Boat International – August 2019

boatinternational.com

BOAT LIFE

PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDY MAHR; FRED SIGMAN

aveforapplepieandtheStarsandStripes,thereare

fewthingsmoreAmericanthanaHarley-Davidson.

Themotorcyclemarquewasbornin 1903 when

childhoodfriendsWilliamSHarleyandArthur

DavidsonbuilttheirfirstmachineinaMilwaukeeshed.Sincethen,

Harley-DavidsonhascometorepresentthebestofAmerican

freedom,growingintoablue-chipbrandwithadistinctivelogo

thatappearsnotonlyonmotorcyclesbutonclothingandavast

rangeofotherproducts–Harley-Davidsondogfood,anyone?

Thecompanyhas,however,endureditsfairshareofupsand

downs:changesofownership,strikes,profitwarningsand,

aboveall,thedisdainofmanymembersofthe

two-wheeledcommunitywhosayHarleysare

slow,heavy,ill-handling,outmodedmachines

thatarebuiltforposersratherthan“real”riders.

Butforthemillionsaroundtheworldwho

love them, the fact that Harley-Davidson has

stuck with the air-cooled, V-twin engine format

with its distinctive exhaust note (which the

company even sought to trademark in 1994) is

part of what makes the bikes great.

Harley’s problem, however, is that its buyers

are getting older. It no longer releases official

demographic figures, but the last time it did – in

2008 – the average owner was 48.

To combat this, the brand is set to release its

forward-thinking LiveWire electric motorcycle

and has substantially funked up its street bike

rangetoappealtoayoungeraudience.Itcame

asasurprise,then,totakedeliveryofthelatest

StreetGlideSpecialfromthetouringrangeand

findthatitretainsalltheexpectedcharacter

• muchofitprovidedbythe1.8-litreV-twin
  engine–yetisremarkablyrefined.
  Myfirstrideinvolveda390-kilometreairport
  run,whichtheStreetGlidetackledwithout
  breakingsweat,itsmightyenginedelivering
  hugeburstsofpowerandtorquewithminimal
  vibrationandthewidehandlebarsanddeep
  saddleofferingsuperbcomfort.
  Theseeminglydecorative
  fairingworksatreat,too,and
  thebike’sbuilt-in,touchscreen
  infotainmentsystemmadefora
  level of convenience far removed
  from Harley’s outlaw biker image.
  My fear, however, is that the
  days of such motorcycles may
  be numbered as the electric
  revolution gathers pace. Which
  seems like the perfect reason to
  get acquainted with a Street Glide
  Special or one of its fellow tourers
  before it’s too late. After all, none
  of us is getting any younger.
  harley-davidson.com

Easy glider

The Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine delivers 1,868cc of speed and cruising thrills

Motel Vegas captures the

neon-rich Las Vegas skyline

loved by many travellers

As Harley-Davidson gears up for an electric future, the Street Glide

Special is a big blast from its glorious past, says Simon de Burton

S

On the road

Ever dreamed of cruising

down Route 66 in your

Chevy in the 1950s? A

new monograph by Dr

Fred Sigman, narrating

the history of Las Vegas’s

roadside motels, will give

you an idea of what that

might have been like.

The photographs in the

book were commissioned

by Ivan Karp, the late

New York art dealer who

developed the SoHo gallery

district in Manhattan and

helped Andy Warhol, Roy

Lichtenstein and Robert

Rauschenberg’s rise to

fame. Feast your eyes on

neon lights, vintage pools

and a healthy dose of 1950s

nostalgia. Motel Vegas,

$19, smallworkspress.com

Engine: 1,868cc double

overhead camshaft V-twin

Gearbox: Six speed

Power: 90hp@5,020rpm

Torque: 163Nm@3,000rpm

Drive: belt

Fuel capacity: 22.7 litres

Range: 400km

Weight: 362kg

Price: from £22,495

SPECS

HARLEY-DAVIDSON

STREET GLIDE

SPECIAL

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