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Harley-Davidson 2013

Harley-Davidson needs your help. The Motor Company will light 110 birthday candles next year and only a collective breath from its supporters will extinguish them all. Whether you purchase a limited-production anniversary model or a Hard Candy custom, partake in one of the various 110th celebration events, go for a ride with an Authorized Tour, or even fly to Rome to have your bike blessed by the Pope, there’s no lack of furor and it begins this month.
We recently spent five days with Harley-Davidson riding a legion of 2013 models from Bellingham, Washington to Whistler, BC, Canada sampling Dynas, Softails and Tourers along the route. And, oh, what a route it was! East from the coast across the Cascades, north through the Okanogan National Forest, into Canada, then west climbing the Canadian Cascades. The excursion was a truncated sample of Harley’s newest Authorized Tour of the Pacific Northwest.

From anti-chrome Dark Customs to sparkly bright metal-flake Hard Candy Customs, Harley-Davidson’s 2013 model line-up has a color option for everyone.

Why such an exhaustive trip for a press intro featuring nothing more than a warmed-over Street Bob? Because Harley’s anniversary emphasis is as much about riding as it is about the bikes we rode upon. But just because Harley’s 2013 line-up doesn’t include a new model (it does in CVO form, see the Softail Breakout here), let’s not dismiss the importance of the revised Bob, the limited-edition anniversary models, or the Hard Candy customs.
2013 Street Bob

Twenty-thirteen Chrome Yellow Deluxe Street Bob with optional pullback handlebars, chrome lace wheels and black and chrome 103 engine.

At $12,999 the Street Bob, in Vivid Black, is the most affordable Big Twin in Harley’s 2013 model lineup. What makes the Street Bob so reasonable is its stripped-down, no-frills construction – the perfect platform for customization which Harley recognized and therefore expanded its factory custom options in the company’s H-D1 Factory Customization program. Increased choices among paint options, wheels, foot controls, seats, handlebars and black or chrome 103 engines have been added to the Street Bob’s selections.
Building your own Street Bob at the H-D Bike Builder website saves time and money while creating a more personalized motorcycle. Harley brought a variety of Street Bob renditions along on our tour of the Pacific Northwest, and it took no time for me to realize that I not only preferred the optional forward controls over the stock mid-mount ones, I shunned any further rides on Street Bobs with mid-mounts after my first outing on one, as it’s too confining for a person of six-foot stature. I much preferred the combination of forward controls and drag bars, both of which are available as factory installed options for a $360 increase in MSRP.

Lucky Green Flake Street Bob with optional drag handlebars, forward controls, five spoke black wheels, two-up seat and black 103 engine.

The 2013 Street Bob also enjoys a stylistic makeover including the following changes:

• Round air cleaner cover with nostalgic Bar and Shield logo
• Blacked out triple clamps, powertrain, and battery box cover
• Full-length wrinkle-black cast console with integrated ignition switch
• Chopped rear fender with side-mounted license plate and stop/turn/tail lights
• Rubber isolated handlebar risers with forged top clamp

New paint options include a scalloped two-tone option or choose from three “Big Flake” options from Harley’s new Hard Candy Custom colors.

2013 Harley-Davidson FXSB

With a long, low stance and styling that puts the emphasis on its major components, the new Harley-Davison FXSB Breakout is a no-nonsense power cruiser that embodies the spirit of motorcycling while eschewing the trappings of trendiness.
The new Softail manages this feat by keeping it simple, stupid. The subtle styling touches keep the focus on its parts – a sign that the days of highly stylized bikes like the Cross Bones are rapidly receding in the Motor Company’s rear view mirror.
If the Breakout sounds familiar, it should; it’s the brooding younger brother of last year’s CVO Breakout. But while that $26,499 bike is awash in chrome and sparkle, the production model, in dealerships in April, is a stripped-down, no-BS version that should garner a far wider audience – thanks mostly to its $17,899 price tag.
For the first time, Harley has followed one of its CVO motorcycles with a mass-produced version that aims for a wider demographic. This was not an afterthought; these bikes were developed simultaneously, with the limited-production CVO serving as a tasty hors d’oeuvre to the meat-and-potatoes meal served here.

Make no mistake: the Breakout is a bona fide knockout. But it achieves its appeal through poise and confidence rather than flash and dash. The front controls combine with a reach to the handlebar to put the rider in a broad-shouldered, four-point stance. Dual staggered mufflers give the motor a mean growl instead of an obnoxious bark. The 35-degree rake and 5.7 inches of trail contribute to the long, low-slung look, and the wide 49mm fork allows the 130mm front tire to put a bold foot forward.
The Breakout’s identity is anchored by its use of gloss black on chrome; it’s an expertly applied scheme that keeps the bike from looking like just a stripped-down Softail. The gloss black adorns the frame and swingarm, headlight bucket, exhaust shields, oil tank, rotors, handlebar, and fork lowers, and it plays off the chrome on the upper fork, air cleaner, fender struts, head covers and pipes to draw the eye toward the Breakout’s major components: its engine and wheels. The doughty look is complemented by a demure handlebar-mounted speedo (with digital trip- and dual odos, range-to-empty counter and clock) and unadorned dash.

The clipped rear fender is positioned close to the tire, so there’s no light shining through between the rubber and the metal – a style crime that detracts from the fat tire profile on so many other low-pro choppers. The passenger pillion features tool-less removal that exposes no bolt holes.
In the saddle, the Breakout’s 24.7-inch seat height should be more than accessible enough for any rider to plant his or her feet at a stop. The forward controls are large and intuitive. The stretch to the drag bar, however, is not insignificant, and the effect is compounded by the widespread placement of the grips. On our ride around the Florida countryside, the vast reach seemed incongruous to the bike’s handling – but then, Florida’s notoriously straight and flat roads rarely require a rider to use much leverage. Still, this could become a comfort issue over the long haul, particularly for short-armed motorcyclists.
The posture is interactive, though, and when the Breakout pulls strongly from a stop, the rider is prepared. Power is smooth and generous, rider feedback is liberal, and the Breakout’s plush suspension keeps the bumps on the pavement where they belong.
The Twin Cam 103B engine is as ardent as you’d expect from Harley’s stalwart powerplant. Pushing 95.5 ft.-lb. of crankshaft-rated torque, it combines with a six-speed tranny to deliver performance on par with any of Harley’s current production Softails. Whether tearing down the highway or cruising the boulevard, the Breakout delivers.
With assured grace and steadfast confidence – and an MSRP lurking at or near the bottom of the range – the new FXSB Breakout surely stands as one of the Softail line’s coolest customers. As with all new Harley-Davidsons, a two-year warranty with unlimited mileage is standard, and Smart Security and anti-lock brakes are optional.

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Motorcycle Trends

Motorcycle Trends

Created by designers Bernhard Ranner, Anders August Kittilsen and Rudolf Stefanich, they are marketing their concept motorbike ZEVS as the electric motorcycle design for "real men."

The motorcycle design includes a futuristic look that does give a hint of choppers and Harley's, although the sound (or lack of it) has always been a problem for electric motorcycles hitting the market.

I do like the futuristic look of the bike, which when it comes to motorcycles making headway in the market, design is one of the key factors in successfully introducing them at a profit.

With cool electric motorcycle designs like the ZEVS, we should see more acceptance of them as people gradually embrace electric as one means of transportation.

Motorcycle Trends