Harley Davidson XL1200N Sportster Nightster 2011 Service Manual

Harley's own line on the Nightster is that it has prowled the streets with a deep, menacing growl since 2007. It is a low, dark and aggressive Dark Custom bike with a 1200cc knockout punch. For 2011 it came with eight new paint schemes. The finishes are black on black, with a medium-gray powder-coated engine and polished covers, a chrome exhaust and low front and rear suspension. It has a Sportster Classic solo seat and a 3.3-gallon fuel tank. The 2011 colours were Vivid Black and Cool Blue Pearl as solids, Scarlet Red/Vivid Black as a two-tone, and Psychedelic Purple/Vivid Black and Apple Green/Vivid Black as customs. The Vivid Black bike listed at $9,999.

Power comes from the air-cooled 1,200cc Evolution V-twin, with a 88.9mm x 96.8mm (3.5 x 3.8-inch) bore and stroke and a 9.7:1 compression ratio, fed by Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection. Torque is about 107 Nm (79 lb-ft) at 4,000 rpm. The gearbox is a 5-speed with a 57/38 chain primary and a 68/29 belt final drive. Fuel economy is rated at about 49 mpg.

The styling is chopped and blacked out. It has black laced steel wheels with chrome spokes and black hubs, 19 inches at the front and 16 at the rear. It has a chopped front fender with black brackets and lightening holes, a chopped rear fender with black supports and a belt guard with lightening holes. Black fork sliders and gaiters, black hand and foot controls, a side-mounted license plate, combined stop/turn/tail lights and a black headlamp with a satin trim ring complete it, along with a black low-rise bar and riser.

Suspension is a 39mm fork with about 3.6 inches of travel and coil-over rear shocks with about 1.6 inches. Brakes are a single disc at each wheel, with a two-piston front caliper. Confirmed figures list a 30.4-degree rake with 117mm (4.6 inches) of trail. Seat height is 25.3 inches laden and 26.9 inches unladen, and weight is about 562 lbs wet. The 2012 update added black side covers and Michelin Scorcher 31 tires, so a 2011 bike runs different tires and side covers.

This factory service manual covers the procedures, torque specs, and diagrams needed to keep a 2011 Sportster Nightster XL1200N running the way it was built to.