Harley-Davidson's Sportster Is Returning, And an Entryl Motorcycle Will Be Under $10k

The Harley-Davidson Sportster was a fan favorite, but the company killed it after taking a loss on every single motorcycle. But now, with a new CEO, he's bringing it back, along with an entry-level motorcycle that's priced under $10,000.

By: Jonathon Klein

May 7, at 7:03am ET

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Details of Harley-Davidson's "Back to the Bricks" strategic plan are now emerging, and while I'm still suspicious of the idea that the company can double profitability this year, and then double it again by 2029, two concepts should, at the very least, help put it on better footing. Or arrest its continued fall from grace.

Chiefly, Harley-Davidson's new CEO Artie Starrs wants to bring back the Sportster, and is saying the upcoming entry-level Sprint will be under $10,000. Those, combined with Harley-Davidson's Nightster, would give a lot of folks the ability to get into the brand for under $12,000, something the brand has continually failed to do in the last twenty years.

But in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Starrs has two interesting asides about the Sportster's return and life, as well as the upcoming Sprint motorcycle that might prove to forecast rocky seas, the first being that the Sportster was a loss-leader motorcycle, and that Harley hasn't quite figured out just how much the Sprint will be when it hits dealerships.

Harley-Davidson X440T - Lifestyle

Photo by: Harley-Davidson

The big news is that the Sportster is coming back. After being discontinued in 2022, and quasi-replaced by the Nightster, an air-cooled replacement is supposedly on its way. That shouldn't be all that difficult to manage, as the Nightster platform should allow for whatever plans they have. And according to both the interview, and the strategic plan's infographics, what that means is a new 883 cubic-inch air-cooled V-twin.

No Revolution Max 975 like the Nightster here.

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A new engine architecture, albeit one that was once within the Harley stable, isn't going to be cheap to produce, however. That is, unless all the casting and milling is still somewhere on Harley's campus or in its stocks. What is interesting is the targeted price point, which will start at $10,000. That's basically the same price as the Nightster, but with a smaller motor. How Harley plans on differentiating the two, or whether they'll keep both bikes, remains unseen.

"Our riders want [the Sportster], which means our dealers want it," Starrs said, "which is why we’re so passionate about bringing it back." Interestingly, however, is what the company claims was the reason why the Sportster originally died.

2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S - Downhill

According to the Journal, "The company said it was losing $2,000 on each Sportster when it discontinued the model." That's a lot of money to lose on each new motorcycle, but during the investor call briefing everyone on the plan, "Starrs said Harley has solved that problem, too. Though he didn’t give details, a recent trade policy has exempted some imported motorcycle parts from tariffs."

"Our team has done an extraordinary job over the last couple of years working on this project," said the new CEO, adding, "And we have the cost at a place where we are comfortable against the expected MSRP that we referenced." Furthermore, it'll be built here in the United States at the company's York, Pennsylvania, plant. Reducing that original loss on the Sportster while also restarting production of an old engine, and doing it here in the U.S., is a very bold plan.

As for the upcoming Sprint, it's supposedly on its way, hitting dealerships later this year, but the original plan of it being a $6,000 motorcycle is out the window, with the current plan being it comes under $10,000. This is likely due to the idiotic tariff situation we've all been taxed from, as it was heavily rumored that the plan for the Sprint was to bring the Hero Motocorp X440 collaboration to the States. How much under $10,000 will be the make-or-break difference, though, as we've seen with other motorcycle manufacturers, the closer you can get to that $6,000 to $7,000 price point, the better your odds are at capturing the market's attention.

So what does all this mean for Harley-Davidson? Well, it's better than nothing, I'll tell you that. And bringing back the Sportster, while also finally introducing the Sprint, have the potential to be higher volume models compared to its Grand American Touring lineups. That spells good things for the Motor Co. But they still need to stick the landing and right the ship, and that's still a tall order.