Harley-Davidson has launched the Forty-Eight Special in India at a price of Rs 10.98 lakhs (ex-showroom). With this bike, the company has expanded its Sportster line-up in our country. The motorcycle is based on the Forty-Eight standard but gets a few distinctive components. Considering its price and styling, the Forty-Eight Special goes up against the Indian Scout Sixty and the Triumph Bonneville Bobber. We inspect which one is good at what in this on-paper comparison.
Looks:
From a distance, the motorcycles may appear to have a similar silhouette but look closely and you’ll find various differences. The Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Special and the Indian Scout Sixty look more modern owing to the blacked-out alloy wheels. While the Harley has a contrast look on its engine bay with a combination of black and chrome touches, the Indian gets fully blacked-out powerplant and handlebar.
Meanwhile, the Bonneville Bobber looks more retro than the others thanks to its spoke wheels and chrome elements. In essence, staying true to their genres, all the bikes have a low-slung and muscular design language. Talking about comfort, the Indian Scout Sixty, being a cruiser motorcycle, boasts of the most comfortable ergonomics with an easy-to-reach handlebar, dipped seat and profoundly front-set footpegs.
Features:
As these motorcycles fall in the modern-classic category and are focussed on raw riding experience, they lose out on most of the electronic wizardries which modern bikes get. However, the Triumph Bonneville Bobber does get traction control, two riding modes and LED headlamp which the Indian and Harley miss out on. For displaying information, all three bikes get an analogue single-pod instrument cluster which also houses a small digital display.
Engine:
The Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Special and the Triumph Bonneville Bobber possess a similar 1200cc, twin-cylinder engine. However, the Triumph leads in terms of power figure as it churns out 76bhp and 106Nm and, this engine comes mated to a six-speed gearbox. Comparatively, the Harley belts out lesser torque at 96Nm (the manufacturer doesn’t provide power details) and it gets a gear less. Meanwhile, the Indian Scout Sixty gets the smallest 999cc, twin-cylinder engine which produces 76.4bhp and 88.8Nm and it is mated to a five-speed gearbox.
Cycle Parts:
The Harley and Indian both ride on 16-inch alloy wheels while the Triumph features a 16-inch rear and a larger 19-inch spoke wheel on the front. For braking, the motorcycles get a single disc on the front as well as at the rear. As for suspension, only the Triumph gets a monoshock suspension at the rear while the Indian and Harley utilise dual shock absorbers. The telescopic front suspension remains common for all the motorcycles.
The Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Special has the smallest fuel tank capacity of 8 litres while it is the heaviest at 252kg (kerb). In terms of weight, the Triumph Bonneville Bobber is the lightest at 228kg but it gets a fuel tank similar to the Harley (9.1 litres). Now, weighing at 246kg, the Indian Scout Sixty justifies its cruiser tag and offers the largest fuel tank of 12.5 litres.
Pricing:
The most affordable motorcycle of the lot is the Triumph Bonneville Bobber which is priced at Rs 10.28 lakhs. Apart from the highest power figures, it also weighs the least and offers more features than the others. Next up is the Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Special. At Rs 10.98 lakhs, what you get is a stylish Sportster with a 1200cc Evolution engine from Harley. Lastly, priced at Rs 11.10 lakhs, the Indian Scout Sixty is a burly cruiser with comfortable ergonomics which make it suitable for long-distance riding.
