This nameplate first appeared for the 2008 model year as a darker, leaner take on Harley-Davidson’s long-running Sportster family. The original version was part of the air-cooled Sportster era and was positioned as a stripped-back, bobber-inspired model with a blacked-out look and a more minimalist attitude than the traditional chrome-heavy cruisers that had defined much of the brand’s lineup. It quickly became one of the better-known modern Sportster variants and helped cement the idea that the Sportster could be presented as a style-led, urban-friendly motorcycle rather than only a classic middleweight standard.
The first production run was short. By the end of the 2000s, the original model had disappeared from the lineup, and the nameplate sat out for several years. Harley-Davidson later revived the name for a completely new generation, reintroducing it for the 2022 model year as part of the brand’s new Revolution Max-based Sportster family. That return was not a simple carryover or mild update; it marked a major technical and stylistic reset, with the modern motorcycle recast as a contemporary, liquid-cooled street machine while still drawing on the visual cues and heritage identity that had made the original memorable.
Because of that break in the model’s history, the nameplate has two separate production periods: an original late-2000s Sportster-era run and a modern revival beginning in the 2022 model year. The current version continues the nameplate’s role as a more accessible, heritage-inflected entry in Harley-Davidson’s lineup, while also signaling the brand’s shift toward newer platforms and a broader interpretation of the Sportster tradition.