Harley Davidson Classic: 06/03/13

Classic Harley Davidson Fatboy

Harley-Davidson hasn’t messed much with the Fat Boy’s recipe for success. It has undergone a few engine upgrades, like in 1999 when it began running with Harley’s new Twin Cam 1450cc engine, and its eventual outfitting with the counter-balanced, 1584cc Twin Cam 96B in 2007. Since its introduction, the Fat Boy has been a leading seller in H-D’s Softail class.

Classic Harley Davidson Fatboy

The Fat Boy’s popularity is based on its classic good looks in an American-made cruiser motorcycle. Its signature traits are a set of solid cast aluminum wheels, a beefy front fork and a wide-bodied fuel tank. It combines a classic hard tail look without a rigid ride as its twin shocks are tucked neatly out of sight. The 2009 model features a rigid-mounted Twin Cam 96B engine, chrome over/under dual exhaust, and the five-gallon signature Fat Boy fuel tank.

Classic Harley Davidson Road King

Harley-Davidson’s Road King has been a staple model in the American Motor Company’s line-up for quite some time. And for ’12 it receives a few upgrades that make it more pleasing to ride than ever before.
Over the years the Road King has seen its engine size grow every few years and now it comes standard with its biggest offering yet: the Twin Cam 103 V-Twin engine. The air/oil-cooled mill pumps out 1690cc’s of power and is mated to a six-speed transmission and a belt final drive. In stock configuration the engine belts out just over 86 lb-ft of peak torque at 3400 revs. This makes it easier to motor up steep grades without having to downshift and generally allows the rider more immediate passing power on the highway. The engine emits its hypnotic rumble from dual chromed pipes. In fact, it sounds so perfect stock I wonder why anyone would bother to fit an aftermarket set-up. Similar to other late model Harley’s we’ve ridden lately, the engine’s fuel-injection settings and throttle response are superb.

Classic Harley Davidson Road King

The standard Road King comes outfitted with fixed and lockable hard saddlebags (soft luggage is standard on the Road King Classic). A claimed 1.85 cubic feet of capacity is available which equates to an extra pair of shoes, a change of clothes with enough space remaining for a few bottles of water. Sadly, the Road King doesn’t offer any kind of sound system, however, cruise control is available as an option and it performs flawlessly.

The Road King continues to be a classic motorcycle in the Harley-Davidson arsenal. It is just as adept at logging on miles across the interstate as it is running between stoplights in the city and could be one of the more well-rounded machines in H-D’s line up. It is available in three solid colors and two two-tone color ways with a price starting at $17,499.

Classic Harley Davidson Heritage

The Softail's 1584cc engine is rigid-mounted to the frame and, despite efforts this year to reduce vibration, this bike still shakes fairly as your speed rises. At 70, you're fine; hit 80 and your teeth start to rattle, while anything over 90 is like riding through an earthquake zone under mortar attack. But that's all part of the experience. You feel like you're going hell for leather without putting your licence on the line. And you feel like you own the world.

Harley Davidson Heritage Classic

OUR STEER ON THE HERITAGE SOFTAIL CLASSIC

Price: £13,795 to £14,245, depending on colour

Engine: 1,584cc air-cooled twin cam

Torque: 86 ft.lb / 117.0 Nm @ 3200 rpm

Transmission: 6-speed, carbon fibre belt drive

Weight: 326kg

Fuel capacity: 18.9 litres

Top speed: 110mph (est)

Seat height: 622 mm

Harley Davidson Nightster

THE NIGHTSTER is Harley's latest offering to the entry-level custom market. It has a 1200cc rubber mounted engine, 5-speed gearbox and belt final drive. Styling is the differentiating factor over a standard 1200 Sportster, as the new machine has a retro look, replete with fork gaiters, high bars, black rims, wire spoked wheels and matt paint job. In all, not bad for just over £6500. At least it should hold its value.

Harley Davidson Nightster

Engine: 1200cc air-cooled, four-stroke V-twin

Maximum power: n/a

Maximum torque: 98Nm/72ft lbs @ 3,200rpm

Transmission: five-speed gearbox and drive belt

Seat height: 676mm

Fuel capacity: 12.5 litres

Dry weight: 251kg

Harley Davidson Softail

Bill Davis, an avid Harley rider and engineer from St. Louis, Mo. designed the softail in the mid-1970s. His first design, which he worked on in 1974 and 1975, had a cantilever swingarm pivoted at the bottom and sprung at the top with the springs and shock absorber hidden under the seat. Upon working out his design, Davis built a prototype based on his 1972 Super Glide. Davis patented his design and contacted Willie G. Davidson, arranging a meeting in August 1976. Davidson was impressed, but made no commitments. Davidson replied six months later, stating that the company would not be able to use the design at the time but was still interested in it.

Harley Davidson Softail

Davis continued to develop the design, switching the pivot and the springing points around so that the springs and shock absorber were under the frame and the pivot point was at the top of the triangular swingarm. This allowed the traditional Harley-Davidson oil tank to be placed under the seat. Davis attempted to produce the new design independently as the Road Worx Sub-Shock, but the partnership he had put together for this purpose collapsed. Harley-Davidson executive Jeffrey Bleustein contacted Davis shortly afterward and began negotiations to buy Davis's design. Davis sold his patents, prototype, and tooling to Harley-Davidson in January 1982. After further testing and development, Davis's design was introduced in June 1983 as the 1984 Harley-Davidson FXST Softail.

Senin, 03 Juni 2013

Classic Harley Davidson Fatboy

Classic Harley Davidson Road King

Classic Harley Davidson Heritage

Harley Davidson Nightster

Harley Davidson Softail