Review: Riding the new Harley-Davidson Sportster S

Engineering is easy. Lean on decades of technological progress, R&D like hell, and a modern manufacturer can build a mechanically competent motorcycle that satisfies the masses. Style, on the other hand, proves elusive. It slips and shifts, deflecting fleeting trends and prevailing tastes while flirting with the culture zeitgeist. On a rare occasion a bike’s looks will resonate grandly, alchemizing desire through seemingly incidental gestures like the arc of a fuel tank, the chamfered edge of a cylinder head, or a just-so wheel-to-engine-to-handlebar proportion. But when it’s not quite right, motorcycle styling can fall off a cliff like a fashion...