The headlines are:
Two new limited edition 110-inch models.
Yes, you heard that right: 110-inch and not CVO. A Fat Boy S that makes the Fat Boy Special look like a colour chart for a nursery school, and a militarised Softail Slim S that looks like an extra from an Indiana Jones set.
Softails get the Rushmore High Output 103 motor.
Except the ‘S’ models, and you can easily tell by the air cleaner. Okay, so it’s the balanced version of the touring motor, but the critical thing is that it has the new cams, so it will generate more horsepower and spin more readily.
Heritage Softail gets an upgrade.
Ride by wire throttle and cruise control bring the classic Harley into the twenty-first century, and a couple of its siblings, while revised mounts and internals help the cleaner leather bags keep their shape better.
The Road King Returns.
Lovers of lockable luggage rejoice!
The Road Glide Ultra joins it.
And I hope the taller screen makes it into the bike it deserves to be … but not as much as I hope they’ve enabled Bluetooth comms from the Boom!Box to a headset.
The Street Bob has a new Special Edition
Drag bars, forward controls, dual seat and cast wheels in a delicate shade of black.
The Forty-Eight gets new graphics.
The move towards recognising the iconic schemes of the AMF years is starting, and the peanut tank of the beefy Sportster gets it first.
Sportsters get new rear suspension and seats.
The Iron has been singled out to show that, and Harley have taken inspiration from the streets around the world.
We lose the 883R Roadster.
Which was only to be expected: it has been living on borrowed time since the 883-1200 conversion got more expensive.
We get the 750 Street!
At last! Now we’ll get to see whether Harley-Davidson can create the 750 cruiser class that the Japanese have failed to, and having checked out the competition, it’s biggest problem is going to be European: The Ducati Scrambler. Improved brake ergonomics on the UK and Ireland bikes – including rotors and calipers – are just a couple of detail changes, and at £5,795 it is very competitively priced.
More tomorrow evening, when we get to see them in the metal.
#HarleyDavidson2016 #FatBoyS #SlimS #750Street