Sportster is a term that has been coined by the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company to describe a popular line of its bikes. The Harley-Davidson Sportster officially made its debut in the year 1957. However, the Sportster has continued to sell well today.

The bike was crafted primarily to compete with bikes that were being produced by British manufacturers. The specifications on the first Sportster included a V-Twin engine with a displacement of 883 cc. Harley charged around 1,100 dollars for the original 883 Sportster, and managed to sell 1,983 of them.

The engine that was placed in the original Sportster was nicknamed the Ironhead. Although the official name of the original model was the Sportster XL, the bike is more commonly called an Ironhead Sportster, in honor of the motor placed in it. Another reason people refer to the chopper as an Ironhead Sportster--as opposed to an 883 Sportster--is because as time went, on the engine displacement was no longer limited to 883 cc.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Sportsters were built with engines that were rated for 1000 cc of displacement. In 1983, Harley-Davidson reacquainted the public with its 1000 cc engine with the release of the limited-edition Sportster XR1000. However the company dropped the motorcycle from its product lineup just three years later.

Today, if a rider wants a brand-new Harley Davidson Sportster, they have two choices: the 883 cc Sportster or 1200 cc Sportster. Within 883 cc class, clients can choose from original, low, or custom models. In the 1200 cc category, they have their choice of the Custom-XL 1200 cc or the Roadster-XL 1200 cc.