A leaked memo sent out to Harley-Davidson dealers reveals plans to drop several models from the company’s 2014 lineup. Slated to disappear are the XR1200X Sportster, the FXS Softail Blackline, and the FLHTC Electra Glide Classic. Also being discontinued, at least for 2014, is the FLTRX Road Glide Custom and FLTRU Road Glide Ultra, as the tourer models undergo a design refresh. The memo also indicates Harley-Davidson will drop the FLHRC Road King Classic in North America while discontinuing the FLHR Road King in other markets.

According to the memo, the changes were made to optimize the number of choices available, reduce product overlap, reflect marketplace dynamics and reduce model complexity in showrooms.

The most interesting news is the decision to redesign the Road Glide models. According to the memo, the company needed to update the manufacturing processes for the Road Glide, including replacing the fairing tooling. Since Harley-Davidson needs to retool, it made sense to give the Road King a design refresh at the same time. Continue Reading »

From Miyagi Prefecture in Japan to Graham Island in British Columbia, Canada, to Milwaukee, Wis., the motorcycle tossed across the Pacific Ocean by the 2011 Japanese tsunami has landed at the Harley-Davidson Museum.

The 2004 Harley-Davidson Softail Night Train owned by earthquake and tsunami survivor Ikuo Yokoyama is now on display at the museum as a memorial to those affected by the March 2011 tsunami. The motorcycle will be preserved in the condition it was in when Canadian beachcomber Peter Mark found it inside a cargo box that washed up on Graham Island in May.

Yokoyama, who lost loved ones in the disaster and still lives in temporary housing, declined an offer by Harley-Davidson to restore and return the motorcycle, asking instead that it be enshrined as a memory of the disaster. Continue Reading »

The 2004 Harley-Davidson FXSTB Softail Night Train that floated 4,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean from tsunami-wracked Japan will be enshrined at the Harley-Davidson Museum at the request of its owner.

Ikuo Yokoyama lost relatives and his home during the disaster, as well as a box truck containing the Night Train. The storage container was recovered on an island in British Columbia, Canada, by beachcomber Peter Mark, more a year after the 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami, with the motorcycle damaged but mostly intact.

Harley-Davidson had originally offered to restore the lost motorcycle and return it to Yokoyama but the 29-year-old asked instead for the Softail to be preserved in the Harley-Davidson Museum as a memorial to the 15,000 lives lost in the disaster.

“Since the motorcycle was recovered, I have discussed with many people about what to do with it. I would be delighted if it could be preserved in its current condition and exhibited to the many visitors to the Harley Davidson Museum as a memorial to a tragedy that claimed thousands of lives,” says Yokoyama who still lives in temporary housing. Continue Reading »

A shipping container holding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle with Japanese plates was discovered on a beach in British Columbia, Canada. The container, which appears to be the cargo area of a box truck, is believed to be one of the first notable pieces of debris set adrift by the 2011 Japanese tsunami to land in North America.

Beachcomber Peter Mark discovered the containerwhile riding his ATV along an isolated beach on Graham Island, an island south of the Alaskan Panhandle.

“The door was ripped off it and I could see a motorcycle tire sticking out,” Mark told CBC News. “So I went closer and looked inside and saw a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.” Continue Reading »

Harley-Davidson revealed their new CVO line-up over the weekend and Motorcycle.com’s own Alfonse Palaima was there to cover it … and video tape it!

The 2010 Harley-Davidson Street Glide, Fat Bob, Ultra Classic Electra Glide and all-new Softail Convertible were there and Fonzie was able to take a close look at each one.

Here’s a quick run-down of the new 2010 models:

Short Course Recap
Model	Street Glide	Softail Convertible	Ultra	Fat Bob
Built	York, PA	York, PA	York, PA	Kansas City, MO
MSRP Base	$30,999	$27,999	$35,999	$25,299
Production Run	3500	2500	3450	1300
Class	Touring	Touring/Cruiser	Touring	Cruiser
Features, Standard	ABS/Cruise/Alarm/ESPFI	ESPFI/ Alarm	ABS/Cruise/Alarm/ESPFI	ESPFI/ Alarm
History	All-new for CVO	All-new for CVO	CVO Elder at 6 years	2nd year CVO

For the full details of these amazing motorcycles, head to Motorcycle.com’s 2010 Harley-Davidson CVO Model Line-Up Preview.

Fonz also managed to do a nice preview of the bikes on camera with one of Harley-Davidson’s own CVO Team Manager, Jeff Smith, to explain the new features on the 2010 Softail and Street Glide.

See the rest of the post for two CVO videos and check out the new 2010 Harley-Davidson CVO Motorcycles on Motorcycle.com’s preview of the new line-up!  And for your convenience, here’s a link to the photo gallery of the new bikes.

Continue Reading »

Photograph by: Roy Antal, Leader-Post

By and large, motorcyclists are some of the most generous citizens in the world. Riding events all over the world bring in untold millions of dollars for numerous worthy charities.

Keeping with this theme, one hardy Canadian rider is braving the Great White North’s frigid winter temperatures by riding his Harley coast to coast to raise awareness for diabetes, a disease that has seen a rapid explosion of new afflictions.

Michael Cole, 47, began his ride on the East Coast of Canada on January 1, from St. John’s, Newfoundland. Cole is riding his 1995 Harley-Davidson Softail through the bone-chilling Canadian winter, aided by electrically heated riding gear. After having braved incredible -35-degree temperatures across the prairies, Cole, a diabetic himself, is scheduled to arrive on Canada’s West Coast this week. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled at the much warmer weather there!

Fittingly, a sticker on the side of Cole’s Harley reads: “When Hell Freezes Over, I’ll Ride There Too.”

Congrats, Michael! You’re braver than most of us!

For those of you with a generous spirit, please go to Cole’s website and make a donation.

Related Reading: Ride for Diabetes, Love Ride, Guitar Auction.

Harley with a fashion Supermodel? … A Softail !!!

I have been told that many of the outfits we see on the runways are not meant for the average person to wear but more to showoff the designer’s creativity. I guess I can safely assume this this would be the case with this outrageous outfit.

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