Harley XL883N by Roland Sands: The 'Technics Sportster'

‘Theme’ bikes have a bad rep these days, and rightly so. Most are little more than a train smash of disparate elements glued together by marketing departments with more money than sense. But occasionally you see a brand collaboration that works, with well-integrated design elements and a bike that just ‘looks right’. This Harley XL883N is one of those redeeming examples, an alliance between Roland Sands Design and Technics, the DJ and audio technology brand. Sands’ brief was to evoke the style of Technics’ ubiquitous SL-1200 decks, familiar to everyone in the business of spinning records. He chose a 2010-model...