Who on earth decided that 105 years was a milestone event? Apparently Harley Davidson did. Not content with celebrating their Centenary in style, the ever saturnalian motorcycle manufacturer pulled out all the stops to celebrate their 105th anniversary, almost completely ignoring their loyal owners club who were celebrating a true milestone. 2008 was also the Harley Owners Group's (H.O.G) 25th Silver Anniversary.
Several events were planned by Harley Davidson to mark the occasion. Kicking off a full four days of partying was an organised State-Wide ride-out. Beginning at 105 separate dealers across the country the run was planned to culminate at the Milwaukee lakefront and follow naturally through to a non-stop festival of activities and music. They also opened a museum dedicated to the history of the brand and produced a limited edition styling pack for 14 separate models in their range.
The 105th Anniversary models all featured exclusive two-tone paint schemes in copper and black with copper vinyl inserts tastefully inlaid into the saddles and copper shield decoration on the tanks and air cleaners. Some of the top models also featured something new. Something which made me stop and think when I heard it. Harley Davidson factory fitted Brembo disk brakes with advanced ABS! For a minute I even thought I was going to faint.
These aren't just any old bike ABS systems either. Because of their age-old tradition of style and image before any other consideration - a tradition which has served them extremely well by all accounts - fitting and amending an already existing setup wasn't even on the agenda. Instead the crafty engineers at HD designed a unit from the ground up and hid it almost entirely within the wheels!
Top of the Harley Davidson range in 2008 was the CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide. This is a bike with more features than an American sitcom. It has a 160 Watt stereo system, Satellite Navigation, Cruise Control and even heated leather seats! With the addition of ABS that doesn't even lock up when applied on gravel it becomes something truly magnificent.
Then there's its positively huge Twin Cam 110 engine to consider. There's a full 1803 cubic centimetres of V-Twin power under the tank of these monsters. And it's fully rubber mounted to allow the traditional Harley Shake to continue unhindered without affecting rider comfort over whatever distance you care to ride. It hardly rattles the bike at all but still sounds so beautifully 'Harley' and looks the part as well.
So who would ride a bike like this? Maybe the same kind or person who would ride a Honda Goldwing? No, I doubt it. This bike might fit into the same category as the ubiquitous 'wing' but it has infinitely more style. After all, it's a Harley Davidson and they know a thing or two about image don't you think? Oh, and did I mention that the brakes work on this one?
Several events were planned by Harley Davidson to mark the occasion. Kicking off a full four days of partying was an organised State-Wide ride-out. Beginning at 105 separate dealers across the country the run was planned to culminate at the Milwaukee lakefront and follow naturally through to a non-stop festival of activities and music. They also opened a museum dedicated to the history of the brand and produced a limited edition styling pack for 14 separate models in their range.
The 105th Anniversary models all featured exclusive two-tone paint schemes in copper and black with copper vinyl inserts tastefully inlaid into the saddles and copper shield decoration on the tanks and air cleaners. Some of the top models also featured something new. Something which made me stop and think when I heard it. Harley Davidson factory fitted Brembo disk brakes with advanced ABS! For a minute I even thought I was going to faint.
These aren't just any old bike ABS systems either. Because of their age-old tradition of style and image before any other consideration - a tradition which has served them extremely well by all accounts - fitting and amending an already existing setup wasn't even on the agenda. Instead the crafty engineers at HD designed a unit from the ground up and hid it almost entirely within the wheels!
Top of the Harley Davidson range in 2008 was the CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide. This is a bike with more features than an American sitcom. It has a 160 Watt stereo system, Satellite Navigation, Cruise Control and even heated leather seats! With the addition of ABS that doesn't even lock up when applied on gravel it becomes something truly magnificent.
Then there's its positively huge Twin Cam 110 engine to consider. There's a full 1803 cubic centimetres of V-Twin power under the tank of these monsters. And it's fully rubber mounted to allow the traditional Harley Shake to continue unhindered without affecting rider comfort over whatever distance you care to ride. It hardly rattles the bike at all but still sounds so beautifully 'Harley' and looks the part as well.
So who would ride a bike like this? Maybe the same kind or person who would ride a Honda Goldwing? No, I doubt it. This bike might fit into the same category as the ubiquitous 'wing' but it has infinitely more style. After all, it's a Harley Davidson and they know a thing or two about image don't you think? Oh, and did I mention that the brakes work on this one?
About the Author:
John Vincent writes for used motorbikes in the midlands and the moped spot in his spare time. The rest of his life is taken up by work and twin boys...
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