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Old February 24th, 2018, 08:59 PM   #10
VaFish
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Name: Tom
Location: Northern Virginia
Join Date: Jul 2015

Motorcycle(s): 2001 Ninja 250, 2019 Harley Ultra Classic, 2001 Suzuki SV650

Posts: A lot.
MOTM - Jan '16
Quote:
Originally Posted by greg737 View Post
The article says the Forty Eight Special has an 8.3 liter fuel tank, Holy Crap, that's only 2.2 gallons! (It sounds like something from an April Fools Day fake article)

What do you think the cruising range between fill ups is? It has a 1,200cc engine, right?

I guess this proves I don't understand Harleys. I'm smart enough to realize this tiny fuel tank situation is (somehow) an attractive selling point on this bike, but I can't see why.
I thought the tank was 2.5 gallons, but Harley's spec sheet on their web page says 2.1 gallons and a estimated MPG of 48. So if you are lucky you get 96 miles between fill ups. If you are running it hard probably more like 70 miles.

https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/e...d-pricing.html

And that tank size makes my point for offering custom bikes perfectly. I like the look of the 48 Special, just sat on one at the DC bike show this morning. It's a nice bike and I would consider owning one, except for that little peanut tank. Unlike their target buyer for that bike I like to ride mine and even the 3.5 gal tank on my Sportster is a bit small giving me 120-150 miles before I hit reserve and half a gallon after that for another 20-25 miles before I am pushing the bike. If I could order the 48 Special with the 4.5 gallon tank of the 1200 Custom I might consider it. But I'm not buying a $12,000 bike (with ABS) and then dropping another $1,000 for a painted tank.
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