First Impression: 2010 Harley-Davidsons

3 downloads 80145 Views 23MB Size Report
track-style bar riding on 4" black risers. The bars feature internal wiring for a cleaner custom look. The Dyna Wide Glide's staggered “Dual Shorty” mufflers are .
First Impression

thus the front travel remains at 5.0", same as it was in 2008. The twin outboard Showa coilover shocks are shortened, however, and now provide 3.1" of travel. The suspension, combined with Harley-Davidson fights the recession a low solo seat (the passenger pillion is separate), drops the seat height to just 25.5"—a full 2" lower than the 2008 Dyna Wide with seven new models Glide. The low-slung seat has also been narrowed in the front to by Scott Rousseau make it easier to reach the Dyna Wide Glide’s forward-mounted photos by Riles & Nelson foot controls. Ground clearance is a scant 4.2". The chopper look is enhanced even further by a .75" lift to the front of its 4.7-gallon Street Bob fuel tank. Speaking of that tank, the 2010 model pays homage to the 1980 Wide Glide through its optional Vivid Black Flame paint scheme. The ’80 model was the first Harley-Davidson ever to leave the factory with flames, each tank undergoing an extensive (and costly), seven-mask, wet-on-wet painting process. The 2010 model shows just how times have changed, as the Dyna Wide Glide’s more refined licks are applied via a Harley-Davidson’s direct graphic transfer process whereby the image is released from its backing held in register with a transfer film, positioned and burnished onto the tank using water and burnishing tools. It is then run through a high-velocity dehydration unit to secure the graphic and release the transfer film. A gloss 2010 Dyna Wide Glide clear coat is then applied and cured to complete the flame job. Harley-Davidson officials say that the Vivid Black Flame paint will be a limited-edition color in 2010 (MSRP $15,194), although O LOOK AT its 2010 model lineup, you wouldn’t know that they can’t confirm just how limited it will be. The standard color Harley-Davidson is struggling in the face of the current will be Vivid Black (MSRP $14,499), with an optional color, Red economy. With its second quarter 2009 motorcycle sales Hot Sunglo (MSRP $14,874), also available. down 30.1% worldwide and 35.1% in the U.S. (see MC Bulletins), A host of other refinements significantly alter the looks of the the “world’s oldest continuously operating motorcycle manufacDyna Wide Glide. Gone is the buckhorn-style handlebar that Wide turer” is feeling the pinch, same as everyone. Glides carried for years, and in its place is a stainless steel dirt Judge Harley-Davidson by its 2010 releases, however, and it track-style bar riding on 4" black risers. The bars feature internal appears to be business as usual. Its technological wheel may turn wiring for a cleaner custom look. slowly, but in a motorcycling version of Three-card Monte, The Dyna Wide Glide’s staggered “Dual Shorty” mufflers are Harley-Davidson continues to perfect the art of reshuffling its also history, replaced with the chrome “Tommy Gun” 2-into-1model offerings in such a way that it’s hard to notice when a model into-2 exhaust system that made its debut on the Dyna Street Bob has been discontinued. For 2010, the company boasts 35 modin 2006. The chopped rear fender with side-mounted license plate els—up from 33 in 2009, with seven new models either debuting that first appeared on the Sportster Nightster in 2008 is now on the or returning, filling in the Motor Company’s perceived price/perDyna Wide Glide, as is the “stop/tail/turn” LED taillight combo, formance gaps or replacing models that have departed because of which eliminates the need for a dedicated taillight. The Dyna Wide lackluster sales or because they have simply run their course. Five Glide’s “bad guy” black treatment extends to its powder-coated models have missed the cut for 2010. They include the Softail engine/transmission (with chrome covers), battery box and fender Night Train, the Sportster Custom, the standard Road Glide, the struts, one-piece sissy bar, mirrors, headlight bucket, and even its standard Rocker and the Dyna Low Rider (which is still available 40-spoke wheels which now feature black rims. The Dyna Wide in Japan, where it is the top-selling Harley model, according to Glide rolls on Dunlop GT502 tires in 80/90-21 front and company officials). In their place are a reborn Dyna Wide Glide, 180/60B17 rear sizes. the Road Glide Custom, the Fat Boy Lo, the Electra Glide Ultra Limited, the Street Glide Trike and two new CVOs: the CVO Softail Convertible and the CVO Street Glide. Electra Glide Ultra Limited Full-dress touring riders in search of more horsepower and torque have a new option for 2010, the FLHTK Electra Glide Dyna Wide Glide Returns Ultra Limited, which offers more power and more amenities than Introduced as the Wide Glide in 1980, then later renamed the the FLHTCU Ultra Classic Electra Glide at a base price of FXDWG Dyna Wide Glide, the Dyna Wide Glide quietly disap$24,699—some $10k cheaper than the FLHTCUSE CVO Ultra peared from the company’s model lineup at the end of 2008. For Classic Electra Glide. 2010, however, Harley’s original answer to the chopper has While filling what it sees as another gap in the lineup, Harleyreturned to its rightful place in the Dyna family. Davidson arguably added value to the Ultra Limited in the right The Wide Glide’s refinements are mostly cosmetic. Its rubberplace, starting with its rubber-mounted Twin Cam 103 V-twin mounted Twin Cam 96 cubic-inch V-twin is carried in a Dyna engine with Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI). chassis made of tubular mild steel with a rectangular backbone The engine’s Marelli 50mm throttle body is controlled by a Delwith stamped, cast and forged junctions. A 34° steering head angle adds to the Dyna Wide Glide’s chopper styling (fork angle is 36°). phi-sourced, ride-by-wire Electronic Throttle Control. Originally Trail is increased .1" from the 2008 Dyna Wide Glide, to 5.2". appearing as a Screamin’ Eagle CVO engine in 2005, the Twin Harley engineers have further toughened the stance of the Dyna Cam 103’s 98.4mm x 111.25mm bore/stroke offers a claimed Wide Glide by lowering the front and rear suspension 1". Harley 10% more torque than the Twin Cam 96; Harley-Davidson claims achieved the front-end drop by lowering the sliders of the 49mm that the 103 is capable of 102 lb.-ft. of torque @ 3500 rpm. Showa fork only, as there was enough room inside the legs to The Ultra Limited borrows another page from the CVO as it is accomplish it without making any spring or damping changes, equipped with Contrast Chrome cast aluminum wheels, a Premium

2010 Harley-Davidsons

T

12

OCTOBER 2009



MOTORCYCLE CONSUMER NEWS

Street Glide-style seat that lowers the Road Glide Custom’s seat height to that of the Street Glide, 26.3", or .6" lower than the standard Road Glide seat height. The Road Glide Custom’s instrumentation includes a silverfaced, fairing-mounted electronic speedometer and tachometer with gauges to track fuel level, voltage, oil pressure and ambient air temperature. A two-speaker, 40-Watt Harman/Kardon stereo with CD player and MP3 interface comes standard, while electronic cruise control and ABS assist to its Brembo-sourced twin front and single rear brakes with four-piston calipers are available as options. The Road Glide Custom is available in Vivid Black for $18,999 or in two optional colors, Scarlet Red or Black Denim, for $19,479.

Fat Boy Lo Electra Glide Ultra Limited

Tour-Pak luggage rack, Titanium-faced gauges with white LED lighting and larger, easier-to-read fonts. The Ultra Limited comes standard with ABS and with Harley-Davidson’s Smart Security System—a $370 option on the Electra Glide Ultra Classic. Perhaps its nicest feature, however, is one found on no other H-D: heated hand grips adjustable to six different heat settings. The Ultra Limited is available in three two-tone (standard) color options or, for an additional $1200, two custom color options. Choices include Two-Tone Scarlet Red/Vivid Black, Two-Tone Vivid Black/Vivid Black Ice Pearl; Two-Tone Flame Blue Pearl/Vivid Black; Custom Merlo Sunglo/Cherry Red Sunglo and Custom White Ice Pearl/Black Ice Pearl.

Road Glide Custom The FLTRX Road Glide Custom is clearly intended to fill the void created by the departure of another model—or in this case, two of them, the standard Road Glide and the CVO Road Glide, which have been discontinued for 2010. Both the Road Glide Custom and its sister, the FLHX Street Glide, ride on a new 3.50" x 18" front wheel with a lower-profile, Dunlop 130/80B18 tire replacing the 17" front wheel/tire combo that both models used in 2009 (their 5.00" x 16" rear wheel/tire combo is unchanged). The Road Glide Custom and Street Glide also get a new 2-into-1 exhaust system with a 4" chrome muffler that exits from beneath the right saddlebag, and a new LED “stop/tail/turn” taillight combination to further differentiate them from the rest of the FL touring family. The Road Glide Custom also receives a few more styling cues, such as a stylized headlamp shroud and a new, smoked “shorty” wind deflector to accent its custom-styling appointments, which include a trim delete front fender, stainless steel handlebar and

With the release of the FLSTFB Fat Boy Lo, Harley-Davidson once again has two Fat Boys in the lineup for the first time since 2006. That was when the FLSTF Fat Boy was last joined by its fraternal twin, the CVO Fat Boy. Some elements of the CVO Fat Boy, such as the 200mm rear tire, have since found their way onto the standard Fat Boy, but Harley-Davidson officials must have felt that the model needed to be a little lower and a lot darker. As its name implies, the Fat Boy Lo is truly low. In fact, it has the lowest seat height of any Harley-Davidson in the 2010 lineup, an ultra-squat 24.25". Harley-Davidson cut this Fat Boy down to size by reshaping its seat and lowering its Softail rear suspension a whopping 1.15". The front fork still offers the same 5.1" of front wheel travel as the standard Fat Boy, but the rear gives up .7" of travel, leaving a mere 3.6" of bump absorption—but still .5" more than the Dyna Wide Glide, with more ground clearance, 4.8". The Fat Boy Lo’s dark persona is achieved via Harley-Davidson’s Denim Black (non-gloss) paint finish combined with a plating process called Satin Chrome. Harley’s bright chrome finish is constructed with multiple nickel layers under the final chrome plating. Satin Chrome merely replaces one of the bright nickel layers with satin nickel resulting in smooth, matte-appearing finish with the durability of chrome. Satin Chrome is used to accentuate the tank badges, tank console, rocker boxes, cam cover, “Shotgun” mufflers, primary cover and transmission endcaps. Regardless of whether the buyer chooses the standard Vivid Black or optional Denim Black tank and fender paint color, the Fat Boy Lo gets the Denim Black treatment on its frame, swingarm, front fork covers, header shields, derby cover, horn cover, coil cover, oil tank, and air cleaner cover. For contrast, the triple clamp covers and nacelle, headlight bucket, air cleaner cover trim ring, rear fender supports and footboards are all finished in Gloss Black. The Denim Black and Satin Chrome are accented by a new leather tank panel with a Harley-Davidson medallion in the center. The black treatment also extends to the Fat Boy’s 3.50" x 17" front and 6.00" x 17" Bullet Hole disc cast aluminum wheels. Like the Dyna, Road Glide Custom

Fat Boy Lo Visit us at WWW.MCNEWS.COM



OCTOBER 2009

13

First Impression the Fat Boy Lo’s stainless steel handlebars are internally wired for a cleaner, less cluttered look. As a Softail model, the Fat Boy Lo is powered by the Twin Cam 96B V-twin, which is rigidly mounted to the chassis but features chain-driven counterbalancers located in the front and rear of the engine cases to reduce vibration. The Fat Boy Lo is available in Vivid Black for $16,299 and Black Denim for $16,674.

2010 CVOs

Replacing the fixed fairing 2009 CVO Road Glide as Harley’s high-end hot rod bagger, the batwing fairing-equipped FLHXSE CVO Street Glide features new 18" front and rear Agitator wheels and “full-depth” extended-depth hard saddlebags that boast more capacity than Harley’s standard-issue hard bags. Its lowered rear shocks offer preload adjustability, but no air assist as found on the standard Street Glide. ABS braking is standard, however. The CVO Street Glide’s low-profile custom seat comes with a passenger backrest, and its saddlebags house filler strips incorporating LED “stop/tail/turn” lighting in place of a standard taillight assembly for a sleeker appearance. The CVO Street Glide is available in Candy Concord with Pale Gold Leaf Graphics, Spiced Rum with Gold Leaf Graphics or Tequila Sunrise with Pale Gold Leaf Graphics. MSRP is $30,999. The FLHTCUSE CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide and the FXDFSE CVO Fat Bob are the returning CVO models for 2010, but that doesn’t mean they are unimproved. The CVO Ultra Classic’s seat and backrest have a new perforated leather insert, and its backrest now features an adjustable lumbar support. The CVO Fat Bob, meanwhile, introduces an exclusive H-D plating process called Midnight Pearl, which is featured on the Fat Bob’s headlight shell, timer and derby covers, fender strut covers and other components. The CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide retails for $35,999, and the CVO Fat Bob retails for $25,299.

Harley-Davidson’s 2010 Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) program continues with four models expected to total no more than 4% of the total production run. Epitomizing the high-end, limited-build factory custom to attract what Harley-Davidson calls “Alpha customers,” CVOs offer extra perks, such as the Screamin’ Eagle 110 cubic-inch V-twin, the largest and most powerful Twin Cam engine Harley offers, with a claimed 115 lb.-ft. of torque @ 3000 rpm. Unique chrome parts and paint schemes are designed to make the customer feel like he or she is in an exclusive club while also giving the company the opportunity to introduce hardware and styling upgrades in a smaller quantity with an eye toward future use on its mainstream production models. One example of this is Harley’s Contrast Chrome finishing process, which can be found on the new Agitator wheels of the CVO Road Glide as well as on the Ultra Limited. The process is as follows: After Technical Changes casting, but before machining, In response to customer comthe wheel is painted black. When plaints about excessive noise the wheel is machined, the raw The CVO Softail Convertible wears an all-new 5" digital speedo from the 6-speed Cruise Drive aluminum is exposed on all sur- and analog tach. Expect to see it on future production models. transmission used by its Big faces that will eventually be Twin models, Harley-Davidson chrome, but the as-cast surfaces remain black. When the wheel is has revised the gearbox by replacing the straight-cut fifth gear plated, all the raw aluminum surfaces are plated, but the paint acts with a new helical-cut fifth gear. To accomplish the change, a snap as a mask so that all of the black surfaces cannot be plated. ring groove was moved .90" to add more material behind the snap While it does not receive any Contrast Chrome parts, the 2010 ring, necessitating a change to the guide hub and requiring a larger FLSTSE CVO Softail Convertible is highlighted by its chameleon- counter bore. In other words, the change won’t be an easy retrolike ability to go from day tripper to boulevard custom in very lit- fit to earlier models. tle time. Designed to be “two motorcycles in one,” its compact All 2010 Harley-Davidsons now meet the same tailpipe emiswindscreen, leather saddlebags, passenger pillion, and upright sions standard that California has had since 2008. California vehibackrest can be removed in seconds, leaving the customer with a cles, of course, have to be even cleaner, so California-only Harley uniquely styled, stripped-down custom Softail with a 200mm wide models are now equipped with an evaporative emissions canister. rear tire and lowered rear suspension. Perhaps its most interesting The Dyna Super Glide returns with a lower seat height and the feature, however, is its all-new 5" digital speedometer, which fea- black-and-chrome engine treatment found on the Dyna Low Rider. tures an analog (electronic) tachometer around the outside of the Harley has also reverted back to the black and chrome engine treatspeedometer face. The easy-to-read tachometer is one example of ment on the Dyna Street Bob. a component we expect to see on more Harley models in the future. Lastly—and in part due to the Goodyear/Dunlop strike of 2006— Also making their debut on the Convertible are Harley’s new Harley-Davidson has formed a stronger partnership with Michelin Stinger chromed aluminum wheels and Ventilator high-flow that will see the Dyna Super Glide, Dyna Street Bob, Dyna Super engine air intake. The Convertible is available in three unique Glide Custom (and the Dyna Low Rider in Japan) models fitted color options: Inferno Orange/Vivid Black with Silver Braze Graph- with Michelin Scorcher tires. ics, Abyss Blue/Sapphire with Silver Braze Graphics and Crimson Harley-Davidson may be feeling the recession, but it is still Red Sunglo with Autumn Haze Graphics. MSRP is $27,999. giving loyal Harley customers more of what they want. 14

OCTOBER 2009



MOTORCYCLE CONSUMER NEWS