Custom Harley is bad to the bone

Every time I see a motorbike on the road I steal a quick glance and try to determine what it is, just from its features.

Irrespective of how many times you see guys riding together, it just looks super cool. If you're a rider yourself and you see bikes while you're driving; well I guess you know the feeling.

Guys on superbikes look cool but they ride past you so fast that you don't even get a chance to digest it, whereas guys on cruisers... well they just look like bad boys.

Being on a cruiser is a totally different experience to being on a superbike; it is a lot more "bossy".

This is the sensation I got when I rode the 2012 Harley-Davidson Sporster Forty-Eight XL 1200X for the first time.

One of the garage custom motorcycles in the Harley Dark Custom line, it's designed so that the rider can whip through town with ease and still be able to take to the freeway.

Because of its low seat height, you have a serious looking motorcycle with an approachable riding stance. Added to that is the slammed black drag-style handlebar, an old school garage feature that demands a forward, aggressive riding position.

It has under- bar-mounted mirrors which can get confusing since we are used to having the mirrors on top.

The Forty-Eight also has an authentic peanut tank which first appeared on a Harley-Davidson back in 1948 - hence its name.

The Forty-Eight look is enhanced with lowered front and rear suspension and the front end of the bike looks beefy with its fat MT90 tyre.

Harley-Davidson uses the latest in technology without compromising style and function.

That means it hides electronics. The whole wiring harness is skilfully routed behind the jewels of the bike - the tank, engine and all the other eye-popping features you want to see.

This bike cruises down the road with a 1200cc Evolution engine - a motor with true Harley-Davidson soul. It sells for R114000.