Harley Davidson XL1200XS Sportster Forty Eight Special 2018 Service Manual

Harley introduced the Forty-Eight Special in early 2018 as a mid-year model, priced at $11,299, the same as the regular Forty-Eight and the Roadster. It keeps the 2.1-gallon peanut tank, but wraps it in bold 1970s-inspired tank graphics, an AMF-era look of color stripes, and puts it above a slammed speedometer and a burly front end. The front is a 130mm tire in 49mm forks secured in massive forged aluminum triple clamps, topped by a gloss-black 7.25-inch Tallboy handlebar that’s shorter and has less pull-back than the Iron 1200’s mini-ape. Where the regular Forty-Eight is blacked out, the Special adds chrome engine covers and exhaust shields. It has forward controls, a solo seat and black split 9-spoke cast aluminum wheels with Michelin Scorcher 31 tires. Tank colors are Vivid Black, Wicked Red and Billiard White ($11,649 for the color options), and ABS ($795) and the Smart Security System ($395) are factory options.

The engine is 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, fed by Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection. Torque is 73 lb-ft (about 99 Nm) at 3,500 rpm by the US J1349 method, power is about 66 hp, and Harley lists fuel economy of about 48 mpg. The exhaust is black and staggered with slash-cut mufflers, and the gearbox is a 5-speed with belt final drive.

The chassis has a 30.2-degree rake with 5.3 inches of trail on a 58.9-inch (1,495mm) wheelbase. Brakes are dual-piston calipers at the front and the rear, and tires are a 130/90B16 73H at the front and a 150/80B16 77H at the rear. Lean angles are 27.1 degrees to each side.

The bike is 85.2 inches (2,165mm) long, with 4.3 inches (110mm) of ground clearance. Seat height is 26.2 inches laden and 27.8 inches unladen. The tank holds 2.1 gallons (7.9 litres), and engine oil capacity is 2.8 quarts (2.6 litres) with the filter. Weight is 547 lbs as shipped and 564 lbs (256 kg) in running order.

This factory service manual covers the procedures, torque specs, and diagrams needed to keep a Sportster Forty-Eight Special XL1200XS running the way it was built to.