HOG 043 (Dec. 2017)

HOG® MAGAZINE CANADA

DECEMBER

2017

|

CANADIAN EDITION

DECEMBER 2017

LEAN, MEAN MACHINE:

THE 2018 HARLEY-DAVIDSON ® SOFTAIL® MODELS

P D 1 3 B R O T H E R H O O D O F T H E R O A D 2 0 1 8 C V O M O D E L S $6.99CAN

HOG.COM

The all-new Fat Bob® in the H-D® Powertrain Operations Facility where the Milwaukee-Eight ™ V-Twin is hardened by fire.

Mix the massive power of a Milwaukee-Eight™ 107 or 114 V-twin with an all-new, lighter, stiffer Softail® frame and high-performance suspension. Turn the dials to maximum agility and acceleration. Then add dark, aggressive styling for a take-no-prisoners look.

The all-new Fat Bob® model runs right on the edge. Take a test ride. And when you twist the throttle, hang on. H-D.com/testride Vehicles and parts shown may vary visually by market and may differ from vehicles manufactured and delivered. See your Harley-Davidson dealer for details. Handlebars are regulated in many locations. Check local laws to ensure your motorcycle meets applicable regulations. ©2017 H-D or its affiliates. HARLEY-DAVIDSON, HARLEY, H-D, and the Bar and Shield Logo are among the trademarks of H-D U.S.A., LLC. Third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All comparisons made are between original equipment 2017 and 2018 models.

performance : white knuckle. style : brass knuckle.

performance : white knuckle. style : brass knuckle.

HOG® MAGAZINE CANADA

DE CE M B E R 2017

INSIDE

36

FEATURES 26 48 Hours in Portland

46 Jack of All Trades

Meet some of the burgeoning creative community and take in the eclectic charm of Oregon’s trendiest city.

Master of all, the new Harley-Davidson® Sport Glide motorcycle is as adaptable as the day is long.

32 Cream of the Crop

48 Weekend to the Coast

Introducing the stunning 2018 CVO range of limited-edition factory-custom motorcycles.

A B.C. couple crams plenty of riding into a Vancouver Island jaunt.

50 Trip of a Lifetime 36 Lean, Mean Machine

Two Alberta riders stretch the road real long.

The 2018 Softail® lineup features less weight, more power and more lean angle.

53 Brotherhood of the Road Your fellow Harley-Davidson® riders always have your back.

42 The Roots of Heritage We trace the new 2018 Heritage Classic motorcycle back to the model that inspired its classic style.

HOG ® MAGAZ I NE C A N A DA

ON THE COVER

The new 2018 Harley-Davidson® Softail® lineup launched in September.

Photo by Brian Nelson.

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53 6 Intake 10 Opening Shots

THE WORD 15 HD News Notes from the world of Harley.

18 Gear Introducing the new Limited-Edition 115th Anniversary Collection.

20 Next Ride Riding the Natchez Trace Parkway.

22 Friday 13th: Port Dover Taking part in Canada’s longest running biker rally.

EXHAUST 54 Enthusiasts Readers and riders share pictures and stories.

60 Between the Lines Fixing technical issues while on the road.

62 H-D Museum The story of Charles H. Lang, the first official Harley-Davidson® dealer.

64 150 Dollar Rides A daytrip around Harley-Davidson’s Wisconsin heartland.

66 Last Stop Back in the saddle: After a devastating accident, Michel Forget embraces life on three wheels.

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SOUND OFF – LOUD AND PROUD.

INTAKE FROM THE EDITOR

FEEDBACK

Looking Ahead to 2018

Sounding Off About Wind Noise

U

NLESS YOU’RE IN beautiful British

Columbia, you’ve most likely tucked your motorcycle away in the garage for winter, linked to its trickle charger lifeline. Yes, it’s a sad season for us all.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking back on the rides I was lucky enough to get in this past season as well as those that evaded me yet again (Cabot Trail, you continue to be a tricky one!). I realized I gauge my contentedness with the summer season not by how many cottages I made it to, how good my golf game was (read: not very) or how many invitations to friends’ boats I was able to conjure up, but rather by the number of kilometres I rode.

I’ve been riding for just over six years now, but I can still vividly remember that indescribable feeling that took over my whole being the first spring after I learned to ride. I now recognize that feeling as “the spring twitch.” Throughout the long winter months, distractions are an important way to lessen that twitch.

Topping my list of great winter distractions is reliving memories of summer past: Friends, adventures, destinations and skills improvement (for me, living in the country, this often occurs by way of unexpected road critters). Next up is bike shows, where I’m guaranteed to find a crowd sympathetic to my winter riding blues. Be sure to come out to one of The Motorcycle Shows taking place in Calgary, Edmonton, Abbotsford, Quebec City, Toronto and Montreal in January and February 2018. Third on my list is planning for the riding season ahead. 2018 is literally just around the bend and is already looking like a very exciting year for us here at Harley-Davidson.

Among the many reasons to get engaged and excited next year are the 35th anniversary of HOG® and the 115th anniversary of Harley-Davidson Motor Company.

HOG chapters from around the world will come together to celebrate the unique and cherished spirit of H-D. Rides home are being planned over two continents, with festivities in Prague and Milwaukee, so be on the lookout for information on both of these exciting gatherings.

2017 has been an epic year in motorcycling, and we hope that your memories and experiences are as amazing as ours. There will be many events and rallies as we celebrate 35 years of HOG in 2018, and we look forward to seeing you out there.

Until then, stay warm and keep focused on the roads ahead.

KAREN MAYBERRY

Lead, Consumer Experience and Public Relations, Harley-Davidson Canada

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DECEMBER 2017

To say the least, wind noise (July 2017) is a really good topic. I retired from a somewhat noisy profession and do have some hearing concerns.

Therefore, the use of some kind of wind noise reduction is very important to maintaining the level of hearing I have left.

Both my wife and I wear half helmets when riding, and it’s only been since 2015 that we could communicate with each other via radio. We use the Boom! Audio Premium Half Helmet Headset and find this to be fairly good “protection” from the wind noise.

MYLES ANDERSON

Cobble Hill, B.C.

I used to wear a half helmet, and while it looked cool, it was definitely hard on the ears, both sonically and from wind/ sun damage to the skin. I switched to a three-quarter or “football” helmet, open-faced, and I found that the wind noise was pretty much eliminated, I was more comfortable, so I could ride longer, and amazingly I can hear my bike stereo better because the sound comes in from in front of the helmet but without the side wind noise (white noise) drowning it out. I also think my old-school helmet looks pretty cool too.

PETER BYRNE

Vancouver, B.C.

Bugs Be Gone With all due respect to Harley- Davidson and all related cleaning products, there is an easier way to clean bugs from one’s windshield, visor, paint, and so on.

Jeff and Elaine Hewitt riding two-up.

I have been cleaning my windshield using a product called Plexus, originally created for use on aircraft windshields.

For everyday use, it not only cleans bugs in a flash but leaves a great protective finish on your windshield to prevent hairline scratches, oil stains and even yellowing/clouding. My windshield on my 2009 Heritage Softail™ looks as good as the day I bought it.

In terms of paint, Meguiar’s NXT Next Generation Tech Wax 2.0 is superb. I have 50+ coats on my Heritage and it looks better than new. I once asked a person at an antique car show how he got his old car to look so good. He said NXT. I asked if I he uses it often and his response was, “You can’t ever use too much wax.”

When it comes to metal polish, Blue Magic is awesome. It applies easily and quickly and leaves a shine that not only defines the “wow” factor but also leaves the super-awesome deep “black chrome” look on all my chrome and rims. It can also be used on mag rims.

Now, having highly recommended these products, they do not come cheap.

Additionally, they may not be easy to find.

NXT and Blue Magic can be found at Princess Auto. For Plexus, Amazon is your best bet.

LORNE WERBENUK

Kanata, Ontario

Best of Both Regarding the July story about riding two-up versus two bikes: we have found joy in both! My wife, Elaine, has started riding this year and is really enjoying it. We now load two bikes in the toy hauler and split our time when touring, or riding locally, between riding two bikes and riding two-up. It’s the best of both worlds!

Just because your passenger starts riding doesn’t mean you have to give up all the wonderful parts of touring two-up. This is us riding the 9N near Bolton Landing, New York, during Americade this year on our 2010 Road King®.

the road to continue my five-hour journey (I had to be back to work the next day). I very much appreciated service manager Clark and his staff.

Within 40 minutes I was on my way with a new shifter linkage kit and a very reasonable bill for services rendered.

No other manufacturer has this service network, which enables Harley users to cruise North America with peace of mind that when needed a courteous dealer network is available.

GENE J. DEVEREUX

Moncton, New Brunswick Past Director, Moncton HOG® Chapter

JEFF HEWITT

Stoney Creek, Ontario

Take It When You Get It Back on the Road My buddy and I were heading back from the National HOG® Rally in Ottawa to Moncton, New Brunswick (via Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine) on our Harley® motorcycles when my shifter linkage broke on my 2004 Ultra Classic® (100,000 km) as I was pulling into Dysart’s Truck Stop in Hermon, Maine.

I used wire to enable me to drive to the local Harley dealer (Central Maine Harley-Davidson). The service there was incredible. They appeared to put everything else aside to get me back on

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DECEMBER 2017

Living in central Alberta, you get used to snow six months of the year. Always waiting for perfect weather would make riding more theory than practice. I love to ride: with a group of friends, with my wife up behind me or alone with my thoughts. I love how my senses are engaged with the environment I am riding through. So, for me, it’s all weather all the time. I love the heat of a hot August, the fresh wet smells of a wet April and the crisp, cold feel of a November morning as long as I have my Road King® under me. I ride every day I can, in anything.

INTAKE

I appreciate the opportunity to practise my various inclement weather driving skills as well. Far better to hit the road on a wet, windy or even snowy day where you have planned for it and can control distance and time and gain some practical skills for when you get hit by a storm than to avoid the weather until you are trapped by it and have to ride without the skill set or confidence practice brings. I don’t ride unprepared. I have hot weather gear, wet weather gear and cold weather gear, and all of it has been tested in the real world and not taken on faith from advertising. “Live to ride” is more than an expression; so, too, is “great riders are made in the rain or snow.”

bunches of traffic; just sit back and let the parade of cars that are racing to catch up to the next large pack of traffic pass by you. An added benefit of slowing down is that you’ll feel like riding more miles in a day. Speeding all day and fighting traffic will wear you out, and put you in dangerous situations. Enjoy the ride.

JOE McCLOSKEY

Charleston, Missouri

DARYL MAHONEY

Edmonton, Alberta

Lesson Learned I have just finished reading the September edition of HOG® Magazine Canada, and the article “More Mistakes You’ve Made” was great. It got me to thinking about my own riding experiences and what I might share.

I have been riding for 40 years and for most of that time in northern Ontario. The scenery here is spectacular and the roads challenging, both from the condition perspective and in terms of the other “surprising” users of the road – by which I mean wildlife, and moose in particular.

Moose are large, gangly animals that for the most part stay to their desired habitat in swamps and forest. However, as most folks that have driven in northern Ontario during the spring and fall know, they do wander onto our highways in search of salt, to get away from pesky flies and as they travel from swamp to pond in search of companionship.

I had a close encounter of the third kind. After leaving Thunder Bay late one Sunday night and travelling to Geraldton, where I was working, I was a little heavy on the throttle, anxious to get to my destination before the middle of the night.

I crested a hill and there in front of me were two bull moose, minding their own

business, sauntering across the highway in no big hurry. I could barely see them – the movement from the white on their legs had caught my eye. I leaned to the left but had no real hope of reacting in time. Luckily, the next thing I remember is stopping along the side of the highway to get my heart back in my chest and clean my pants out. No contact made. All I can surmise is that moose got out of the way for me. To this day, I know I had a guardian angel looking out for me that night.

My mistake was not leaving early enough or being aware enough of my surroundings. Lack of this diligence could have been fatal.

DANIEL PYKE

Fergus, Ontario

Easy Does It After riding nearly 325,000 kilometres in the last 12 years, I have several stories of close calls and near misses. My carelessness and that of others have put me in some precarious positions over the years, but thankfully no accidents.

As bikers, we like to blame the driver that put us in peril, and we rarely ask what we did to create the situation.

In all but one of my near encounters (a deliberate attempt to run me off the road), I was partly to blame. We need to remember that bikes are hard to see and aren’t viewed as a threat. It’s easy to get lost in a sea of semi-trucks and cages.

My tips for riding safely are to have plenty of lights on the front and rear of the bike, and to slow down, which gives motorists time to see you and you time to react. Also, by riding a couple of kilometres per hour slower than traffic on the highway, you’ll avoid the large

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DECEMBER 2017

The Eyes Have It Here are some of my thoughts on David Waters’ “Line of Sight” letter in the last issue. I also used to ride near the centreline when passing. However, this changed after I had passed a semi hauling heavy road construction equipment. As I came alongside the rear trailer tires, one of the tires had a catastrophic blowout.

In slow motion, I saw large chunks of tire fly past, just missing the front and side of my bike. I took a face full of shrapnel, but because I was wearing a half-helmet with visor and ballistic sunglasses with foam facial seals, my eyes were protected, and I was able to keep the bike upright. Luckily, my wife had her head turned looking away, so the back of her helmet took the brunt of the shrapnel that hit her.

I still ride close to the centreline, but now when I get close enough to pass, I’ll move over to the outside edge near the fog lines to create some space; plus, I’ll speed up so that I’m not alongside the truck any longer than necessary.

JIM JORGENSEN

Windom, Minnesota

WHAT’S YOUR STORY? We welcome your letters, photos and riding stories. Please email yours to hogmagazine.ca@harley-davidson. com or mail them to HOG® Magazine Canada, 100 New Park Place, Suite 330, Vaughan, Ontario, L4K 0H9. Please include your name, address and telephone number and/or email address. All submissions become property of HarleyDavidson®. We reserve the right to edit submissions for length and content.

SPOTLIGHT

Finding Common Ground W hen Harley-Davidson Canada launched the video

series Common Ground as a celebration of Harley’s 100 years in Canada in 2017, the company did not know how great an impact the films would have.

The documentary films and stories from the road – featuring three Canadian riders as hosts who led international riders through some of the most spectacular rides in the country – have been shared by media from coastto-coast.

The episodes, which aired on the Discovery Channel, showcased how riding brings people together and the fellowship of HOG®.

Johanna Poultney of Edmonton welcomed Eduardo Diez from Mexico as they rode the Rockies. It was a difficult time in Poultney’s personal life, as her father had passed suddenly one week before the ride.

“I did not know how I was going to make it through a ride and project of this scale while trying to bear such heavy grief,” Poultney said. “Without Eduardo by my side to keep me laughing, smiling and constantly learning, I would not have made it through.”

Quebec rider Charles-Édouard Carrier took Jay Reeve of

Auckland, New Zealand, on a trek to Montreal in early May. The new friends bonded while overcoming the challenges of bad-weather riding.

“We didn’t care about the cold,” Carrier said. “We put on layers and layers of clothing and unfroze our fingers using the heat of our bikes’ engines and then dried ourselves out with the hotel hairdryer and those hand-dryers in restaurant restrooms.”

Nova Scotian Daniel Ross hosted SAC Vasanth, from India, on the legendary Cabot Trail. Ross’s experience with the production of the film was so powerful that he’s started offering tours to bring other riders to the Cabot Trail. Ross plans to host the tour next June, and both Poultney and Carrier will be along for the ride.

The Common Ground experience was about more than showcasing Canada’s best roads; it was a experience of humanity and camaraderie from the road.

If you missed them when they aired on the Discovery Channel, you can see all three films on HarleyDavidson Canada’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/ HarleyCanadaOfficial.

Editor in Chief

MATT KING Design and Production ARCHANT DIALOGUE • Publishing and Content Director ZOË FRANCIS-COX Copyeditors MATT COLLEY & AMY REID • Editorial Assistant CIARA JACK • Art Director RICHARD BERRY • Production Designers LUCY PERKINS & NICOLA PRESTON Digital Designer RUPERT BURROUGHES • Production Manager KAY BROWN • Account Manager KATHERINE BERRYMAN • Studio Manager NICKY WRIGHT December 2017 Contributors JACOB BLACK, MATT KING, JOSH KURPIUS, MICHAEL LICHTER, CHARLES PLUEDDEMAN, JOHN SANDBERG, DUSTIN WOODS • Canadian Editorial FRESH AIR PUBLISHING • Editorial Director GORDIE BOWLES • Copyeditor CHRISTINA NEWBERRY Visit Harley-Davidson Canada on the Internet at www.harley-davidson.com.

We care about you. Ride safely, respectfully, and within the limits of the law and your abilities. Always wear an approved helmet, proper eyewear, and protective clothing and insist your passenger does too. Never ride while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Know your Harley® motorcycle, and read and understand your owner’s manual from cover to cover.

HOG® Magazine Canada is published by Harley-Davidson Canada LP and the Harley Owners Group, the official riding club of Harley-Davidson.

We reserve the right to edit all submissions for publication in HOG® Magazine Canada.

All submissions become property of Harley-Davidson Motor Co. and Harley-Davidson Canada LP. If you’d like your photo returned, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope with your submission.

All H-D® product illustrations, photographs, and specifications mentioned in the publication are based on the latest product information at the time of publication.

The right is reserved to make changes at any time in prices, colors, materials, equipment, specifications, and models and also to discontinue models. Some vehicles in this publication are shown with available equipment.

HOG® Magazine Canada will not intentionally publish fraudulent or misleading advertising. HOG® Magazine Canada does not endorse any advertiser or its products, and cannot be responsible for advertisers’ claims.

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To advertise in HOG® Magazine Canada, email info@freshairpublishing.ca.

No part of HOG Magazine Canada may be reproduced for any purpose in entirety or part without the express written consent of Harley-Davidson.

Harley-Davidson, Harley, H-D, HOG, and the Bar & Shield logo are among the trademarks of H-D U.S.A., LLC. Copyright 2017 Publication Mail Agreement No. 400337386 CANADA POST Publication Mail: 4161505 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: HARLEY OWNERS GROUP™ 100 New Park Place, Suite 330, Vaughan, Ontario, L4K 0H9 Tel: 1.800.CLUBHOG

Needles Highway A lone rider cruised along South Dakota Highway 87 during this year’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Deemed “impossible” to construct by its critics, the road, now a National Scenic Byway, was completed in 1922 and includes 22 kilometres of sharp turns, low tunnels and impressive granite spires. The road lies within Custer State Park near Rapid City.

Photograph by Josh Kurpius

Perfect Travel Companions?

Travelling long distances by motorcycle can often require riders to pack lightly and compromise comfort. The owners of this Harley-Davidson® trike and trailer combo, seen at this October’s instalment of the Friday the 13th festivities in Port Dover, seem to have it all figured out.

Photograph by Dustin Woods

Your H.O.G. membership is your ticket to the biggest ride you can take through the world of Harley-Davidson. It connects you to other riders wherever you roam. It’s your invitation to a year-round calendar of rallies, rides and events. And it gives you benefits as real as your Harley-Davidson steel. Like HOG magazine, Roadside Assistance, special deals, and more.

So renew your membership. The bigger you ride, the better it gets. Visit HOG.com ®

©2017 H.O.G., AND THE H.O.G. LOGO ARE AMONG THE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF H-D U.S.A., LLC.

THE WORD DON’ T J US T K E E P UP. TAK E T H E LE AD.

Sons of Speed Vintage racers at the Sons of Speed dirt track race at the Pappy Hoel Campground in Sturgis.

Photograph by Josh Kurpius

HOG ® MAGAZ I NE C A N A DA

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DECEMBER 2017

THE WORD HD NEWS

EXHIBITION

PHOTO COURTESY DEELEY MUSEUM EXHIBITION

A Century Ahead It’s been more than a hundred years since “Fred Deeley, the Cycle Man” opened its doors at 1075 Granville Street in Vancouver, paving the path for Harley-Davidson’s emergence in the Canadian market.

Initially selling bicycles when the store opened in 1914, Fred starting selling motorcycles in 1916 and before too long opened a motorcycle-only shop on West Broadway, first managed by Fred Deeley, Jr., and ultimately by Trev Deeley, when he transitioned from shop mechanic to team leader.

Today, the Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition showcases the history of the motorcycles that have defined riding and cultural landscapes over those years.

This 100th year of Harley-Davidson in Canada is in large part due to the pioneering spirit of the Deeley family.

The current exhibition, “100 Years of Motorcycling,” is on display until the last day of 2017; HOG® members receive a 20 per cent discount.

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DECEMBER 2017

THE WORD HD NEWS DIVIDED HIGHWAYS 5 THINGS ABOUT

The Journey or the Destination?

When you plan a trip, do you make a beeline for your final destination? Or do you like to make the most of your time on the road and take in as many sights as possible before you get to where you’re going?

WE ASKED:

Extending the Riding Season With winter closing in, here are some top tips for keeping the wheels rolling for longer.

1

Chill Out Keep the windchill and the worst of the weather at bay.

There are a host of options for your bike, from a detachable windshield to heated grips and seats.

37% BOTH

63%

0%

JOURNEY

DESTINATION

The adventure of roads less travelled: just you, your ride, the wind and the sound of silence. The ultimate therapy. –Tammy K. … It’s not how fast you get there but how long the journey was. The trip home can be a bullet trip, but do you really want to go straight home? Take your time. It’s all about the journey.

–Nerf. … After touring extensively for the past 11 years, I’ve found that cruising to a destination and smelling the roses along the way is best for me. –Joe M. … Most definitely the journey! I live in Tennessee, and my husband and I, both on the same bike, love to take off with friends and head east with no destination in mind. –Brigette C. …

Both! I love the trip because I avoid interstates so that I can really see the country. But I also love when I get to my destination; renewing friendships at rallies, visiting the sights. –Liz I. … Hands down, it’s the journey. I always try to plan a different return route. A good destination is a bonus. –Keith H. … I usually do half and half depending upon how far my destination is or what kind of timeframe I have. –Christian M. … A bit of both. I always plan to stop and sightsee, especially at places I’ll most likely never get to again. But there are times when it’s best to get to where you want to be and ride out in spokes from there. –Ken A.

NEXT QUESTION:

Weekend Trip or Week-long Journey?

Do you prefer to work during the week in order to earn your weekend ride, or are you more inclined to save up some vacation time to be able to have a longer stint in the saddle of your Harley-Davidson® motorcycle? your thoughts to hogmagazine.ca@harley-davidson.com with “Divided Highways” in the «Send subject line. We’ll publish the best responses in the next issue.

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2

Keep Warm Stay warm and comfortable by preparing what you wear.

A base layer keeps warmth next to your skin, followed by an insulating middle layer and a waterproof outer layer. Consider a heated vest or gloves, and make sure your boots are of good quality and waterproof.

3

Bike Prep Check that your tires are in good condition, with sound treads and the correct inflation.

Make sure your battery is fully charged. Apply a layer of protective wax to exposed metalwork on your bike and clean it after riding.

Stay Safe Ensure that other drivers can see you. Use your lights and wear something reflective. Change your riding style to reflect road conditions. Allow more distance for stopping and avoid abrupt changes in braking, acceleration and direction.

4

5

Consider Your Options Prepare for all eventualities and be realistic with your options. Keep your cell phone charged, make sure your roadside assistance plan is current, and if the weather looks threatening consider another means of transportation.

THE WORD GEAR

Marking an Anniversary

T

here’s H-D heritage in every stitch of the new Limited-Edition 115th Anniversary Collection, inspired by generations of handmade quality created with the pride that’s been the foundation of Harley-Davidson for more than a century. See more of the Limited-Edition 115th Anniversary Collection at H-D.com and at authorized Harley-Davidson® dealers.

115TH Anniversary H28 Full-Face Helmet

115TH Anniversary Leather Jackets

The 115th Anniversary art looks gorgeous on a sweet matte-black shell, and this fullcoverage helmet is loaded with high-level design features, including the Advanced Channeling Ventilation System for maximum comfort during warm-weather rides; a Pinlock®-ready face shield with 95 per cent UV protection and anti-scratch coating; and the RapidFire™ shield replacement system for quick, secure, tool-free removal and installation. This price-friendly DOT-approved helmet also features a thermoplastic shell and a removable-and-washable moisturewicking antibacterial liner. Weight is 1.54 kilograms (3 lbs, 6.4 oz). Available in sizes XS to 2XL. P/N 98219-18VX, $173.95

The men’s and women’s 115th Anniversary Leather Jackets are good looking and road-ready. The midweight buffalo leather jackets have hints of blue in the stitching and a navy underlay that complement the design details of the 115th Anniversary motorcycles. They feature polyester mesh lining, two front vents and two back exit vents; body armour pockets at elbows, shoulders and back (body armour sold separately); and 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material in the piping. The women’s jacket has snap waist tabs and two back hip release zippers. The men’s jacket has buckle waist tabs.

Men’s jacket offered in sizes S to 5XL and Tall L to 3XL. P/N 98000-18VM, from $638.95; women’s jacket offered in sizes XS to 2XL and Plus, Tall and Petite. P/N 98010-18VW, from $580.95

Women’s 115TH Anniversary Hoodie The 115th Anniversary Hoodie presents a classic silhouette in cozy fleece with the unexpected addition of mesh inserts at the shoulders and pops of signature anniversary blue. The cotton-poly blend fleece is finished with mesh and contrasting fleece inserts with contrasting stitching on the front yoke, a zipper front with drawstring hood and contrasting hood lining. The rib-knit cuffs and waist, and two hand-warmer pockets, keep it snug. The 115th Anniversary details include specific hardware, a woven label on the front left hem, embroidered graphics on the left chest and hood, and printed graphics on the back. Available in sizes XS to 2XL and Plus 1W to 3W. P/N 99034-18VW, from $109.95

Perfect for rallies and parades marking a milestone anniversary, this premium stretch-fit cap features bold eagle graphics on the front, embroidered “115” on the back, contrasting piping and unique graphics under the bill. It’s an official 39THIRTY silhouette by New Era in a poly-Spandex blend. Available in sizes S to L. P/N 99407-18VM, $38.95

Men’s 115TH Anniversary Performance Vented Shirt A smart pick for rides in warm weather, this this men’s short-sleeve shirt has a vented action back that helps circulate air. The 115th Anniversary design details are a bonus, from hardware to patches to oversized back appliqué graphics. This shirt combines a cotton-poly blend oxford body and contrasting cotton-poly blend twill upper with light enzyme wash, a button front and snap-down collar, and two button chest pockets. The 115th Anniversary details include specific hardware, a woven label on the front left hem, woven patches on the right sleeve and left chest, and printed appliqué graphics on the back. Available in sizes S to 5XL. P/N 99016-18VM, from $96.95

HOG ® MAGAZ I NE C A N A DA

Men’s 115TH Anniversary 39THIRTY® Cap

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DECEMBER 2017

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BATTERY ABS Warning lights. As riders, we’re all supply and check that the lamp The oil pressure indicator lamp aware they’re there – but do we know remains unlit upon restart. (red) is lit when sufficient oil isn’t exactly what they mean? Although Some models have additional warning circulating through the engine. The warning lights vary, there are some lamps to indicate when systems are lamp should be lit when the ignition is constants to be aware of no matter activated – ABS (amber), cruise (amber/ turned on before starting the engine, which Harley-Davidson® motorcycle green), security (red); or to indicate an and with the engine running the lamp you’re riding. issue needing your attention – low fuel should be off when engine speed is Five indicator lamps are provided (amber), battery (red), and “check above idle. The oil indicator lamp may in the speedometer or instrument engine” (amber). Should the “check illuminate when the engine is running panel: left turn, high beam, engine” lamp remain illuminated, stop to show low oil level, diluted neutral, oil pressure and right your engine immediately and contact an oil or the incorrect oil for the turn. The relevant turn indicator H-D® dealer before proceeding, as this operating temperature – all shows an issue that needs to be light flashes when a turn signal of which require immediate OIL PRESSURE identified and rectified by an authorized is activated, with both flashing attention. Should the oil Harley-Davidson technician. when the four-way hazard flashers are pressure indicator lamp remain For more detailed information activated. The high beam indicator is lit, stop the engine immediately specific to your H-D model, lit when the high beam or “flash to and check the oil supply. If the check your owner’s manual, visit pass” switch is activated, and the level is low, add oil; if the oil is h-d.com/owners or contact your neutral lamp is illuminated when the diluted or the incorrect oil has transmission is in neutral. been used, change the oil CRUISE local authorized dealer.

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THE WORD NEXT RIDE

Road Captain Recon

Southern Comfort Riding Natchez to Nashville on the Natchez Trace Parkway.

W

ith mile after mile of gentle curves and shaded vistas, Natchez Trace Parkway offers relaxing riding, bucolic scenery and a journey through history. Running 714 kilometres through three Southern states, the Trace follows a trail traversed over centuries by wildlife, Native Americans and European settlers.

American ceremonial mounds in the country, built more than 750 years ago by ancestors of the Natchez Indians. The mound is one of seven mound groups located along the parkway, all of which are in Mississippi.

At milepost 41.5, keep an eye out for the “Sunken Trace” marker, one of several places along the parkway where you can see remnants of the original trail leading into the woods.

SCADS OF SCENERY

TWO-WHEELIN’ THE TRACE

As a National Parkway, commercial traffic is prohibited on the Trace, and the speed limit is 50 mph (80 km/h). Start in Natchez, Mississippi, at the parkway’s southern terminus. Established in 1716 along the banks of the Mississippi River, the city is the oldest continuous settlement on the Mississippi River, and pre-Civil War had more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the country. Today, Natchez is home to the largest collection of antebellum homes in the United States.

North of Jackson, Mississippi, the Natchez Trace runs along the Ross Barnett Reservoir for 13 kilometres and provides some great photo ops. Don’t miss the Cypress Swamp, at milepost 122, where you can stroll across the stagnant swamp on a boardwalk with only the sounds of chirping birds and buzzing insects as your accompaniment. The Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center is at milepost 266, with interpretive displays and information.

In the Tennessee Hills, the Meriwether Lewis Monument, at milepost 385.9, marks the final resting place of the early explorer.

Tips from the Jackson, Mississippi, HOG® Chapter ANTEBELLUM TO ELVIS “We get out and just enjoy nature and the cool, shaded roads through there,” says Bryan Freeman, director of the Jackson Chapter.

Recommended stops in Tupelo, Mississippi, 281 kilometres north of Jackson, include the Elvis Presley Birthplace & Museum and the Tupelo Automobile Museum. Heading south from Jackson, a favourite stop is at Windsor Ruins near Port Gibson, where only the large columns remain from an antebellum mansion that was destroyed by fire in 1890.

CHOW DOWN Don’t miss the fried chicken at the Old Country Store in Lorman. “It’s a wonderful place to eat lunch and then run over to see the Windsor Ruins,” explains Head Road Captain John Murphey. And Natchez is a hotbed of Southern culinary delights.

“We wear out Natchez a lot,” says Freeman, using a Southernism. Among the chapter’s favourite restaurants there: Fat Mama’s Tamales, The Pig Out Inn Barbeque, and Roux 61 Seafood & Grill.

WHEN TO GO For vivid colours, “Fall is the best time to ride the Trace, with the changing of the leaves,” advises Murphey.

“It starts turning pretty in late October.” Murphey also recommends springtime, before summer’s heat kicks in.

CENTURIES OF HISTORY

For more information: nps.gov/natr

Riding north, visit Emerald Mound, at milepost 10.3, one of the largest Native

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GO. GET. REWARDED.

SM

Rider-exclusive discounts of 10% or more.

Earn bonus points toward free stays.* To sign up for Best Western Ride Rewards® or book a stay, visit bwrider.com or call 1-888-292-2453.

*Restrictions apply. See bestwesternrewards.com for complete details. Each Best Western® branded hotel is independently owned and operated. Harley-Davidson, Harley, H-D, the Bar & Shield Logo, and the H.O.G. Logo are among the trademarks of H-D U.S.A., LLC. Best Western and the Best Western marks are service marks or registered service marks of Best Western International, Inc. ©2017 Best Western International, Inc. All rights reserved.

Friday the

13th

in Port Dover Taking part in Canada’s longest running biker rally Text and photos by Dustin Woods

riday the 13th in Port Dover is a contentious, hotly divided event.

Canada’s largest and longest running motorcycle rally never ceases to stir up debate among riders and town residents. For some riders, the event is a must-attend rally scheduled years in advance, whereas others avoid it like the plague. While the congestion and daunting process to get in and out of town can be frustrating, you’d be hard pressed to find a more interesting place to end the week as a motorcycle enthusiast.

A sleepy little lakeside town every other day of the year, Port Dover, Ontario, turns into a biker’s paradise every Friday the 13th, no matter what month or season it may fall in. According to PD13.com, Chris Simons, who owned a bike shop in Port Dover called Biker’s Delight, congregated with a group of buddies in the small town one night in November of 1981 at what was then known as the Commercial Hotel. It was Friday the 13th. As legend has it, they had such an epic night they decided it

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had to be repeated the next time Friday the 13th rolled around. The rest, as they say, is history. Thirty-six years later, the event is still going strong, much to the frustration and chagrin of many who live there. While some opt to leave town, others embrace the madness – charging attendees for bottled water, parking or places to pitch tents for the night.

I’ve attended the event many times, and it’s often the same people and the same bikes. However, I picked up a 2003 100th anniversary edition V-Rod® model this summer that I have had precious little time to ride, so setting off for Dover was as good a reason as any to log some road miles before the snow flies.

Congregating with the Toronto HOG® Chapter at El Almacen on Queen Street West for breakfast and coffee, the air was cold and the sky brooding. As we were debating whether to don our rain gear, the skies opened up, making the decision for us. Firing up our bikes and setting off west, our formation loudly snaked and skirted through the city streets before

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getting onto the Gardiner Expressway and Queen Elizabeth Way towards Hamilton, which always makes for an eventful process.

Settling into a steady rhythm, we then merged onto Highway 6 South towards Caledonia before passing through Hagersville en route to Port Dover. As we approached the quiet lakeside town, the number of bikes seemed to increase exponentially. Groups and individuals seamlessly settled into formation like flocks of geese migrating south for the winter on a cool autumn day. As if on cue, the clouds parted as we pulled into town. Motorcycles are the stars of the show on Friday the 13th, so if you arrive on four wheels you’ll be directed to park your car elsewhere.

Peeling off our cool weather layers, we explored this year’s scene. Clare’s Harley-Davidson has been a fixture in Port Dover for years, but they recently moved operations to a new location on Main Street, offering a larger footprint and more outdoor space, where they were able to accommodate the Port Dover Pin Stop, Jumpstart™ riding simulator and a pop-up store while proudly displaying a selection of 2018 models. For the first time, HarleyDavidson Canada brought the Test Our Metal™ truck to Port Dover, allowing riders to experience the all-new Softail® motorcycle lineup for themselves.

Unless you’ve attended Daytona Beach or Sturgis, it is unlikely that you’ve ever seen this many motorcycles in one place.

Cruisers, choppers, café racers and crotch rockets abound, and there were even some tiny scooters and mopeds ridden in by people who have either a lot

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of confidence or a good sense of humour – possibly both. A definite highlight was seeing a young boy smiling from ear to ear, proudly cruising the strip on his miniature battery-powered Captain America chopper.

While everyone has their own reasons for attending PD13, I mostly go to check out the bikes and the fascinating cast of characters who ride them. Some say the origins of PD13 may have elements of outlaw involvement that are still represented at each instalment, but the majority of attendees are law-abiding motorcycle enthusiasts of all shapes and sizes. Depending on the weather, you’ll see a lot of leather and denim or possibly silicone and skin. For the uninitiated to the subculture of PD13, seeing Thong Man is something of a rite of passage.

Regardless of the temperature, each and every Friday the 13th, the brazen and strangely tanned elderly gentleman wanders around town wearing little more than a banana hammock.

Following a different theme at each instalment – such as Cupid, a lifeguard or a leprechaun – this year he sported a tiny little number covered in marijuana leaves. It’s like Where’s Waldo, if Waldo were a mostly naked wrinkled octogenarian.

Beer gardens, bars and front lawns are packed with partiers all day long and the revelry carries on well into the evening, but we opted to head home before the sun set this time around. Regardless of why or when you attend Friday the 13th in Port Dover, it is never dull. Friday falls on the 13th of the month twice in 2018.

Being in April and July, I’m guessing the turnout will be even bigger and better next year. I wonder if Thong Man has picked his outfits yet.

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Story and Photography by Josh Kurpius

other creative folks who were into motorcycles. Since it was still raining, I left the bike parked in front of the coffee shop while we walked over. As we approached, I saw a bunch of choppers parked outside. Much to my surprise, Dave shared space with another friend I knew from my East Coast travels. He had also recently transplanted to Portland to follow his dreams. Kevin runs and owns Dirty Hands Garage, which focuses on repairing and customizing Harley-Davidson® motorcycles. Kevin and Dave also share the shop with Austin, who runs Farrow Company. He produces quality handmade leather products. I was beginning to get a sense of the city’s vibrant culture of handmade products and small manufacturing.

or motorcyclists, the city of Portland, Oregon, has a lot to offer. Numerous bridges stitching together the east- and west-side boroughs, great views of the nearby mountain ranges and volcanic peaks, an inner city that will test the agility of rider and machine, and an eclectic population buzzing with energy make Portland a city with a unique vibe. If that’s not enough, the weather is always ready to keep things even more interesting.

I picked up a Sportster® Forty-Eight® motorcycle from Latus Motors Harley-Davidson on a chilly morning in late fall. It seemed like a good choice for ripping around a congested city.

Clouds were moving in quickly, so I dashed for a warm spot to establish a game plan for the rest of the day. The previous times I had been to Portland, I found See See Motor Coffee Co. to be ground zero for planning my next move, so I headed over there. It’s also a place where you’re sure to happen upon great people who will point you in the right direction. This day was no exception. Just as I parked

the bike, the rains came down. As usual, I was greeted with a warm welcome and an even warmer cup of coffee, and it wasn’t long before a familiar face walked through the door.

Dave owns a little company called CVRST that makes heavy denim work wear and riding gear.

I knew him from my ramblings around the Midwest. He was just in for a coffee, but said his new shop was down the street and he was sharing the space with some

CITY ESCAPE A few hours later, the sun started to peek through the clouds, so I figured I should hit the road to do a bit of exploring. Much like Nashville, featured in a previous 48 Hours feature, Portland is experiencing a population boom.

With that comes traffic congestion and confused drivers, which can make for interesting situations on a motorcycle. It will keep you on your toes, but the Sportster proved to be a great bike for navigating the city.

I had a blast riding over the bridges, which also gave me

a better view of some places I wanted to check out later. Being that it was late fall, venturing out of the city was a gamble weatherwise. A lot of Portland’s beauty lies in the areas surrounding the city.

They say you can ski Mt. Hood in the morning and surf the Pacific in the afternoon. I didn’t have the time in my 48 hours to try that, but I did sneak out of the city via the Columbia River Gorge to the east.

After clearing the city limits, it’s a great place to decompress and clear your mind of congestion.

There are many waterfalls flowing out of the cliffs along the highway, and I had to stop at Multnomah

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for new Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The people in this region seem to understand and respect the quality of things made in their own community, and there are a lot of craftsmen supporting fellow artisans in the Portland area. There’s also an abundance of local breweries and distilleries thriving in Portland. It’s refreshing to see these small businesses making an impact on not only the city but also the world. In a time when small businesses and handmade products seem to be giving way to big box department stores, these small shops are starting to make headway selling not only to local markets but also to people all over the world thanks to the internet and social media.

Falls to relax and take a break while listening to the falling water.

As I returned to the city, it was getting late, so it was the perfect time to see my good friend Kenny, who runs a shop called Moto Galore. Kenny has been in the same location for almost 20 years and has watched the city change around him. It’s a double-edged sword, he says, because in the early days it was lawless and inexpensive to live there. In recent years, the area has been rehabbed, which has brought in a new, younger crowd. He says it’s not all bad (Kenny is the youngest 50-year-old I know), but the prices of everything have gone through the roof, and the new residents are less tolerant of motorcycle shenanigans and loud nights.

The more I explored Portland, the more I noticed an abundance of niche shops producing handmade goods, like the Red Clouds Collective that produces high-quality work wear and camping gear. Portland is also

home to a cool Harley-Davidson dealership catering to an urban customer base looking for something a bit different or unique. The downtown PDX Speed Shop focuses on custom bike builds and custom parts

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BEST OF BOTH WORLDS It’s easy to fall in love with a city like Portland. The beauty of the architecture and even more beautiful scenery that surrounds the city make it a very special kind of place. It offers all of the big city amenities and a fine social life, but it’s easy to leave it all behind for a few hours or days if you want to get lost in nature. And it’s refreshing to see it filled with young people celebrating craftsmanship and a love for freedom and the outdoors. There’s a timelessness here that balances with a surge into the future.

DECEMBER 2017

ig changes to the HarleyDavidson® Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) program bring more performance, fresh style and exclusive features to these limited-edition factorycustom motorcycles for 2018.

The new CVO Street Glide,® CVO Road Glide,® and CVO Limited models offer the most discerning H-D® motorcycle owner a premium experience backed by Harley-Davidson service and warranty – the most power, all of the latest technology and attention to custom detail that can only be described as obsessive.

Each model delivers a smooth ride and confident handling offered by premium Dual Bending Valve front suspension and emulsion rear suspension with hand-adjustable preload, backed up by Reflex™ linked Brembo brakes with ABS.

MILWAUKEE-EIGHT™ 117

All 2018 CVO models are powered by the new Milwaukee-Eight 117 engine, the most powerful V-twin offered from the factory (exclusive to 2018 CVO models). The 117-cid (1923-cc) engine produces 5 per cent more power than the Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine featured in the 2017 models.

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MORE STYLING CHOICES

For the first time, CVO models will be offered in a choice of three different styling treatments. “This is an exciting new direction for CVO design,” said Harley-Davidson Vice-President of Styling & Design Brad Richards.

“Since the program started in 1999, CVO has been high profile, and featured a lot of chrome and big, bold, colourful paint. For 2018, we’ve shifted the CVO bikes to a look that’s more contemporary, with finishes that are super-premium, and on some models more subtle.”

The CVO Street Glide and CVO Road Glide models will be offered in

DECEMBER 2017

Cream

The 2018 CVO models offer a more contemporary look with the choice of three styling treatments for the first time.

of the Cr

three styling treatments. The first provides the most chrome and the brightest paint and wheels. The second features a blacked-out powertrain and smoked satin finishes, with a subtle two-tone paint scheme and tapering stripes. The third choice is the most extreme, with completely blacked-out components and a rich, monochromatic paint scheme in a bold new colour: Gunship Gray. The CVO Limited debuts a striking new fade paint treatment in two styling schemes plus a version finished in a bright 115th Anniversary Limited Edition in an exclusive colour: Odyssey Blue.

p

By Charles Plueddeman

WIRELESS HEADSET INTERFACE MODULE Harley-Davidson cuts the cord. An exclusive factory-installed feature on all 2018 CVO models, this new wireless communication system uses an integral Bluetooth transmitter to link the BOOM! Box 6.5GT Infotainment System with a wireless headset. The system offers features that are exclusive to HarleyDavidson, including the ability to link one or two headsets with the single Bluetooth transmitter. This wireless system offers all of the features previously available with a wired headset: CB, phone, intercom,

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navigation, radio and audio, with voice commands, plus audio quality that’s superior to aftermarket headsets. The 20S wireless headset menu options are accessible through the radio, and the bike’s hand controls can be used to adjust headset volume. Use of the new Interface Module does not interfere with the headset’s Bluetooth bike-to-bike communications. The 2018 CVO Street Glide and CVO Road Glide models will be delivered with a single wireless headset, while the CVO Limited includes a pair of headsets.

CVO STREET GLIDE

®

The new CVO Street Glide model offers audio power to match the performance of its new MilwaukeeEight 117 engine. Three separate amplifiers deliver 900 total watts of power to six bi-amped BOOM! Audio Stage II speakers, including new speakers in the fairing lowers, to surround the rider with a stunning sonic experience. New 19-inch front and 18-inch rear Turbine wheels are delivered in specific finish treatments to match each of the three styling choices.

CVO ROAD GLIDE®

CVO LIMITED

An exclusive 21-inch Knockout™ front wheel gives the new CVO Road Glide motorcycle a dramatic stance.

This is the first factory installation of a 21-inch front wheel on a HarleyDavidson Touring model motorcycle, and it has been paired with an 18-inch rear Knockout wheel and revised front suspension to deliver style with no compromise in ride, handling or braking performance.

The BOOM! Box 6.5GT Infotainment System is boosted by a pair of 300-watt amplifiers and BOOM! Audio Stage II speakers in the saddlebag lids and fairing.

The CVO flagship gets a dramatic new paint scheme for 2018. The Black Cherry Sunglo Fade and Black Earth Fade colours transition up the motorcycle. “It was a real challenge to figure out how to apply this fade effect in production,” said Richards. “The fade effect is replicated on each painted part. It makes the bike look like it’s being illuminated from below.” The machine is also equipped with a premium Harley® Hammock Heated Seat with built-in suspension for rider and passenger, and an exclusive custom cover and contrast stitching, plus an adjustable rider backrest.

115TH ANNIVERSARY CVO LIMITED

Celebrate 115 years of motorcycling excellence with this very special limited-edition model. Each 115th Anniversary CVO Limited motorcycle is serialized, and production will be limited to 1,200 bikes worldwide. This bike features exclusive Odyssey Blue Paint with hand-painted inserts in a metal leaf effect, hand-applied pinstripes and a colour-matched inner fairing. Featured on the tank are 115th Anniversary Eagle with Bar & Shield medallions in Scorched Chrome and cloisonné. The seat features blue stitching in a diamond-quilted panel.

More smoky Scorched Chrome is applied to the lower rocker covers, timer cover, transmission cover badge, derby cover, inner fairing insert, air cleaner trim and horn cover insert.

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GET YOUR FIX @ THEMOTORCYCLESHOWS.CA COME TO CANADA’S PREMIER MOTORCYCLE SHOW: MOTORCYCLES, ATVS AND EVERYTHING POWERSPORT. Jan 5-7, Calgary, BMO Centre, Stampede Park Jan 12-14, Edmonton, Expo Centre, Northlands Jan 19-21, Vancouver, Tradex, Abbotsford

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MACHINE

LEAN,

MEAN 2018 HarleyDavidson® Softail® Lineup: Less weight, more power, more lean angle

By Jacob Black, autotrader.ca

T

he twin-shock is dead.

Whether it’s exposed, like in the HarleyDavidson® Dyna® lineup, or tucked away, as in the Softail lineup, the dual shock rear suspension system is gone.

In its place, there’s a new, hidden mono-shock that makes up the “soft” in the new Softail range. There are no more Dyna models, but you can still get Fat Bob,® Street Bob® and Low Rider™ bikes – only now, they’re part of the Softail range.

The consolidation of the two iconic Harley-Davidson lineups represents the first major chassis design change for that crop of bikes since 1984. The new singleshock design, plus the shift to more aluminum hangers, means a dramatic reduction in weight and, even more importantly for people like me, a large increase in ground clearance.

The decision to merge the two lines came mostly from consumer feedback – Harley-Davidson noticed a lot of overlap between what shoppers wanted, and how they saw the bikes, within the two product lines. So, with the understanding that some of their bikes were simply too similar, Harley-Davidson set out to redesign its volume sellers.

There are two frames – though mostly the difference is in the swingarm and swingarm mount. That change allows the Breakout® and Fat Boy® models to accommodate the steamroller wheel that stands in as a rear tire for those two units.

All other models get the same narrow frame but with three different steering angles. Those frames now have 50 per cent fewer separate components and 22 per cent fewer welds, making for a 90 per cent increase in stiffness. The narrow frame is 20 per cent lighter, the wide frame 15 per cent.

The oil pan has been moved from up high under the seat to down low, under the engine, further enhancing the chassis by better distributing weight. Significant work has been done on the suspension, too, with up to 100 per cent more range of preload adjustment, which on some models can be accomplished with an easy twist knob on the right side of the bike.

The front end has a new Dual Bending Valve system from Showa on all models

but the Fat Bob, which gets proper racingstyle cartridge forks. The Dual Bending Valve system is an insert that gives the fork increased range of damping. Beyond that, it’s all suspension voodoo to me.

Peg position is always forward, but some are set further than others.

And, of course, H-D being H-D, there are thousands of combinations of handlebars, seats, pegs, levers and other accessories to differentiate models. It’s fair to say that your chances of stumbling on a Softail model exactly like yours are slim to none.

The two Milwaukee-Eight™ engines in 107 ci (1,753 cc) and 114 ci (1,868 cc) arrive out of the box with 93 hp/110 lb-ft and 100 hp/119 lb-ft respectively, but upgrade kits are available.

Going through all five stages of performance upgrade (which includes a bump in displacement to 114 ci and 117 ci) nets as much as 120 hp and 118 lb-ft of torque in the 107 lumps, while the 114

is good for a maximum of 122 hp and 120 lb-ft of torque.

Honestly, the 114 engines in the units we rode felt like they pulled much harder than the 107, and that was before I glanced down to see which engine was in the tester I was on. The difference was stark enough, model to model, that some colleagues asked about gearing. Harley-Davidson says they’re all geared the same, and they all run out of puff around 6,000 rpm.

Still, nearly a 25 per cent improvement in power-to-weight ratio can’t be sneezed at, and the 2018 Softail lineup is a massive improvement over the outgoing one. And, after two days of hustling these cruisers through sport-bike country in the Californian mountains, I can tell you that the new Softails are genuinely fun to ride.

2018 HARLEY-DAVIDSON HERITAGE SOFTAIL™ 107/114 ($22,999/$24,799)

The Heritage Softail model sports classic Harley-Davidson styling cues like studded bags and a large windscreen.

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2018 HARLEY-DAVIDSON SOFTAIL SLIM® 107 ($19,499) Another callback to the history pages, the curved handlebars of the Softail Slim model made me feel like I was about to try and jump a barbed-wire fence and escape into the distance.

DECEMBER 2017

is nestled in the handlebar risers, and a whopping 34 degrees of rake throw the front wheel way out front, stretching the wheelbase from the standard 1,630 mm to 1,695.

2018 HARLEY-DAVIDSON SOFTAIL DELUXE 107 ($22,499)

Garish as an Elvis impersonator and

eye-catching in cherry red, complete with tombstone LED taillight, the Deluxe model is by no means the shrinking violet of this group. But, my gosh, is it fun to ride. Stable, well-planted and solid, the Deluxe model soaks up the bumps in the road with astonishing prowess.

2018 HARLEY-DAVIDSON SOFTAIL FAT BOY 107/114 ($22,999/$24,799) Curb-appeal is strong in this offering, and the retro-style upside-down forks hearken back to the rocket-inspired design heyday that cemented HarleyDavidson as one of the most famous brands in the motorcycle industry. The remote preload adjustment will make life easy for people who do a lot of twoup riding.

2018 HARLEY-DAVIDSON SOFTAIL BREAKOUTÂŽ 107/114 ($22,999/$24,799)

The Breakout model is a stunninglooking bike. A minimalist digital gauge

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2018 HARLEY-DAVIDSON SOFTAIL LOW RIDER 107 ($18,999) “Oh, hello, mid-mount foot pegs!” My short 5’6” frame abhors foot-forward controls, much preferring to keep my feet under me so I can peg-weight for steering. It also makes for a less disconcerting ground-out, where your feet and legs are in a more natural, less vulnerable position.

2018 HARLEY-DAVIDSON SOFTAIL STREET BOB 107 ($17,999)

The Street Bob model’s high-rise ape-hanger bars were surprisingly comfortable at speed, and the digital riser gauge helps set this bike off aesthetically, too. Like the Low Rider, the Street Bob’s foot controls are set back a little further, making for a more conventional riding position. It’s the lightest Softail model at

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296 kilograms, and feels as strippedback and easy to ride as its laced wheels and simple lines suggest.

2018 HARLEY-DAVIDSON SOFTAIL FAT BOB ($21,299/$22,799)

The Fat Bob model’s cartridge-style suspension felt the best of all the Softail models when it came time to throw it around, and I really enjoyed the twitchy, almost nervous chassis. Plus, it’s got dual-disk front brakes and the best-looking exhaust.

It’s the only Softail model with a 28-degree steering head angle, resulting in the shortest wheelbase at 1,630 mm – further enhancing its agility. The wide, flat bars are excellent for confidence and control.

Ergonomically, this bike excels.

Story by Matt King Photography by Michael Lichter

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Let’s walk through a little motorcycle history, starting in the middle of the Great Depression – a time when Harley-Davidson was struggling to survive. Facing a precipitous decline in sales from the stagnant economy, H-D made an ambitious product development gamble by investing a huge amount of money into an all-new engine and chassis design.

The result was the 1936

EL, commonly known as the Knucklehead. Introducing the company’s first 61 ci (1000 cc) overhead valve V-twin engine, this groundbreaking model also featured the Springer front fork, double downtube frame, fat fuel tanks, swooping front and rear fenders, and the horseshoe-shaped oil tank that are so familiar to riders today.

The 1936 EL was on the cutting edge of style and performance, and it remains a design icon.

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In 1948, the Knucklehead made way for the Panhead, with its improved aluminum cylinder heads, and a year later the Springer fork was replaced by the Hydra-Glide telescopic front forks, while still incorporating a rigid “hardtail” frame. This is the look that Softail® motorcycles have sought to emulate since their introduction more than 30 years ago.

The first Softail motorcycles

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in 1984 featured a narrow FX-style front end derived from the Sportster® line, and featured on Super Glide® and Low Rider™ models, the first Big Twin factory customs. The Heritage Softail™ model came in 1986, adopting a wide front end similar to the original Hydra-Glide. First offered without a windshield or saddlebags, both features later became standard equipment, along with a passenger

backrest, making the Heritage Softail one of the most popular motorcycles in the lineup for riders seeking a smaller HarleyDavidson® cruiser still suited for touring and two-up riding.

Which brings us to the present day. With the groundup redesign of the Softail chassis for 2018, the new Heritage Classic improves on the best features of previous models with lighter weight, more power from the dualcounterbalanced MilwaukeeEight™ engine, enhanced handling, greater lean angle, redesigned saddlebags and even more options for additional luggage capacity and passenger comfort.

Riders who put on a lot of miles fully loaded with a passenger will especially appreciate the huge increase in payload capacity offered by the new Softail chassis compared to previous models, thanks to its monoshock rear suspension.

This can be adjusted simply by removing the seat and dialling the hydraulic spring perch to the desired setting (the owner’s manual includes a handy chart to calculate the best setting based on the total weight of rider, passenger and luggage).

An equally big improvement in power comes from the new rigid-mounted, dualcounterbalanced MilwaukeeEight engine featured across

the Softail line. With a 10 per cent increase in acceleration from 0-97 km/h and 16 per cent from 97-129 km/h, riders will feel the improvement in passing power and acceleration of the Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine, especially when loaded up. Plus there’s a 114 ci (1,868 cc) version of the MilwaukeeEight engine that offers even more power.

The new Heritage Classic also represents a new styling direction for a model that has become an icon in its own right.

If the Heritage motorcycle had evolved into a rhinestonestudded jumpsuit-wearing Vegas-era Elvis, the new Heritage Classic is more like

the black leather-clad version of The King in his televised 1968 “Comeback Special.”

As Vice-President of Styling & Design Brad Richards tells it, the design team working on the new Heritage Classic model dubbed it “young Elvis,” as they traded the flash and bling of recent Heritage Softail models for a darker, more traditional look. The team even brought an early Hydra-Glide model to the design studio from the Harley-Davidson Museum™ motorcycle archives to serve as inspiration, with design cues like the black finish on the lower fork legs being incorporated into the new design.

The saddlebags also received a complete makeover, now featuring a vinyl-wrapped hard plastic insert that’s lockable, waterproof, and better at holding its shape for ease of use and long-term durability. The tinted two-tone windshield is easily removable, and electronic cruise control, anti-lock braking system (ABS) and security system are all standard features that enhance the confidence, convenience and touring capabilities of the new Heritage Classic bike. And when equipped with optional HoldFast quick detachable accessories, like passenger backrests, luggage rack, and

Tour-Pak® luggage carrier mounts, the bike can easily be configured for any scenario.

HOG® Magazine Canada travelled to Aberdeen, South Dakota, to visit vintage motorcycle restorers Matt and Carl Olsen, who were just finishing up some maintenance on a customer’s original paint 1949 HarleyDavidson EL, to get a look at a seven-decade span of HarleyDavidson motorcycle design and technology.

This beautifully preserved survivor retains most of its original paint and factory Sport Package equipment, including front and rear chromed bumper guards,

along with an optional two-up “buddy” seat with chromed backrest rail.

Despite being separated by nearly 70 years, it’s remarkable how similar the two bikes appear side by side. From the fork-mounted windshield, headlight and fog lamp arrangement; fuel tanks and console; and, of course, the lines of the frame, the design lineage between the two motorcycles is unmistakable. For riders who appreciate the classic HarleyDavidson look combined with all of the conveniences of a modern motorcycle, the new Heritage Classic model hits the jackpot.

Jack of All Trades

Adaptability is the hallmark of the latest addition to the Softail® range: the new Harley-Davidson® Sport Glide motorcycle.

By Charles Plueddeman

Imagine a really sleek multi-tool with two wheels and a Milwaukee-Eight™ V-twin engine, and you’ve got the idea behind the new Harley-Davidson® Sport Glide motorcycle. The Sport Glide is a bike ready to adapt to any riding activity the day or night presents. Carve a canyon. Strap on a bedroll and head for the border. Charge through the daily commute. Ditch the bags and fairing for a cruise down to Bike Night. This is a motorcycle with skills. Lots of skills.

The ninth model based on the all-new Harley-Davidson Softail® platform, the Sport Glide offers an appealing combination of technology and style, with a profile that can be transformed in minutes thanks to its quick-detachable fairing and saddlebags.

Performance is the third element of the Sport Glide formula. The dual-counterbalanced Milwaukee-Eight 107 powertrain pumps out a

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mountain of torque, and a stiff chassis and high-performance suspension deliver a confident connection to the pavement.

The new fairing is shaped to deflect highway-speed wind away from the rider’s chest while leaving the rider’s head in a clean stream of air. The fairing is secured to the fork tubes with quick-release clamps that leave no hardware behind.

The new hard-shell saddlebags are weatherproof and lockable, featuring a sleek clamshell design that makes them easy to load. The bags can be removed in seconds with an internal quick-release mechanism and leave behind mounting points that are barely visible.

The Sport Glide rolls on new Mantis cast aluminum wheels, 18-inch front and 16-inch rear, shod with Michelin Scorcher 31 performance tires.

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“The Sport Glide presents the broad influence of Harley-Davidson design in a very contemporary way.�

Brad Richards, Harley-Davidson Vice-President of Styling and Design

d n e k Wee to the

Coast A B.C. couple cram s plenty of riding into a Vancouver Island jaunt

By Lynda Cossey

D

on and I left Nakusp, B.C., early one Thursday morning in August, heading to Vancouver Island to ride with friends for the weekend. It can take more than 12 hours to get the Island, so we had a full day of riding ahead of us.

The three-hour ride from Nakusp on Highway 6 to Vernon is a motorcyclist’s best friend if you like twisty, winding roads. From Vernon, it was on to Kamloops via Highway 97, where we passed through the recreational community of Monte Lake, which recently suffered a forest fire. This hot and dry year has been

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The scenery is beautiful, with ever-changing views of farms, mountains and coastlines.

“

”

the worst ever for forest fires in B.C., with more than 1,100 fires burning since April.

Most of the province has been shrouded in smoke from so many fires burning.

In Kamloops, we met up with our friend Billy, and from there our trio travelled along Highway 5 – the Coquihalla– to Hope, then Highway 1 from Hope to Vancouver. We took a welldeserved break on the ferry between the mainland and the island, and arrived in Nanaimo just in time for supper.

On Friday morning, we headed south from Nanaimo to Ladysmith on Highway 1, and continued along the back roads from Ladysmith, winding

through Chemainus, Crofton, Maple Bay, Genoa Bay, Cowichan Bay and Duncan. These small towns are all interesting and unique, and the scenery is beautiful, with everchanging views of farms, mountains and coastlines. We saw murals depicting the history of the towns, First Nations totem poles, the world’s largest hockey stick, vineyards and wineries, and boats ranging in size from really small to really big. There’s an easy, laid-back way of life on the Island, and it is nice to get off the main highway and travel the back roads for a chance to see the countryside.

On Saturday, my brother Jim joined us in Duncan, and our foursome headed west along Highway 18 to Lake Cowichan, then followed the Pacific Marine Circle Route to Port Renfrew.

The road is quite twisty, with lots of narrow sections and one-lane bridges.

Botanical Beach, the entrance to Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, is about

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three kilometres from Port Renfrew, and the trail to the Pacific Ocean is a fairly easy 15-minute walk from the parking lot. The views from the shoreline are spectacular, and the walk is a good time to stretch those legs.

We rode on to Sooke, then continued along Highway 15. Near Langford, we took Humpback Road, which brought us out near Barnes H-D. We stopped by to swap stories and share a laugh or two with our Harley brothers and sisters. We headed north along Highway 1 and then took the back roads through Shawnigan Lake and headed back to Duncan.

Early Monday morning, it was time to head home. We took the Duke Point ferry from Nanaimo to Tsawwassen, coming out on Highway 1, and rode back home the same way we came.

We arrived home Monday evening.

After putting 1,964 kilometres on the bike over the weekend, going to work Tuesday morning felt like a rest.

DECEMBER 2017

Trip of

ride fast, which we did), where we got a room and went for dinner. It started to sprinkle when we got back to the hotel.

Five minutes later the winds really picked up and it was like a hurricane. We were sure glad to be safe and dry.

What did you do last summer?

These two Albertans stretched the road long… real long

By Rob Wymenga

T

hree years ago, my wife, Debbie, was in Nashville for a conference. She decided to go a week early, rent a Heritage Softail,™ and ride around the area. She had such a great experience that she said we had to do it together sometime. Well, this summer, we had our window of opportunity. We packed up our Street Glides® – mine a 2017 model and Debbie’s a 2014 – and started our 15-day adventure.

Edmonton to Estevan, Saskatchewan, 986 kilometres

01

We headed out on the Yellowhead Trail from Edmonton, aiming for a nearly 1,000-kilmetre ride to Estevan. Then, 75 kilometres west of Saskatoon, I got a flat tire.

I called Redline H-D in Saskatoon, who dispatched a truck and trailer in five minutes, and after a threehour delay we got back on the road. We pushed hard and were still able to make our planned destination.

02

Estevan to Mitchell, South Dakota, 863 kilometres

We crossed the border into North Dakota on a nice sunny day. Highway 281 was fairly straight with not much scenery. Going through South Dakota, we could see the Black Hills in the distance to the west.

03

Mitchell to small town Kansas, 852 kilometres

We crossed into Nebraska on the day of the eclipse. We rode until about 15 minutes before the event, then pulled over to watch. It got very dark, the streetlights came on, and even the crickets started chirping.

In a moment it was over and we continued our trek into Kansas. We had intended to stay south of Wichita but took a scenic bypass to the northeast. When we stopped at a small town for gas, the clerk showed us the radar map on his phone. There was a big storm coming and no way we would make it to our intended stop. Fortunately, there was a town 20 minutes away (if you

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04

Kansas to Paducah, Kentucky, 931 kilometres

We woke up to a beautiful morning and headed east through Missouri. The Ozarks were a pleasant surprise and a welcome change from all the straight roads.

05

Paducah to Bristol, Tennessee, 766 kilometres

The roads we took were curvy and scenic: a sign of things to come.

06

Bristol to Maryville, Tennessee, 537 kilometres

Highway 421 started with tight corners and a few switchbacks and ended in a small town. I gave Debbie an

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exuberant thumbs up, and two minutes later we were into a longer section with even more twisties and switchbacks. Now this was fun! From Boone, North Carolina, we continued on 221 to a route known as the Diamondback, which took us on beautiful twisty roads to Little Switzerland, where we stopped for lunch.

From there we hopped on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was simply stunning, with winding roads along the ridge of the mountain and scenic overlooks of the valleys on either side of the road. We finished the day riding through the Great Smoky Mountains.

Maryville to Winchester, Tennessee, 421 kilometres

07

This was the day I had been waiting for: the famous Tail of the Dragon, with 318 curves in 18 kilometres. Wow – the hype was well warranted. I wanted to turn around and do it again, but time dictated otherwise.

Highway 129 proved to be equally enthralling, and

a lifetime

Route 66 and got some pictures “standing on the corner” in a place I have always wanted to go: Winslow, Arizona.

We ended the day riding through the scenic and winding Hopi Reservation.

Tuba City to Rangely, Colorado, 767 kilometres

12

Cherohala Skyway was more of the same awesomeness.

The exit highway down the side of the mountain was intense, with extremely tight corners and switchbacks all the way down. The speed limit was 30 mph (48 km/h) but we never came close to reaching that.

By this time the bikes were in dire need of an oil change, so I called up Thunder Creek H-D in Chattanooga, where the service manager was originally from Cape Breton, N.S., and was glad to help out some fellow Canadians.

08

Winchester to Newport, Arkansas, 572 kilometres

No trip to Tennessee would be complete without a visit to the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg. We learned all about the history and how it survived prohibition.

It was simply amazing that things are still done much the same way as back in the day.

Newport to Tishomingo, Oklahoma, 781 kilometres

09

It was another beautiful morning, with the roads less winding but still enjoyable.

At Tishomingo, we had to get a picture at the gate of Blake Shelton’s Ten Point Ranch, since he is one of Debbie’s favourite country artists.

We stopped at the Four Corners Monument, where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah join, then rode up into Colorado. The topography goes from red desert to green mountains within a half hour of the border. We rode beautiful mountain roads winding up to Grand Junction, then north on 139 up the side of a mountain with the usual switchbacks and right back down the other side with more of the same.

Tishomingo to Roswell, New Mexico, 824 kilometres

10

We rode through straight stretches of nothing but ranch lands as far as the eye could see, continuing through the north of Texas and into Roswell. It was too hot to try to find Area 51, so we just stayed in our nicely air conditioned room.

11

Roswell to Tuba City, Arizona, 936 kilometres

Today we got to ride part of

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13

Rangely to Idaho Falls, Idaho, 698 kilometres

As we were getting ready to pull out of the hotel, I noticed my back brakes were very spongy.

Miraculously, my GPS told me that Beers H-D was in Vernal, Utah, 45 minutes up the road.

They got my bike in right away and found I had no fluid in the reservoir.

They bled the line and pressure tested it but found no evidence of leaking, so they topped it up and sent us on our way.

We crossed into Wyoming and checked out the Flaming Gorge Reservoir and Dam on Highway 191. What a pretty area! As we stopped at a scenic lookout, it started to sprinkle, so we figured it would be a good idea to put on rain gear.

As we started up the mountain, the rain came down harder. Then the wind picked up to 60–80 km/h. It wasn’t too bad when it was at our backs, but then the road would curve to the left and it was directly from the side. I figured once we got to the top it would be more sheltered on the other side, except there was no other side. It just kept going along the top of the mountain with no shelter. I thought about stopping, but the wind was so strong it would have been impossible to hold the bikes up, so we had to keep moving. I did a whole lot of praying, I can tell you. Thankfully, the road started a gradual descent and we made it to Rock Springs, Wyoming. My hands were trembling for a good 20 minutes while we had some lunch and regained our composure.

It was still sprinkling when we got back on the road, but the wind had died down, so we left the rain gear on and continued up 191. There were very nice roads up to Jackson, Wyoming, and we were making good time so decided to push through to Idaho Falls, where the falls are really something to see.

Idaho Falls to Missoula, Montana, 764 kilometres

14

We headed west on Highway 20 and stopped at Craters of the Moon, which was created when volcanoes erupted many years ago.

From here, it was up Highway 75 through one of my favourite routes from Sun Valley to Stanley to Salmon, Idaho. It’s just a peaceful, serene ride along the Salmon River on winding roads.

Just south of Missoula, they were battling a huge forest fire. There was thick smoke everywhere, and we could see a helicopter with a water bucket right in the middle of the smoke on the side of the mountain.

We figured it would be best to spend the night at the northern part of Missoula, just in case the fire started moving northward.

15

Missoula to Edmonton, 1,044 kilometres

We took Highway 35 on the right side of Flathead Lake, as it’s much more scenic than the left side

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on Highway 93. We took Highway 2 around West Glacier, skipping the Goingto-the-Sun Road because we’d done it before and we wanted to avoid the traffic on the last long weekend of the year. At East Glacier we took Highway 49, a small, winding road that’s not in the best shape but cuts off a considerable distance and has awesome views. We crossed back into Canada via Chief Mountain Highway 17, an awesome road.

We continued on to Pincher Creek, Alberta. The winds were howling, but it was constant rather than gusting. The winds died

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down on Highway 22, and at Black Diamond we made the call to push on home.

We still had four hours to go, so we stepped up the pace.

In Ponoka, the high winds picked up again and the skies got very dark. We had a strong headwind all the way to Edmonton.

To recap our adventure, we rode 11,733 kilometres through two provinces and 19 states. We had some scary moments, many more wonderful moments, some awesome roads, and great weather. Of course, I also had a great riding partner. It was certainly a memorable trip.

Brotherhood

By Stephen Mackisoc

W

Road

of the

Your fellow HarleyDavidson® riders always have your back.

e have always found Harley® riders to be the nicest people. Here’s just one example.

My wife, Jennifer, rides a 2014 Street Glide,® and I currently ride a 2013 Road Glide.® But during this story, Jennifer was riding a Street Bob,® and I had my cherished 2002 very non-stock

Road King.® We were rolling up to a campground in Banff when I discovered clutch problems. I immediately knew it was nothing I could fix, as virtually all of the customizing of my bikes is done by the pros at Kane’s H-D in Calgary. They are the best, but that’s another story for another day.

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I rode all the way up to the front of the line and apologetically approached four Harley riders, mentioning I had only bucked the line because I had clutch problems. The lead guy said, “Bring your bike to our campsite and we’ll get you fixed up.” I explained I couldn’t impose like that, but he looked at me and said, “Don’t worry, I’m a mechanic.” It was late, and I couldn’t get a hold of Kane’s, so we rode over to their campsite. Grant checked a few things out and said, “Let’s drain the oil, get that primary off and have a look and we’ll have you on the road in an hour.”

His wife, Lori, cleaned out a plastic container to hold the oil, and I held the bike up while Grant went to work.

Off came the primary cover, and I was handed the gasket to clean and save for reuse. He really did get the bike back together in an hour, and my clutch worked better than ever. I pretty much had to force them to come into Banff with us to allow us to buy them dinner, and we had a great time. Grant and Lori live in Kremmling, Colorado, and their friends Jim (also known as Bose), Daniel (a.k.a.

Boone) and Sheila live in Wisconsin.

We were able to convince everyone to ride up the Icefields Parkway the next day to the Columbia Icefields.

We parted ways the day after and committed to stay in touch.

Grant convinced us to take our first trip to Sturgis the following year and we all had a blast, meeting even more new friends. The next year we rode to Colorado first and toured there before meeting the rest of the crowd in Sturgis again, where there were more great rides and tons of fun. I told Grant if he ever tires of running the lift maintenance operations for Vail Resorts, he would be an awesome motorcycle tour director.

I always wanted to see Mount Rushmore, so that was a good one for me.

It was only on this trip that we found out Grant had undergone a knee replacement just a few weeks before kneeling and lying on the ground to fix the bike of someone he had met only minutes before. Only from the brotherhood of Harley-Davidson will you hear a story like that.

Jen and I rode from Calgary to Sturgis again for the 75th to reconnect, and of course had a great time with even more new friends. We stayed in a great campground with a tremendous group of people and had nothing but fun hanging out, exploring the sights and riding all those great Black Hills roads.

DECEMBER 2017

ENTHUSIASTS STORIES F R OM T HE OPE N R OA D

1

Maritime magic

A beautiful sunset at the New Mills wharf in New Brunswick.

DANIEL DESPRES

Dalhousie, New Brunswick

Get In Touch We welcome your photos and riding stories. Email your submission with “Enthusiasts” as the subject line to hogmagazine.ca@ harley-davidson.com, and include your name, city, province and contact details.

EXHAUST

2 A biker’s passion never fades

Twenty-four years ago, I met a man from the Montreal area at the first Canadian National HOG® Rally in Ottawa, my birthplace.

In the summer of 2017, that same man (now my husband) and our son went with a few friends to the 19th Canadian National Rally in that same city. It was our son’s first rally on his own Harley-Davidson® motorcycle.

How emotional for me – riding with my husband and my son to the very place our life started together!

There’s something that keeps us motorcycle people together, and it is without a doubt our passion. Imagine our surprise and delight when we ran into two friends that we’d made at the rally in 1993. It’s one thing to share your passion with someone presently in your life. It is a complete other feeling to run into people with whom you shared this passion more than 20 years ago. And we all had the same idea: to wear our T-shirts from the First National Rally, kept for 24 years.

From that first summer in 1993, when I rode from Calgary to Ottawa and met my husband, riding my motorcycle has been a synonym for passion.

2

CHERYL HAW

Terrebonne, Quebec 3 3

Nice curves

The trip was planned was from Edmonton, Alberta, to Summerland, B.C. This pic was in Osoyoos, B.C., with nice curves coming into the city and a spectacular view.

JAMES MASTERMAN

Ardrossan, Alberta 4

Brothers in arms

The Wolf brothers pose for a photo at the National HOG® Rally in Ottawa.

WILLIAM WOLF

Ingersoll, Ontario 4

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5

Perfect day

I was married to the love of my life (besides my kids and my H-D,® of course!) on July 15, 2017. The whole colour scheme of the wedding revolved around the colours of my bike. It was a beautiful day in Edmonton, and of course I love the pic of me on my H-D. KIM GAGNON

Peace River, Alberta 6 5

Garage art

My wife, Hope, and I are Life HOG® members. We would like to share my other hobby, besides riding our Harley.® After looking at and thinking about what to do with an old mid-1970s snowmobile engine that was under my father’s workbench for 38 years, I thought of doing garage art. But the engine turned out to be too big. I finally came up with some different creations. We hope our fellow readers approve.

JOHN FISHER

Hespeler, Cambridge, Ontario 7

6

Keep dreamin’

I always say I want no regrets when I leave this world, and it took until my 60th birthday to finally have the bike of my dreams: a 2014 FLHTK. I’ve had many bikes since I was 18 years old, but this is my first Harley,® and now I wonder why it took so long. All of my riding is two-up, so the touring bike is a must. It’s shown here with my riding partner and spouse, Dianne.

JOHN DOWNTON

Brampton, Ontario

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EXHAUST

8

Honeymooners

We had the honeymoon that dreams are made of: a 2,000-kilometre trip in the B.C. Interior! Equipped with just a backpack – and, of course, my wife – we travelled on our Breakout® to Chilliwack, then back to Sicamous, and eventually to Radium Hot Springs and Banff and then home. We visited every Harley® shop we could find and bought souvenirs. There’s nothing more incredible than taking photos of glaciers and mountains while cruising on the highway. We saw so much wildlife; it was incredible!

BILLY CHAMBERLAIN

Sicamous, B.C. 9

Family riding

My son Alexis, who has cerebral palsy, has ridden with me since he was threeand-a-half years old. This summer, Alexis and I went to Gaspesie together as a father and son trip. It has become our passion and our thing together.

So far this season, we have ridden 20,000 kilometres.

8

SÉBASTIEN YVON CHARTRAND

Lefaivre, Ontario 10

Tale of the Dragon

This September, a friend and I left Sydney, Nova Scotia, and drove 3,000 kilometres to the Tail of the Dragon, along Highway 129, that winds its way across the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. The drive down was four days of back-breaking high-speed iron-butt driving, only to be repeated to get back home. We drove through seven hours of the heaviest rain I have ever seen. But the Tail of the Dragon (my sixth time) was amazing. Every biker should experience this 18-kilometre stretch of road, where you don’t dare take your eyes off the road for a second. Words cannot express what this ride gives a rider. I yelled out loud as I threw my Street Glide® model into every one of the seemingly non-stop sharp turns.

GILBERT MACINTYRE

Sydney, Nova Scotia

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11

Meeting an idol

It was great to have the opportunity to meet Willie G. Davidson at the National HOG® Rally in Ottawa!

RIJAN SELIM

Whitby, Ontario 12 Scratch it off the list

11

I fulfilled the number-one item on my bucket list shortly before turning 50, when I obtained my motorcycle licence and purchased my first HarleyDavidson.® Thrilled to have done this!

JULIE KERTESZ

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Canadian Rockies adventure 13

12

This vacation ride began at the service counter at our local H-D® dealership.

A casual conversation with a customer about the beauty of the Canadian Rockies ended up with a potential route, which turned into reality. This was our first 10-day trip on our 2017 Road Glide® Specials. Our riding goal was to enjoy the scenery, and at the end of the day have a local brew. We started in Spokane, Washington, then rode north to Fernie, B.C., along the Crowsnest Highway to Banff and Lake Louise, up the Bow Valley Parkway to Jasper, along the Icefields Parkway and on to Valemont and Kamloops, then along miles of lake roads and wineries into Osoyoos and back over the Crowsnest to Spokane. The roads were excellent, the scenery breathtaking, and the bikes performed flawlessly through the mountains and valleys. We met many H-D riders along the way, from Australians to New Yorkers. At the end of the trip, my riding partner said, “Let’s do that again, but backwards – it will look different!” I’m in!

CHRISTINE LORENCE

Houston, Texas

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BETWEEN THE LINES

Getting Back On the Road Story by JOHN SANDBERG

M

urphy’s law states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Motorcyclists riding through the 21st century encounter fewer issues because modern motorcycles are marvels of design and manufacturing excellence. Nevertheless, once in a while we’ll need to fix a problem. Here are a few examples, as well as advice to help you solve them.

Problem: A flat tire occurs while riding Solution: Hold on tightly to the handlebar and gradually slow down while moving to the shoulder of the road.

The key is to employ smooth, gradual movements while trying to get the bike as far away from traffic as possible. Once you’re safely parked, it’s time to call for roadside assistance. A tire blowout or failure is rare and is usually the result of overheating. “When this happens, it’s typically a case where it was ridden when underinflated,” says Ray Petry, project manager of the Harley-Davidson® Riding Academy. “Similarly, when a tire fails because it’s worn out, it’s pure negligence on the part of the owner.”

Such tire-related issues are preventable with simple, routine maintenance that includes ensuring proper inflation and inspection prior to each ride. If tire pressure has dropped significantly from the last ride, inspect closely for a possible puncture.

assistance or get your walking game on. Once fuel is in the tank, your bike will be ready to run whether the engine has EFI or carburetors.

Problem: Your bike runs out of fuel Solution: Running out of fuel is mostly preventable. On any modern HarleyDavidson motorcycle with EFI, the bike’s fuel gauge (and low fuel warning light) give ample warning when it’s time to fill up. Carbureted motorcycles might not have a fuel gauge, but they do have a reserve tank that can be utilized with a simple turn of the petcock valve, assuming the valve was originally positioned to draw fuel from the primary tank. If your bike runs out of fuel while riding, Petry suggests that you pull in the clutch, signal your intention, and find a safe place to pull off the road. Then call for roadside

Problem: You accidentally fill your fuel tank with diesel or E85/flex fuel Solution: Don’t run the engine. Once you’ve stopped yelling obscenities at yourself, call for roadside assistance and have a dealer perform a proper fuel system flush and disposal of the wrong fuel. The good news is that this situation is rarely (if ever) repeated.

Problem: Your bike needs 91-octane fuel, but it’s not available at the gas station Solution: Engines that are sensitive to fuel octane (usually because of performance work and components) can usually run on lower octane, but Petry advises that precautions should be taken: “Only use the necessary amount of low octane. When riding, keep the engine cylinder pressure low by running at a higher engine RPM, rather than lugging the engine with low RPM/high throttle. And listen to the engine (not the exhaust) for ‘pinging’ or detonation, rolling off the throttle and babying the engine if it’s detected.

Fill your tank with high-octane fuel as soon as you can.”

Problem: A dead battery Solution: For some riders who are in a hurry, the fix is a set of jumper cables and another vehicle. If you’re unsure of how to properly jump-start a vehicle, then call for roadside assistance. If

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you’re not in a hurry and you have a battery charger, use it. “Figure out why the battery died by checking the battery cables and connections,” says Petry. “Clean them if they’re dirty and tighten them if they’re loose.”

Once you start the engine, be sure to run the engine at road speed for a minimum of 30 minutes (preferably for an hour) to adequately charge the battery via the bike’s alternator.

Problem: The clutch cable breaks Solution: If it breaks while on a ride, it’s possible to continue riding toward help or home. “You can still shift the transmission without the clutch by relaxing the throttle and shifting,” says Petry. “When you come to a stop, be prepared for the bike to lurch slightly before it stalls. Have both feet off the pegs and use the brakes to stop as you normally would.”

Problem: You went to your dealer for a shirt but came home with a new bike Solution: We’d call this a celebration rather than a problem. But if you’ve done this without consulting someone who should have been, then we suggest a deeply heartfelt plea for forgiveness.

Have you had a problem while motorcycling? Share it (along with the solution if you have one) with us via email at hogmagazine.ca@harley-davidson.com or mail it to HOG® Magazine Canada, 100 New Park Place, Suite 330, Vaughan, Ontario, L4K 0H9.

DECEMBER 2017

H-D MUSEUM

The First H-D Dealer Motorcycle enthusiast Charles H. Lang helped put Harley-Davidson on the road to success as the company’s first official dealer.

H

arley-Davidson’s first official dealer was Charles H. Lang, a German immigrant and businessman from Chicago, Illinois, who worked out of a small factory at 35 East Adams Street in downtown Chicago, making his living manufacturing tools for piano tuners. Even then, Lang was a motorcycle rider. In 1904, he learned of the new Harley-Davidson Motor Company and visited Milwaukee. It was then that he bought one motorcycle and agreed to become the first HarleyDavidson® dealer.

Because of his success, Lang moved from his original location on East Adams Street to 1704 Michigan Avenue in the South Loop neighbourhood of Chicago in

the spring of 1912. Interestingly, one of the first Harley-Davidson motorcycles that Lang sold eventually ended up back in his possession, and he kept it on display at his new dealership for several years. In time, Lang traded the motorcycle back to the company as partial payment on a later model. The last numbers that HarleyDavidson reported showed that his Michigan Avenue dealership sold 800 motorcycles in 1912, accounting for more than 20 per cent of the motorcycles built that year. Obviously, Lang’s contributions were not limited by being the first dealer; they were substantial.

In 1913, Lang was elected president of the Harley-Davidson Dealers’ Association of Illinois and Northern Indiana, an organization that he had previously suggested starting when meeting with other dealers from the area.

He was a tireless salesman, even writing an article for other dealers in the June 1914 Harley-Davidson Dealer magazine, filled with selling advice.

During a two-day streetcar strike in Chicago, Lang took out newspaper ads asking readers to take note of the thousands of Harley-Davidson motorcycles on the road.

Lang was also recognized as an affecting dealer and enthusiast beyond the Harley-Davidson network. In 1916, The Peoples Gas Light and Coke Co. of Chicago purchased a surplus of H-D® motorcycles and side vans from Lang’s dealership, which brought the corporation’s total of actively used

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Harley-Davidson products to 86. Due to Lang’s professional relationship and sales work with the company, it adopted Harley-Davidson models as standard equipment in several departments that had transportation needs. In the face of a 1917 legislative attempt to increase motorist licence fees in Illinois, the Motorcycle and Allied Trades Association appointed Lang and three other Chicago dealers to assist riders in the state in bringing the injustice to lawmakers’ attention.

C.H. Lang sold Harley-Davidson motorcycles throughout the 1910s and well into the 1920s, and had grown close to the company in his earliest years as a dealer. Alongside the four founders and two other individuals, Lang was voted in as a member of the original board of directors in October 1907. At that time, he was allotted five shares of stock, and in many board meetings that followed, Lang would be instrumental in contributing to major decisions regarding company growth, motorcycle retail prices and other matters of business. Lang retired from sales in 1926 and passed away at the age of 78 in 1944. A Toronto rider was quoted in the January 1913 issue of The HarleyDavidson Dealer saying, “Lang’s middle initial must be Harley-Davidson.” His love for the company and the product was known throughout his career by fellow dealers and enthusiasts alike.

DECEMBER 2017

Photographs courtesy of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company Archives. Copyright H-D.®

COVERS THE PART OF YOUR BODY THAT CHAPS DON’T.

H.O.G.®

H.O.G.® Roadside Assistance is there for you 24/7, 365 days a year to get you out of trouble in case of tire puncture, lack of fuel and even loss of keys. As a H.O.G.® member your butt is covered when you need it the most. SIGN UP TODAY AT HOG.COM/ROADSIDE. *Benefit currently available for U.S. and Canada members only. ©2017 H-D or its affiliates. HARLEY-DAVIDSON, HARLEY, H-D, and the Bar and Shield Logo are among the trademarks of H-D U.S.A., LLC. Third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

150 DOLLAR RIDES

A Solo Adventure Story by MIKE MENNENOH

O

ne Saturday I found myself faced with a dilemma: My wife had to work, so we couldn’t go on our usual weekend ride. This is our second season of owning a Harley-Davidson® Heritage Softail,™ and we’ve grown to really look forward to our rides together. So Friday night, my mind started racing with the possibilities of going solo.

I woke up early Saturday and thought, “I can go anywhere I want – I have the whole day to myself!” With that in mind, I decided to head west, knowing that if I was lucky I could make it to the Mississippi River and back.

Unfortunately, the state of Wisconsin had been rocked by 43 centimetres of rain over the month of July, so I encountered road closures almost immediately. From there, I took the path of least resistance and headed north.

We live in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and on any beautiful Saturday we see thousands of tourists flooding our streets, so heading north on the country roads sounded great. I headed out on Route 120 to Highway 43, leaving on State Road 83 in Mukwonago, which had some fun roundabouts, and a good mix of small towns and cornfields.

My plan was to just continue getting lost until I saw something worth stopping for, and shortly after that I thought I saw beautiful brick towers in the distance and realized where my route was taking me. I had found Holy

Hill, a basilica 50 kilometres west of Milwaukee. I rode up the twisty road to the parking lot, which was filled with tour buses full of people from all over the country who had come to worship and climb the towers.

After I took some pictures, I began to get hungry. I pulled out my phone and checked my GPS, and realized I wasn’t far from the Harley-Davidson Museum™ and Motor Bar and Restaurant, so I headed east.

I pulled into the Museum campus and was blown away by how many people were there. I took time to check out all of the different styles of motorcycles lined up in the parking lot. The restaurant was packed, so I decided to check out the new exhibit at the H-D Museum, The Race of Gentlemen (TROG), and, as always, being a HOG® member paid off with free admission. I loved the TROG exhibit, and the photographs of vintage cars and motorcycles were exhilarating.

By the time I was done drooling over everything I saw, I was able to grab a seat at the bar and enjoyed one of the best

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burgers I’ve ever had. Once I had my fill of people watching, I made my way home.

The ride was great; a large group of riders came up alongside me, and we all exchanged smiles and thumbsups. I followed behind them for a few kilometres, while enjoying the thunderous sound of 13 motorcycles cruising along.

I got home in no time and walked to the bar that my wife was working at to enjoy the rest of the evening drinking some beers and listening to live music with my lady.

DECEMBER 2017

THE $150 CHALLENGE If you have a $150 Ride story to share, we want to see it. If it appears in HOG® Magazine Canada, we’ll even foot the

bill – in the form of a $150 Harley-Davidson Gift Card. Keep your story to 750 words or fewer, including a list of your expenses. We also need photography from your adventure, including a photo of you. Email your submission with “$150 Rides” as the subject line to hogmagazine. ca@harley-davidson.com.

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DECEMBER 2017

LAST STOP

Back in the saddle Story by MANON BOIRE

A

year after a devastating accident, Michel Forget embraced life on three wheels.

In recent issues of HOG® Magazine Canada, there has been a lot of discussion of riding on three wheels – and a lot about people letting go of their passion after an accident or the death of their spouse. It made me want to share the story of my husband and me.

Michel and I were on our bike on

May 1, 2010, a beautiful day. We’d had a great day and the season was only just beginning. Then, on our way home, a driver hit us full force. The young man behind the wheel had fallen asleep.

My husband and I were lying in the ditch, unable to move. His severed foot was still in his boot, which had landed next to me. It’s the kind of thing you only see in the movies.

Rushed to the hospital, I ended up with multiple fractures in my leg, but Michel had to have his leg amputated below the knee.

One year later, Michel bought another motorcycle: a HarleyDavidson® Tri Glide,® from Goulet

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Motosports in Hawkesbury (which gives excellent service, by the way).

Michel just couldn’t stop living his passion. For me, it took a good three years before I was comfortable enough to get back on. It is now seven years since our accident and we still love our trike. My husband’s prosthesis has the Harley-Davidson logo engraved on it, of which he’s very proud.

I wanted to pay tribute to my husband, who for me is a champion because he never gave up and continues his passion to ride. So, yes, even after an accident it is possible to get back on a motorcycle; he is proof of this. Anything is possible.

DECEMBER 2017

the world is full of temptation.

THIS IS NO EXCEPTION.

RIDE OUT WITH NO CHARGE ABS AND SECURITY SYSTEM WITH THE PURCHASE OF A SPORTSTER® 1200 MODEL*.

Offer ends December 31, 2017. See your local Harley-Davidson® dealer for details. *OFFER AVAILABLE OCTOBER 2, 2017, TO DECEMBER 31, 2017, ON NEW SELECT SPORTSTER ® MODELS OF ALL YEARS. OFFER CANNOT BE COMBINED OR TRANSFERRED. RECEIVE ONE (1) ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM AND SECURITY SYSTEM AT NO CHARGE (OR THE EQUIVALENT VALUE LOADED ON AN H-D ™ GIFT CARD FOR USE TOWARDS FUTURE PURCHASES) WHEN YOU PURCHASE SELECT H-D ® MOTORCYCLE SPORTSTER ® MODELS (XL1200C, XL1200CX, XL1200X, XL1200T (EXCLUDES ALL XL883 AND XL1200ANX MODELS)). VISIT A PARTICIPATING H-D ® DEALER FOR MORE DETAILS. H-D ™ GIFT CARDS ARE SUBJECT TO SEPARATE TERMS, CONDITIONS AND LIMITATIONS. ©2017 H-D OR ITS AFFILIATES. H-D, HARLEY, HARLEY-DAVIDSON AND THE BAR & SHIELD LOGO ARE AMONG THE TRADEMARKS OF H-D U.S.A., LLC.

DON’T JUST SIT THERE. COME RIDE IT.

TEST RIDE THE NEW HARLEY-DAVIDSON® MOTORCYCLE YOU’VE BEEN DREAMING ABOUT BOOK A TEST RIDE TODAY AT H-D.COM/TESTRIDE ©2017 H-D OR ITS AFFILIATES. H-D, HARLEY, HARLEY-DAVIDSON AND THE BAR & SHIELD LOGO ARE AMONG THE TRADEMARKS OF H-D U.S.A., LLC.

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:

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100 New Park Place, Suite 330 Vaughan, Ontario L4K 0H9 Tel: 1-800-CLUBHOG 1-800-668-4836 Fax: 414-343-4515 hog.com

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