2014–2020 · Cruiser · Buyer's Guide
Harley Starter Kit, Full Sound
The SuperLow 1200T is the Sportster set up for the road rather than the stoplight. It runs the 1202 cc air-cooled 45-degree V-twin making 67 hp and 71 lb-ft, fed through a five-speed box and a belt, all of it wrapped in the long, low stance the badge is known for. What separates this version is that the touring work was done at the factory: an adjustable windscreen, lockable bags, forward-set miniboards, a pulled-back bar, and a seat sitting 26.1 in off the ground. It is a light touring cruiser built for riders who never fit the full-size machines.
It works best at a steady pace on decent surfaces, where the torque peak at 3,500 rpm means you barely touch the gearbox and the 59.1 in wheelbase keeps everything calm. It ages honestly. The engine and belt drive are simple enough to stay dependable, and there is no fragile electronics package waiting to go dark on you. Buy it if you are a shorter rider who wants genuine weekend range with Harley presence and a parts catalog deep enough to make the bike your own. The caveat is plain: suspension travel is short, and rough pavement is what ends your riding day, not the fuel gauge.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 67 hp (50 kW) @ 6,000 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 71 lb-ft (96 Nm) @ 3,500 rpm |
| Displacement | 1202 cc |
| Engine | 45° V-twin |
| Cooling | Air-cooled |
| Gearbox | 5-speed |
| Final drive | Belt |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front tire | 120/70-18 |
| Rear tire | 150/70-17 |
| Wheelbase | 59.1 in (1501 mm) |
| Seat height | 26.1 in (663 mm) |
| Wet weight | 602 lb (273 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 4.5 gal (17 L) |
| Fuel economy | 48 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Connectivity
Safety
The first thing you notice is how little of a step it takes to get aboard. Both boots go flat on the ground for riders who normally tiptoe, and the bar comes back to your hands instead of the other way around. Thumb the starter and the twin settles into that uneven idle beat you feel through the boards before you hear it. Pull away and the belt takes up cleanly with no snatch. At a steady 65 mph the screen pushes air over your helmet and the motor sits in a low, busy rhythm your palms register long before your ears object. Feet forward, back upright, 602 lb sitting somewhere down around your ankles. Over patched blacktop you learn to read the road early and pick your line, and once you do that the bike stops arguing with you.
Nils collects this the slow way: club evenings, conversations in parking lots and at bike nights, and the notes riders write to him after they have lived with the thing. On the SuperLow 1200T the chatter settles into a steady shape. What owners praise is mostly what the bike already came fitted with, and what they complain about shows up once the road gets long or the surface turns bad.
Riders who bought this one to travel keep coming back to how little they changed. The detachable windshield and the lockable hard bags cover a weekend without anything bought from the aftermarket, and owners describe packing and going rather than spending a season turning the bike into a tourer first.
The gripe heard most often is buzz. Past 60 mph, owners report a fine, high-frequency vibration through the grips and floorboards that leaves hands numb and mirrors hard to read on a long stretch. Just behind it comes the response to bad pavement. Riders describe potholes and expansion joints arriving sharply, and rough roads are where they say the comfort runs out.
No widely-reported issues on record.
Where this Harley-Davidson Sportster XL 1200T SuperLow pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Sportster XL 1200T SuperLow is actually built for.
Sound, stance, and a bike people walk over to look at: this one delivers, and the aftermarket lets you sign your name on it. Plan the rally miles in chunks, because the suspension asks for breaks.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
Small towns and unhurried back roads are exactly its speed, with the low seat, real torque down low, and bags already fitted. Favor the smoother routes over the beaten-up ones.
Made for Acadia National Park · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
Straight answer: this is a light-duty tourer, not a big-mile machine. Loaded, two-up, over long days, the short suspension travel and the missing cruise control will wear you down.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road