Traditionally, Harley-Davidson Sportster motorcycles have held the mantle of the company's "entry-level" big bikes as they were cheaper, lighter, and generally easier to ride compared to the company's bulkier touring and Softail models. Besides being reasonably affordable, the older Harley-Davidson Sportster based on the Evolution engine (also known as the Evo engine) also built up a reputation for being quite fuel efficient, with some models known for delivering close to 50 mpg. These factors ensured
that the Sportster lineup has traditionally topped the list of the most successful Harley-Davidson bikes, ever, and remains one of the company's most popular motorcycle families. The only aberration was when the Street Glide recently became Harley-Davidson's most sold motorcycle in the U.S.
In 2022, Harley-Davidson ended production of the legacy Sportster lineup after it couldn't update the aging air-cooled Evo engine (which debuted in 1984) to meet ever-tightening emission norms. But the company already had its replacement ready in the form of the Harley-Davidson Sportster S, which featured the new liquid-cooled Revolution Max 1250T engine. A year later, in April 2022, a new bike called the Nightster, featuring the new (smaller) Revolution Max 975T engine, was launched.
This new machine filled the void in the entry-level slot of Harley's traditional Sportster lineup. As of 2025, Harley continues to sell updated versions of the Sportster lineup, which now includes the flagship Sportster S, the more affordable Nightster, and the Nightster Special variants. These models claim higher fuel efficiency numbers than the previous generation models, with the Nightster models Harley-Davidson claims 52 mpg, and the larger-engined Sportster S getting a slightly lower figure of 49 mpg.
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Real-World Fuel Efficiency Numbers For The Harley-Davidson Sportster Lineup
It is not uncommon for manufacturer-claimed fuel efficiency figures to exceed what the average consumer may experience in real-life conditions. At least in the case of the Sporster S, that adage appears to be coming true. While the official fuel efficiency figure claimed for this motorcycle is 49 mpg, independent reviews put a much lower figure, ranging from an average of 39.3 mpg (as tested by Cycleworld) to an even lower figure of 36.4 mpg reported by Fuelly. Australian publication BikeReview, which tested the 2022 Sportster S a couple of years ago, reported significantly better fuel efficiency numbers (46 mpg), which is not too far from Harley's claimed numbers.
Moving on to the Nightster series, there isn't sizable data surrounding its real-life fuel efficiency figures. In 2022, MotorBiscuit reviewed the Nightster and reported a fuel efficiency figure of 46 mpg, a number slightly lower than the 52 mpg claim made by Harley-Davidson. The highest, and very optimistic number we could dig for the Nightster from Reddit, was for a 2023 model year bike, which supposedly gave the owner an incredible 60 mpg. However, these figures are unverified, and their veracity remains suspect.
Now that we have examined the manufacturer-claimed and real-world fuel efficiency numbers for Harley-Davidson Sportster lineup, the key takeaway is that there isn't much disparity between these two numbers, especially in the case of the Nightster. As for the more powerful Sportster S, it consistently delivers mpg figures that are significantly lower than Harley's official claims.
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