2015 Harley-Davidson Road Glide Roars Back

Two All-New Models Flaunt Massive Bad Attitude and Mile-Devouring Function
MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson® (NYSE:HOG) has more rush in the tank. Spy photos, gossip and wild speculation are flooding the Internet as Harley-Davidson fans around the globe anticipate the return of the Road Glide® motorcycle. The wait is over and the Road Glide is back.

Weeks before the announcement of its complete 2015 model line-up, Harley-Davidson is previewing the Road Glide and Road Glide Special, two of its new 2015 motorcycles. Infused with DNA of the customer-led product development effort Project RUSHMORE, the two sleek, shark-nose Touring models are being revealed today during special events at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, S.D., and at the National Bikers Roundup (NBR) in Tulsa, Okla.

“Road Glide has always had an incredibly passionate following, which is why its return to the model line-up is exciting for our customers and our company,” said Matt Levatich, President and Chief Operating Officer of Harley-Davidson Motor Company. “With Project Rushmore technology, intuitive features and great new styling, we’re delivering an improved ride for the Road Glide faithful and the many others looking for more cool Project Rushmore motorcycle options.”

One look at the new contour of the famous Road Glide fairing is all it takes to see past form and convention were put aside and a new rebellious design emerged. The Road Glide motorcycle earned its status satisfying the hard core and now it is back. From the wicked new Dual Reflector Daymaker™ LED headlights to the combination stop/turn/taillights, the Road Glide motorcycles set out to make the ultimate statement in custom, high-mile aggression and back it up with all the function riders demand.

“The Road Glide has always been a bike for a rider who’s cut from a different cloth, a person who wants to make a statement as they chase the freedom of the road,” said Michael Goche, Product Planning Manager. “This new model respects that spirit while offering a significant improvement in aerodynamic and ergonomic comfort, LED lighting and the full suite of Project RUSHMORE features that have been such a huge hit with touring riders around the world.”

Road Glide
Shaped by countless hours of wind tunnel testing, the new frame-mounted Road Glide motorcycle fairing features a triple splitstream vent that significantly reduces head buffeting while still providing comfortable airflow around the rider. The brilliant white beams of the Dual Daymaker Reflector LED headlamp blasts through the murkiest of nights. Centered in the inner fairing is the color screen of a Boom! ™ Box 4.3 infotainment system controlled by twin joysticks located on a new swept-back handlebar that puts the rider in a commanding, comfortable position. A High Output Twin Cam 103™ V-Twin engine burbles through two chrome mufflers, its abundant torque always on tap with just a twist of the throttle. Touring features include One-Touch hard saddlebags, cruise control, easy-to-read gauges, adjustable air-ride rear suspension and new ergonomic hand controls with intuitive design and improved tactile feel.

Road Glide Special
Select premium features elevate the performance and style of the Road Glide Special from the base model. These enhancements include the premium Boom! Box 6.5GT infotainment system with touch screen and GPS navigation, Reflex™ Linked Brakes with ABS and hand-adjustable low-profile rear suspension. An exclusive painted inner fairing and hand-applied pinstriping move the styling up a notch.

The public will have an opportunity to see and test-ride the new 2015 Road Glide and Road Glide Special models at Harley-Davidson locations in Sturgis Aug. 2-9 and in Tulsa on Aug. 2. They then start arriving at authorized Harley-Davidson dealerships on August 26, 2014. Visit www.h-d.com/roadglide for more information.

Harley-Davidson™ World Ride Racks Up 10.5 Million Miles

(6/27/2014) - MILWAUKEE – Seeking freedom and adventure, thousands of globe-trotting motorcycle riders ditched the daily grind and hit the road during the Harley-Davidson™ World Ride on June 22-23. Together they logged 10,566,064 miles, or 17,004,389 kilometers, over the course of the two-day ride.

After completing their rides, participants logged their mileage directly onto the World Ride web site and shared riding stories and photographs on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #HDWorldRide. Participants could also download a certificate of participation after entering their mileage on the web site.

“Riders left the rat race behind for two days during the World Ride and put on an incredible demonstration of the fun and freedom that riding brings to our lives,” said Nigel Villiers, Harley-Davidson Director of Integrated Consumer Experience. “The number of miles we rode together is amazing, but what really makes the World Ride special are the stories and memories they created.”
During the World Ride, riders logged miles solo, in groups large and small, and through a variety of dealer-led events around the world, united by a shared passion for freedom, adventure, and riding. Riders from more than 75 countries participated in the World Ride, with the ten highest mileage totals coming from the United States, Canada, Brazil, India, Mexico, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, and South Africa.

Stories and photos gathered during the World Ride can be viewed at socialhub.harley-davidson.com/worldride. To learn more about the Harley-Davidson World Ride, visit h-d.com/worldride.

Tom's Review of the 2014 Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited

By Tom McTamney, Owner, Liberty Harley-Davidson

I thought that I would put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard, and do a review of the Motor Company’s latest touring model, the Ultra Limited Twin-Cooled.  I had the opportunity to do a late winter ride this year to Bike Week in Daytona.  I managed to buzz around town locally ahead of time, to get about 400 miles on the bike so I could get the first service out of the way before I left so I wouldn’t have to worry about the first service on the ride south

Now, this new Limited is the first entry by Harley into the realm of liquid cooling on a large touring bike.  Since it only cools the two exhaust valves in the heads, I wondered if it would really help with the heat put off by Harley’s big twin.  Also, it sported a high-output engine with factory installed cams, and I wondered if just cooling the exhaust valves was worth the effort.  Well, I can say with certainty that it was.  Before I speak about how this new power plant worked, let me first tell everyone about the modifications I made to the bike before I left.

I had an S&S header pipe installed along with a Screamin’ Eagle 4-inch StreetCannons, a high flow breather and a Harley-Davidson Race tuner and a Dyno tune.  Those modifications worked out really well, lost no reliability, and performance for a touring bike was more than adequate.

The day I left for Daytona was rather cool, a balmy 37 degrees, and it stayed under 50 or so till we made Georgia. Georgia was around 65 or 70 degrees which still was really no challenge for Harley’s Twin-Cooled engine.  With just over 1000 miles on the trip, the bike ran flawlessly.  The new seat was adequate, the fairing vent worked as expected and kept most of the wind well above my helmet area, and buffeting was at a minimum.

Photo Courtesy of Joseph Caruso

My wife enjoyed the new passenger seat and back rest; we both were amazed at the new sound system, and even at 85-90 mph we could still hear the radio.  The new LED lighting, standard on the Limited, worked very well, and the new linked brakes took a little getting used to (when you apply the front brake and then apply the rear brake you can feel a slight pushback on the front brake lever…the same applies if you apply the rear and then the front, you will feel a push back on the foot lever.  Under 25 you won’t feel it at all), but with a few miles under my belt it became unnoticeable. So I was well satisfied with the improvements that Harley made on its Rushmore Touring bikes, and would have no problem recommending them to my customers.   The real test would be Main Street.

  

Photo Courtesy of Joseph Caruso

Monday in Daytona the temperature hit a warm 80 degrees.  Felt a lot hotter after our northern winter.  Well, time for the real test -- stop and go Main Street cruising.  I used to avoid Main Street other years because of the heat problem with the bikes, but this year I hit it hard.  I spent well over an hour cruising up and down Main Street and while the new Twin-Cooled engine did get hot, it was nowhere near what my last Limited experienced.  The fans came on and cycled off, (could not hear them at all) and pushed the hot air well away from the rider, the new heat management system cycled on every time the throttle was returned to idle, and I could only tell it was working because the big Street Cannon exhaust note changed from the rather recognizable syncopated beat to a slightly off-key note, as only one cylinder is now firing.  The engine management system controls the system well, raising the idle speed just enough to keep the idle at about a grand, and as soon as you twist the grip it seamlessly returns to normal two cylinder operation.  So, over an hour of stop and go riding and my thigh did not catch fire.

Photo Courtesy of Joseph Caruso

In my opinion, the Twin-Cooled engine works as described, and I expect to see it on a few other touring bikes next year. 
 

I now have almost 4000 miles on my new Limited and I have to say that all of the Motor Companies Rushmore improvements on the touring models work very well.