Harley-Davidson isn’t releasing any all-new, regular-production models for 2013, but it’s got some new CVOs (see page 22) and made some great changes and additions to the lineup to help kickoff the Motor Company’s 110th birthday festivities. The yearlong international celebration began with a Museum Launch Party in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 30, 2012, and a giant Harley Owner’s Group event in Faaker See, Austria, in early September.
Locally sponsored global celebrations and promotions on Harley’s website will run throughout the year—including a Blessing of the Bikes by the Pope himself during the June 2013 celebration in Rome, Italy—culminating with the big party August 29-September 1, 2013, in Milwaukee.
To mark the occasion, Harley will offer limited-edition 110th Anniversary versions of seven OE models: Sportster 1200 Custom; Softail Fat Boy Lo and Heritage Softail Classic; Dyna Super Glide Custom; Road King and Electra Glide Ultra Limited from the Touring family; and even the Tri Glide Ultra Classic trike. These bikes will be serialized and have exclusive paint and graphics, commemorative solid-bronze unique fuel-tank badges and 110th markings on the air cleaner, derby cover and timer cover. The Smart Security System is standard on all, as well as ABS on the big twins, and several will get special wheels, too. The tank badge is an especially cool piece of “Living Art” with a distressed, antique finish.
Harley’s least-expensive big twin, the solo seat Dyna Street Bob, has the Twin Cam 96 V-twin stock and still starts at $12,999 in Vivid Black for 2013. It gets restyled with a blacked-out powertrain and triple clamps, a chopped rear fender with side-mounted license plate and new stop/turn/tail lights. Tapered mufflers and a round air cleaner toughen the bike’s profile, and relocating the ignition switch to the tank console and isolating the bar risers has made it nicer to ride.
The Street Bob also becomes the second bike in Harley’s H-D1 factory customization program alongside the Sportster 1200 Custom. In addition to paint, wheel and engine finishes, using its online Bike Builder riders can choose different foot control and peg locations, handlebars and seats to customize the bike’s fit. You can bump the motor up to the 103, add ABS and the Security System and choose between cast or laced wheels, as well.
Lots of new colors adorn the 2013 bikes in addition to the 110th Anniversary treatment on some of them, but the most interesting is a new Hard Candy Custom option for many of them. This dazzling metal flake factory paint job comprises eight layers of paint and clear coat and some custom graphics, and is covered by the factory warranty. Some matching HCC accessory items like helmets complete the classic ’60s look.
Harley launched the 2013 lineup by treating us lowly scribes to a gorgeous ride through the Cascades in northwest Washington, and mountains and badlands of southwest British Columbia, covering much of the loop in our Where the Mountains Meet the Sea story in the August 2012 issue. I spent as much time on the new Street Bob H-D1 variations with their Mini-Ape, Drag and Pullback bars as I could, and though such a combo wasn’t on the ride, I think the Drag bar and mid-mount foot controls would offer the most comfort on longer rides. All had the 103 engine and ABS, options I highly recommend for the additional power and smooth, hard stops, and if it were me, I’d get cast wheels so I could run tubeless tires. Can you tell I’ve been playing around with the Bike Builder?
(This article A Colorful Custom Anniversary was published in the November 2012 issue of Rider magazine.)
To learn more about the 2013 Harley-Davidson CVOs, click here.