Harley Davidson had a good year in 2008. They opened a new museum dedicated to the history of their brand, their owners club (H.O.G.) reached a landmark 25th Silver Anniversary and they themselves celebrated 105 years of building a cult American Motorcycle.
To celebrate the occasion were a few notable events. The first was a four day festival of non-stop activities and music in Milwaukee City centred primarily along the lakefront area. The mighty H.O.G. held their event at Miller Park, there was an organised run to the whole thing beginning at 105 separate Harley dealers from all around the states and Harley Davidson themselves released a total of 14 separate models of extremely special limited edition bikes.
The 105th Anniversary models all featured exclusive two-tone paint plans in copper and black with copper vinyl inserts tastefully inlaid into the saddles and copper shield decoration on the tanks and air cleaners. Some of the top models also featured something new. Something which made me stop and think when I heard it. Harley Davidson factory fitted Brembo disk brakes with advanced ABS! For a minute I even thought I was going to faint.
Not content with implementing an existing system the image-conscious brand felt it necessary to design the system from the bottom up, hiding many of the elements completely from sight within the wheel hubs themselves. The result also ended up being rather lighter than the existing methods would have allowed.
Top of the Harley Davidson range in 2008 was the CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide. This is a bike with more features than an American sitcom. It has a 160 Watt stereo system, Satellite Navigation, Cruise Control and even heated leather seats! With the addition of ABS that doesn't even lock up when applied on gravel it becomes something truly magnificent.
The best thing of all though is the engine. It's what makes Harley Davidson's so iconic in the first place and the Twin Cam 110 (1803cc) motor they use in this machine keeps all the character of noise and shake we have come to expect. Extensive rubber mounting ensures the shake stays with the engine though, keeping the rider and passenger free of stress able to enjoy the ride and just listen to that glorious noise.
The only real competition this motorcycle has in its class is, in my opinion, the Honda Goldwing. On paper they have an amazingly similar spec, even the engine sizes almost match. But in reality let's be honest, one of them has infinitely more style than the other. In fact, it takes image into a completely different league. And with brakes that actually work I can't imagine there's much choice left at all and the votes will have already been cast.
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