Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson gives us a glimpse of the near future of the Sportster lineup with the release of its all-new Sportster S model. The MoCo breaks with 35 years of tradition by moving away from the powerplant and base design that first rolled back in ’86 in favor of a new, from-the-ground-up re-imagination that bears little resemblance to its predecessor. Modern chassis design and high-performance V-Twin power set the tone for the newest Sportster addition as the factory looks to become more competitive in its sub Big-Twin range.

The story of Harley Davidson is one of a motorcycle that came to be as American as apple pie. But it’s not been an easy ride. This interesting video traces the incredible highs and plummeting lows of an American icon and points out the problems facing the company.

Traffic-carving performance wasn’t the first thing I thought of when hearing the name Harley-Davidson, but the MoCo started changing that perception with the new-in-2017 Street Rod 750. While it is, in fact, based on the Street 750, multiple changes in the setup and equipment turn it into another animal entirely. Shorter steering geometry, a more aggressive rider triangle and a more powerful engine come together in H-D’s decisive push into the sport-standard market.

Evel Knievel is a legendary figure in motorcycling, famous for his motorcycle jumps but possibly more famous for his crashes and failed attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon. However tame the jumps might look now in the face of recent records set, they remain deeply impressive for a number of reasons.

After a revamp for the 2018 model year, Softail underpinnings are all radically different than the originals, but the overall classic look of the Heritage Classic remains largely unchanged for the requisite historical tie-in. Harley-Davidson put a new emphasis on the Softail lineup with plenty of performance-driven custom designs for the fiery-eyed pegdraggers out there, but for someone looking for an old-school cruiser and tour bike, the Heritage Classic is your Huckleberry.

Harley Davidson is set to renew its attack on the lucrative Asian market through its partnership with Hero MotorCorp, the Indian motorcycle manufacturing giant. The first model will be a retro-style mid-capacity roadster.

One man’s 20 year Harley Davidson restoration project is up for auction, with models from a 1910 single-cylinder to a 2003 Road King, including a model from every year from 1910 to 1969 represented. Includes rare sidecars.

The sound a Harley Davidson engine produces is one that can be traced right back to the very beginning of the company. Fondly referred to as ’potato-potato’, this video shows how little the sound has changed from the very first F-Head right through to the Milwaukee Eight of the present day.

Harley-Davidson updated its sharknosed Road Glide in 2017 and replaced the little-loved Twin Cam engine with its new Milwaukee-Eight powerplant, a combination that persists into model-year 2021. There were a handful of aesthetic adjustments made over that span, but the model remains pretty much as it was when it hit the showroom floors in MY17. On the current-year model, top-shelf infotainment capabilities join with a plush suspension system and premium paint packages to deliver the comfort and style H-D riders expect, and the Mil-8 107 engine turns out the torque that we demand.

It was a huge departure for the historic American manufacturer, but it seems as if the gamble has paid off as the Pan America adventure bike tops the sales charts in the Adventure Sports segment in the US, mere months after the bike was launched.

Harley Davidson comes full circle with the latest Serial 1 range of powered bicycles. However, whereas the original Harley Davidson had a petrol engine powering the bicycle, the Serial 1 has batteries and an electric motor. It’s the way of the future so you might as well get used to it.

Total visitor numbers to the 81st Sturgis Motorcycle Rally soared to over half a million, despite the ongoing risk of it being a Covid super spreader event. The numbers fall short of the all-time record of nearly 750,000 in 2015 for the 75th Anniversary event but are higher than last year, the first year of the pandemic.

Harley-Davidson ditched the Milwaukee-Eight 107 and repowered its Street Bob platform ahead of MY2021 with the powerful Mil-8 114 to give it a performance boost over its predecessor. This makes it the least expensive stoplight burner in the 2021 lineup, as well as the lightest Big-Twin to carry the up-sized Milwaukee engine. The homejob-custom look is a carryover from last year but the graphics package is unique to this year-model setting it apart from its peers.

Harley-Davidson rebrands its tourbike line under the “Grand American Touring” banner in 2021, and the American marque marks the occasion with the all-new Electra Glide Revival. This bike is a bona fide rolling tribute that brings classic design elements together with top-shelf electronics and a large powerful engine, all of a more recent vintage to make this a thoroughly modern ride.

Heavily bobbed and blacked-out, the Harley-Davidson Fat Bob came with a choice of engine — the 107-inch Milwaukee-Eight or the 114-inch version – up until 2020 when only the 114 was carried forward. These grunty powerplants, along with a (relatively) sporty new suspension system from the redesign in 2018 give the Fat Bob an aggressive bent meant to appeal to a younger generation of rider. The Fat Bob saw a complete do-over in 2018, so if you rode it before and weren’t impressed, know that you haven’t ridden this Fat Bob.

Harley Davidson’s Street Glide has been a huge success for the Milwaukee-based manufacturer. Now it is available as a limited edition in the Arctic Blast paint job. Just 500 examples available with a price tag of over $38,000! Despite this, expect it to sell out quickly.

Last year, spy shots of a ’baby’ Harley Davidson, called the 338R, were all over the internet. The bike was based on the Benelli 302, produced by Chinese manufacturer Qiangjiang, or QJMotor. Since then, all has been silent in Milwaukee. However, a new tie-in with Hero Motor Corp in India, as well as ongoing links with QJMotor, could see a small-displacement Harley Davidson suitable for the lucrative Indian and Asian markets.

Manufacturers around the world are posting impressive sales gains in 2021 over the same period in 2020. These can be slightly misleading, however, due to the enormous differences in trading conditions from last year to this but the increases could be seen as a return of consumer confidence and a desire to just get on with life once again.