Photo Credit: Harley Davidson
Every year Harley Davidson launches the next year’s line up between August and September and this year has been no different. Like every year, Harley Davidson has made minor and insignificant changes to the existing models, launched a new model, taken off a current model and brought back a previously discontinued model.
Surprisingly, this year Harley was a little unpredictable and did a few things more than what it was expected to deliver.
- Small is BIG: After years, Harley has shifted its focus from the big iconic Bikes and focused on the smaller Sportsters and the new launched Street.
- Using Twitter’s Persicope: Harley launched their new lineup on Twitters Periscope. We are not sure of who paid who for this insanely confusing launch.
- Big is now available to all: The 110Ci motor, which was only available in the top of the lot CVOs in now available for the Softail Slim S and Fatboy S. There is a New High Output Twin Cam 103 engines available on all Dynas except the Street Bob which retains the earlier air cooled twin cam 103 engine.
Here are more details:
WHAT’S NEW
STREET 500 and 750
The newest kid in the Harley Stable is fast gaining popularity. With this popularity also comes criticism and there are quite a few on the Street. Well, Harley has woken up to one of them and provided working brakes on the 2016 Street.
SPORTSTERS
It appears that the focus for 2016 has been the sportsters. They are the models which bring the maximum chunk of first time Harley Buyers and with the markets not being favorable, it is no surprise that Harley has shifted its focus to the smaller V-Twins.
To start with, the sportsters now come with improved front and rear suspensions.
IRON 883 and Forty-Eight : For about 5 years, the only visible change on an Iron or Forty- Eight is the decal on the tank. The story this year is a little diferent. The Iron 883 now comes with lighter mag wheels and a few more cosmetic changes which includes a new seat, an air filter and the obvious tank decal. The Forty- Eight gets new wheels along with better-looking exhausts shields.
Here’s a typical cheeky video by Harley on the new Street, Iron and Forty Eight:
SOFTAILS
The major changes have been on the Softail Slim and the Fatboy with the launch of the S Series. With a new top of the line Twin Cam 110 heart, the S Series motorcycles are meaner. The Softail Slim S is also available in a unique post-war paint job with a funny name – Olive Gold Denim.
Also Cruise Control has been launched for all models of Softails which is very thoughtful
Return of the Road Glide Ultra
The touring series experiences the return of the Road Glide Ultra. The motorcycle comes packed with everything you can imagine on a pair of wheels and will easily exceed the expectations of even the cockiest of touring bikers.
WHATS MISSING:
No matter what Harley Davidson does, riders are always craving for more. Here are a few things which would have made 2016 a little bit sweeter for Harley Riders
STREET is still not Street Ready: While the brakes are welcome, there is a lot more which is expected out of a Harley Davidson Motorcycle and the Street somehow always falls short. Hopefully the 2017 models will focus on the Street and will make it a motorcycle that you can actually ride on the streets.
LIVEWIRE: The Livewire has generated quite a buzz in the motorcycling scene. While we never expected the motorcycle to be launched in 2016, Harley should look to launch it soon if it wants to keep the buzz around “GREEN MOTORCYCLE” alive. If you want to know more about this motorcycle, here's Jay Leno reviewing the machine
NO NEW MODELS: There have been no new model launches in 2016. Harley Davidson should have looked to bring in a new model, specially in the Sportster Criteria. With Triumph, Ducati and BMW all riding on the trending Scrambler theme, probably Harley could have released a model in this criteria.
What's your view on the 2016 Lineup of Harley Davidson. Let us know in the comments below.
We would like to extend a special thanks to Matt Erickson and Chad Gardiner for making this article richer.