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There’s a brand new custom at Harley-Davidson. Annually, The Motor Co. dives deep into their archives, finds a motorcycle that set hearts ablaze in its heyday, and releases a contemporary reproduction of it. They name it their ‘Icons Assortment,’ and it’s now in its third yr.
This yr’s Icons Assortment bike throws it method again, to the yr that Nixon received the election, Led Zeppelin first took to the stage and a Massive Mac value 49 cents. Dubbed the Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Freeway King, it’s a modern-day re-creation of the ultra-groovy 1968 FLH Electra Glide.
Editor’s observe: Yip, we’re that includes a cruiser-slash-tourer from a serious OEM right this moment. It’s a part of our drive to convey you, our loyal readers, extra than simply your weekly dose of the world’s greatest customized bikes. Plus it seems to be spectacular and is available in magenta—so we’re discovering it exhausting to hate.
Harley-Davidson turns 120 this yr, which implies that the corporate has a lot of historical past to sift by when determining which legacy bikes to spotlight with its Icons sequence. We’ve been fortunate sufficient to not solely go to the Harley-Davidson museum in Milwaukee, however to achieve entry to the hallowed archives. Crammed to the brim with all the pieces from memorabilia to historic pictures, it’s a deep rabbit gap.
So what precisely does the H-D workforce take into account when selecting every Icons mannequin? “Many elements,” says Brad Richards, Harley’s Vice President Of Design and Inventive Director Of Bikes, bluntly.
“We attempt to hold a steadiness between what many years to lean into—and which fashions ignite essentially the most ardour inside our clients’ hearts. We additionally take into account the present narrative inside the whole portfolio every year. As an illustration, the Electra Glide Revival [Harley’s first Icons release] was launched adjoining to the Pan America, as a reminder that our present clients are as vital as future clients.”
The 1968 Electra Glide is as Americana nostalgia as classic Harleys get. Splashed in a magenta paint job, with white trim and chrome accents, it’s clear which period it lived in. Clients additionally had the choice of shopping for it with a deluxe ‘King of the Freeway’ touring package deal on the time, which included fiberglass panniers, a windshield, a baggage rack and engine guards; it’s clearly the place the Electra Glide Freeway King nomenclature comes from.
The Electra Glide Freeway King is predicated on Harley’s current single-spar touring chassis, and powered by the corporate’s Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine. So it has all of the trimmings of a contemporary touring bike; linked Brembo brakes, cornering ABS, traction management and drag-torque slip management, cruise management, and a hill maintain function. It’s also possible to improve the 160 Nm mill with Harley’s full vary of Screamin’ Eagle hop-up kits.
Sitting on high of that chassis is bodywork that mixes current Harley elements with a number of distinctive gadgets. The gas tank, tank-mounted clocks, fenders, facet covers and fork shrouds appear to be they arrive straight from different touring bikes, just like the Highway King. It’s a testomony to how constant Harley’s design language has remained through the years.
“We’ve stayed so true to our roots, even with our most up-to-date bikes,” says Brad. “The proportions, kinds, and the way in which we visually handle digital parts, implies that most bikes are nice canvases for future Icons.”
Even the saddlebags have been borrowed from the prevailing touring vary; “Once more, the shape issue continues to be very near the originals from the late 60s, so it labored completely,” provides Brad. What makes the Electra Glide Freeway King stand out then, is how nicely its distinctive trim has been executed.
For starters, the 2 paint jobs that it is available in are equally eye-popping. You will get it in ‘Hello-Fi Orange’ or ‘Hello-Fi Magenta,’ and every model comes with color-matched tinting on the decrease half of the removable windshield. Bodacious.
The saddlebags on each variations are white, similar to they had been within the 60s. The middle console encompasses a chrome encompass with a black heart strip, punctuated by white striping. An Icons Assortment graphic and serialization badge are etched into the console too.
One totally distinctive element is the Electra Glide Freeway King’s saddle. Harley began with elements from their police bike seats, then constructed a brand new unit with a customized rail design. Upholstered in black and white, it’s a standout piece.
The remainder of the bike is completed with swathes of chrome—from the engine itself, to the crash bars, entrance fender trim and saddlebag guards. Chromed ‘Electra Glide’ scripts adorn the entrance fender, whereas period-correct Harley badges sit in opposition to the tank. Twin spotlights flank the headlight, whereas the traditional laced wheels put on whitewall treads.
All that comes at a premium, naturally. The Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Freeway King will set you again $26,999 within the States—three grand greater than the present Highway King Particular. As is customary for his or her Icons bikes, Harley will produce this as a 2023 mannequin solely, restricted to 1,750 items (1,000 in orange, and 750 in magenta).
Added up, the Electra Glide Freeway King sits someplace between a manufacturing facility customized and a contemporary traditional. It’ll absolutely enchantment to the Harley trustworthy, who’re recognized to go gaga over particular version fashions (particularly once they’re launched in an anniversary yr). However we reckon it may have enchantment past Harley’s current fanbase, too.
Would you be tempted?
Pictures provided by Harley-Davidson and Harley-Davidson Archives
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