2011 Harley-Davidsons - First Ride

The Harley-Davidson Motor Company unveiled three new 2011 machines, including the radial-tired Sportster SuperLow, a re-suspended XR1200Xand the new FLTRU Road Glide Ultra.

The new Ultra uses H-D’s basic FL rubber-mount platform, and attaches to it all the things serious travelers require: a frame-mount fairing with vented lowers for wind protection and light steering, a pair of hard saddlebags (with liners) and trunk, a bass-kicking Harman/Kardon 80-watt sound system (and CB/intercom), and electronic cruise control, of course. For 2011, a new, one-piece seat is designed to provide better lumbar support and is also narrower up front, to make it easier for shorties to get their boots on the ground. Matter of fact, all the Touring bikes get new deeper-bucket seats.

The big news, though, is that the new Ultra gets H-D's new PowerPak, the main component of which is a 103-cubic-inch V-Twin (1690cc) that H-D says makes 9.6-percent more torque than the old 96-inch engine—102 foot-pounds of torque at 3500 rpm, to be specific. They got there with a 3.875-inch boring bar instead of a 3.750-inch one, while retaining the 4.380-inch stroke, and the new engine gains a bump in compression ratio from 9.2:1 to 9.6:1 in the process. Perks things right up.

Basically what you’re looking at is H-D’s own Screamin’ Eagle kit factory-installed and 50-state legal, but with 0.6:1 more compression than the $2995 kit to build your own provides. When you factor in that the PowerPak also includes antilock brakes and H-D’s key fob-activated Smart Security System, you could argue the Road Glide Ultra is quite the deal at $22,499.

Harley provided no 200-pound test passengers the day we rode the bikes around the Oregon coast at the recent press introduction for the 2011 model line, but I could definitely feel the boost in power compared to the 96-inch Street Glide we tested for the August issue. The other things that made the Street Glide the winner in that comparo (vs. the Victory Cross Country and Star Stratoliner Deluxe) remain, including H-D’s Isolated Drive System compensator in the rear hub. Like all the FL bikes we’ve ridden, the new Road Glide Ultra is one sweet, smooth-riding motorcycle. Now with improved power, too.

Then it gets complicated. The 103-inch engine/PowerPak package is also standard on the Road King Classic ($19,499) and the Electra Glide Ultra Limited ($23,699). And it’s available as a $1995 option on the Street Glide ($18,999) and Road Glide Custom ($18,999). Elsewhere in the lineup, ABS is now optional on all the Softail models except the Cross Bones. And the V-Rod power cruisers are available with a Security Package which includes ABS and the Smart Security System.

The very cool and even somewhat racy XR1200X Sportster follows the typical pattern, attaching to last year’s XR1200 the Showa Big Piston Fork and adjustable shocks H-D sells in kit form (for $1499.95) to a bike that, at $11,799, is only about a grand steeper than last year’s model.

And the new XL883L SuperLow not only gets custom new Michelin radial tires, its ride/handling also benefit greatly from new shocks out back with progressive springs and revised front end geometry, and a more comfy new seat and handlebar. To ease new riders gently into the fold, it rolls with a seat just 25.5 inches from the pavement. For increased range, it also gets a 4.5-gallon fuel tank which seems to hold 4.2 gallons when filled after becoming completely empty. Don’t ask us how we know.

All in all, there are 32 H-D’s for sale for 2011, including three trikes, and more power to you if you’re able to keep all your Ultras and Classics and Limiteds straight along with your CVOs and Glides and Customs.

And speaking of keeping it all straight, H-D’s Product Communications Director Paul James says things are looking up at the Motor Company and not just because it’s his job to never look down: James says H-D’s latest numbers show it at number one among streetbike buyers aged 18 to 35, which means its products are forming a classic pincer movement to envelop the motorcycle-buying market from both demographic directions (and I could allude to Marshall Zhukov at Stalingrad if I didn’t mind a bunch of angry mail from our Nazi readership).

Efforts to expand the market are being employed elsewhere, as H-D is in the process of launching a major outreach campaign to Hispanics, while also pushing to its dealers a novel idea the company calls Jumpstart. A sort of rolling road/dyno setup with a securely mounted motorcycle in place, Jumpstart lets beginners fire up an actual Hog and run it up through the gears while stationary. Smart idea. Last year H-D opened its first dealership in India, and is looking forward to expanding into China. An untapped market for 8 billion black T-shirts cannot be ignored.