WORDS: Racing Dave PICS: Lou Martin & RD
Harley-Davidson prides itself in
its annual new model launches
as Racing Dave found out when
we sent him to Perth for this
year’s ‘production.’
It was cold, very cold, and a
Kookaburra’s laugh shrieked through
the bush, startling the dozen or so
motorcycle riders readying for dinner.
It’s easy of course for jaded and
cynical hacks to become soft at new bike
launches, sometimes staying in 5-star
hotels, their every whim anticipated.
However Harley-Davidson treated
their 2009 touring model launch
differently – we were promised
5,000,000-star accommodation, and
it was at the Honeymoon Pools, in
Wellington National Park, in the Western
Australian bush that we were camping,
with a starry Milky Way twinkling above.
And what a camp it was, with the
best resources of outdoor-outfitters
Coleman and a local Kiwi-owned catering
company. Having hot-showered, we sat
down to a waitress-served, silver-service,
10-course degustation meal lasting five
hours. Unbelievably exotic, considering
the remote location. But don’t worry,
this isn’t the story I prepared for Exotic
Holiday Monthly magazine, it’s the KR
one, so yes we also rode some ’09
models while we were away!
Now, a touring motorcycle means
different things to different people, but
to me a tourer will be a comfortable
motorcycle capable of carrying rider
and possibly a pillion at a decent speed
safely and without stress over all types of
sealed roads in all weather while carrying
a reasonable amount of luggage.
A FAIR CRACK
Our two fine days could not provide
the ultimate test of Harley-Davidson’s
2009 FLH-series, but we gave it a fair
crack, riding over 500km on a mix of city,
freeway, and backcountry roads. None of
the Touring models is all-new, but each
is sufficiently incrementally improved
so that although they might look similar
to previous models at a glance, they are
enhanced in many areas.
Bill Davidson, one of H-D’s Vice
Presidents, said that the new chassis,
swingarm, engine mounting system, and
wheels and tyres would deliver a new level
of agility and responsiveness, rider and
passenger comfort, and cargo capacity,
while maintaining the distinctive character
and mechanical beauty of each model.
All models, except the Road King
Classic, now have 17-inch front tyres
(130/80 x 17 Dunlop D407 tyre), instead
of 16-inchers, and the rear wheel in that
diameter is now five inches wide instead
of three, and fitted with a 180/65 x 16
Dunlop.
Overall gearing is reduced, to make
the usefulness of top (6th) gear more
practical, and a light informs the rider that
he is in that gear. The gearbox uses a
heel-and-toe lever, but I only used the toe
end in the conventional manner.
WOW! BREMBO BRAKES
Less obvious to the uninitiated, all
models now have ABS Brembo brakes
(one-finger effective, even with the
bike’s massive weight), electronic
throttle control (for that ride-by-wire
smoothness), cruise control and
improvements in the rear hub to further
reduce noise and vibration.
The 96-cubic inch (1584cc) twin
cam engines are still instantly identified
as a Harley-Davidson design, with their
fuel-injected, air-cooled, two-valve per
cylinder 45-degree V-twin power plant
an icon of motorcycling. An immobiliser
and alarm are also standard fit, and all the
bikes’ mirrors gave excellent rear vision.
Our lead rider, Chris, on occasion
liberally interpreted ‘at a decent speed’ to
be a pace at which our law enforcement
friends would become rather distressed,
but this gave us the opportunity to
really feel the handling improvements
at maximum pace. As a rule, however,
‘touring’ speed is less frenetic than ‘sport
touring’ and we mostly snaked through
the countryside between 100 and
130km/h. At this rate of knots, 350km is
possible from a tank of petrol.
Although very heavily fly-wheeled,
the Harley-Davidson engine still shakes
like mad at idle (1000rpm), flailing visibly
in its rubber mounts, but is wonderfully
smooth at all other revs, right up to the
soft rev-limiter at 5500rpm. This only
leaves about 4000rpm of useable revs,
so that while first gear feels quite high
(you cannot ride slower than 20km/h with
the clutch engaged), it also tops out at
just 70km/h in that gear, and 100km/h in
second.
Depending on the size of any
windscreen fitted, the practical maximum
speed is around the old imperial ‘ton’ or
160 km/h. This is, of course, relatively
pedestrian in the age of 300km/h sports
bikes, but tourers tour in the real world
at real world speeds, and the torque of
these American classics absolutely suits
its intended purpose. The very quiet
exhausts probably strangle some of the
power, and it is common to have aftermarket
pipes fitted for greater thrust.
THE HARLEY MYSTIQUE
I totally get the Harley-Davidson
experience, and completely understand
the emotion that riders bring to this
marque. With that lazy throbbing
motor propelling you down a winding
road, there is a feeling of unstoppable
drive, and it is easy to be caught up
in the sensation of being part of that
company’s more than 100-years of
history. It is not about setting cornering
or speed records, but with the touring
models’ improvements in both of those
areas it was exciting to be part of a 12-
bike train, hustling through the winding
Australian bush-clad roads. Depending
on your mood, any of fourth, fifth, or
sixth gears provide the relative urgency
when accelerating from bends.
Harley-Davidsons have always
been perceived as being heavy,
and that is still the case, with
Road Kings weighing in at 355kg
and Electra Glides even more
massive at 400kg, but once
moving they have excellent balance
and light steering, making them feel
quite nimble, despite their size and
bulk. Manoeuvring them around by
hand in a garage, however, is still fraught
with tip-over danger.
The suspension of all the models
consists of non-adjustable and very
lightly sprung and damped forks, and
air-assisted rear shocks.
KR |
RIDE ‘
EM COWBOY!
I rode four different bikes over the two
days. They were;
* the FLHRC Road King Classic with
white-wall tyres, leather saddle bags,
with the standard screen removed
* the FLHTCU Ultra Classic Electra
Glide with audio system, fairing lowers,
hard bags and top box, full pillion
back rest
* the FLHX Street Glide with audio
system, lowered rear suspension, batwing
fairing with small tinted windshield,
hard luggage, and
* the FLHT Electra Glide Standard with
auxiliary lights, hard luggage.
All impressed one way or another
and three of them coped very well with
Western Australia’s roading imperfections.
It was only on the Ultra Classic, the
heaviest of all, that I found the rear to be
quite harsh, banging away over squareedged
potholes or seal changes, and I
wondered if experimenting with shock
air pressure might have softened the
blows.
Other than that (and a lot of fork dive
on all the bikes on initial front brake application)
they are very capable on uneven
roads, with nary a twitch from the bars,
even when hitting bumps well cranked
over. This you can do with some verve.
Under normal cornering, these tourers
do not touch down, or drag their
undercarriages, and only by making a
deliberate and artificial effort can that
lovely sound of chrome on asphalt be
heard. Their long wheelbase adds stability,
the wide bars add leverage, and low
effort, rapid travel is the norm.
GREAT BRAKES – SERIOUSLY!
The brakes themselves are excellent,
with, for me, one reservation. There is a
lot of weight on the Harley-Davidson’s
rear wheels, so a lot of back brake may
be used, and the twin front calipers only
needed one finger application, even in
extremis.
My reservation, as always, is with
the ABS, which is now standard fit on all
touring models. Happily, there is no link
between the front and rear systems but
the (very) few times I felt the ABS kick in
I did not think a tyre would have locked
anyway.
On unsealed roads, of which we
rode less than a kilometre (although we
used the gravel verge of some narrow
roads when taking photographs, and to
be fair it’s not these conditions for which
these bikes are intended, but there are
thousands of them in this country, and
always the chance of road works), the
wide tyres had no chance to bite before
electronic interference took over. Given
that there is no choice in the matter,
riders must take extra care in such
conditions, allowing a greater stopping
distance.
Speaking of those verges……accelerating
on them was hilarious because
the slight camber forced the gently
spinning tyre to step sideways and you
could hold an opposite lock skid right
through second gear in complete faith
that it would remain stable, all the while
laughing like a demented Kookaburra.
UTTER CONFIDENCE
This same stability gives utter confi-
dence on the road, with none of the
models upset by lumps or bumps. It was
only with the handle bar-mounted, barndoor-
like fairing and screen of the Ultra
Classic that, when hustled along at silly
speeds, suffered some slight weaving
of the bars, but only (for example) when
powering through corners, signposted at
90km/h, with a 60% margin added.
This bike’s screen was just the
wrong height for me (1.78m) as the top
edge was right on my sight line, forcing
me to be either fully erect (steady!) or
fully slouched, to look through it. Fortunately,
different height screens may be
substituted.
Likewise, the first Road King I rode
had no screen at all, which was lovely
in the warm Australian sunshine, but
due to the foot-forward riding position it
became wearying above 120km/h. With
a crouch, however, I did see 180km/h
indicated…
None of the panniers would take a
helmet, and only the hard bags are lockable.
The Ultra Classic’s top box holds
two helmets, and an optional Tour-Pak
on other models holds one. Pillion seats
vary in width, length and padding, so if
two-up riding is your thing, you need to
choose wisely.
RD’S FAVOURITE
My favourite was the Street Glide, which
in American terms is a ‘slammed’ model
and very sleek in its rear treatment. The
vestigial screen did buffet my helmet
a little, but the wind protection was a
happy compromise between size and
effectiveness.
The Harley-Davidson 2009 Touring
range of motorcycles was launched in
style, and it is style that keeps riders
loyal to the brand. From my experience
in Western Australia, the dynamics of
riding the bikes is a valid reason on its
own for owning one.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Click to DL .pdf
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