Harley’s New Eight

Roadglide

Worth the Wait: Harleys new eight

Milwaukee keeps the dream alive - and the competition at bay - with eight new models in the ‘22 lineup. For the last couple of months, we’ve been busy testing most of the ‘new for ‘22’ Harley-Davidson models. You’ve already seen our firsthand impressions of the Pan America and Sportster S and we’ve been back aboard the Softails and Tourers too. This year sees eight new and revitalised models hit the showroom. “As part of our focus on stronghold segments, including Grand American Touring and Cruiser, the 2022 product line is designed for power and performance. Each of these new models feature the unrivalled power of the Milwaukee-Eight 117, for those riders who want nothing but the biggest and the best, building on our position as the most desirable motorcycle brand in the world,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman, President and CEO, HarleyDavidson in The Motor Company’s predicably optimistic media announcement.

The year was off to a good start and spurred on by their followup win in the ‘Battle of the Baggers’ series, Harley is celebrating by adding performance credentials to the two touring ‘baggers’ in the Great American Touring segment, the Road Glide and Street Glide. Dubbed ‘ST’, these hot rod baggers offer CVOlevel powertrains in a non-CVO bike, namely the installation of the biggest factory-installed displacement available, the 117ci Milwaukee-Eight. Each bike has also been lifted slightly for greater cornering clearance. This 117ci enhancement is also applied to the Low Rider S (FXLRS) and FXLRST, while the humble Street Bob (FXBBS) also benefits from a 114ci upgrade, up from the previous standard 107.

This year also sees the Street Bob lose the solo seat and gain some stunning new paint schemes. For mine, the stock orange and black ensemble takes the cake and is nicely set off with the black steel laced wheels replacing the spokes. Colour options (metallic at extra cost) are Vivid Black; Gauntlet Gray, Redline Red and Fastback Blue.

You’ve already read our test ride report on the all-new Sportster S with the Revolution Max liquid-cooled 1250cc engine. So we were intrigued with the announcement of the Nightster which shared the engine, albeit in 975cc and ‘T’ format. The mechanical specifications are more-or-less identical to the 1250 seen in both Sportster S and Pan America except that, apart from the obvious lesser displacement, it’s tuned to produce a more modest 90hp (67kW) at 7500rpm and 95Nm at 5000rpm. H-D says the new RevMax iteration is tweeked to produce an exceptionally flat torque curve and “strong acceleration and robust power through the mid-range”.

The Nightster is an instrument of expression and exploration, underpinned by performance.

For those with a soft spot for the venerable Sportsters of old, including myself, we have to face the inevitable fact that everything must come to an end. As much as we tolerated the noisy engine, harsh ride and short range, the XL’s amazing near 70-year lifespan will forever cement it as a true classic. The two new ‘Sporties’ draw on that heritage, for sure, but these are completely new bikes chock full of 21st century wizardry with very little to remind us of that stalwart lineage. It will be interesting to see how the new Nightster rides when it arrives here any day now. “The Nightster is an instrument of expression and exploration, underpinned by performance,” said Jochen Zeitz, in a carefully crafted media announcement. “By building on the 65-year Sportster legacy, the Nightster provides a canvas for creativity and personalisation, offering the ultimate platform for customisation and expression for new and existing riders.” The super premium CVO Touring models are enhanced with new paint options and add a hollering Rockford Fosgate sound system. For me, loudspeaker sound systems on motorcycles are a little like ashtrays, so there’s also a Boom! Audio 30K Bluetooth Helmet Headset for those who like to be more discreet.

And for those of who might not ride like a MotoGP pro, there’s a cool new addition that’s standard on CVO models and an option for all Grand American Touring models, including the Street Glide ST and Road Glide ST models: Cornering Rider Safety Enhancements by Harley-Davidson is a collection of technologies designed to assist the rider in maintaining the rider’s intended path through a curve. i.e. not fall off!

This technology package provides: Cornering Electronically Linked Brakes, Cornering-ABS, Cornering-Traction Control with modes, Drag Torque Slip Control, Vehicle Hold Control and Tyre Pressure Monitoring (TPMS). With the deletion of the LAMS Street 500, entry to the HarleyDavidson family now starts with Softail Standard at $22,995 in any colour as long as it’s black. Nightster will open at $23,995 and Street Bob 114 at $26,250. The Low Rider pair, S and ST, are priced at $30,750 and $35,250 respectively, while the ST baggers kick off at $44,995 each. Just for your information, the super-dooper CVO Road Glide Limited now rides away at $61,750

Roderick ‘Rowdy’ Eime #68221 (motorweb.ws)