings rather than its most traditional ones. Launch colors included Vivid Black, Gunship Gray, and Redline Red, with pricing starting at $14,999.