Harley-Davidson Cruising Motorcycles

After a revamp for the 2018 model year, Softail underpinnings are all radically different than the originals, but the overall classic look of the Heritage Classic remains largely unchanged for the requisite historical tie-in. Harley-Davidson put a new emphasis on the Softail lineup with plenty of performance-driven custom designs for the fiery-eyed pegdraggers out there, but for someone looking for an old-school cruiser and tour bike, the Heritage Classic is your Huckleberry.

Harley-Davidson Motor Company rolled out a mid-year release in 2019 with a new addition to its touring line, the Electra Glide Standard. This new model strikes a balance between comfort and fandanglery with all the essentials you need for cruising/touring and none of the fluff. It rocks the Milwaukee-Eight 107 powerplant and all the ride-quality controls associated with the revamped touring line, but leaves the Infotainment gear on the shelf to deliver a refined-yet-raw riding experience.

Harley-Davidson ditched the Milwaukee-Eight 107 and repowered its Street Bob platform ahead of MY2021 with the powerful Mil-8 114 to give it a performance boost over its predecessor. This makes it the least expensive stoplight burner in the 2021 lineup, as well as the lightest Big-Twin to carry the up-sized Milwaukee engine. The homejob-custom look is a carryover from last year but the graphics package is unique to this year-model setting it apart from its peers.

Harley-Davidson and the custom-bike culture have always gone hand-in-hand, and the updated-in-2018 Softail Slim makes for a rolling tribute to both. The Slim rides on the same, newly-revamped frame as the rest of the fake-hardtail family for the unmistakable geometry and dated look that you just can’t get from a traditional swingarm. Bobbed fenders and blackout paint tie right into the custom trends of yesteryear quite nicely, but it’s the 107 cubic-inch Milwaukee-Eight V-Twin and its 100-plus pounds of torque that drives the Slim past “historical-tribute” turf right into viable power-cruiser territory. Since the whole point of the original bobbers was to provide a more thrilling ride, I find this pairing of power and panache to be entirely fitting.

Harley-Davidson makes some progress on its “100 new bikes” promise with the mid-2020 release of the new Softail Standard that it carries into 2021. The Standard presents a combination of old-school and custom features over a rather minimalist design, and that has the effect of keeping the price down to make this the least expensive Big Twin the MoCo has to offer. It also makes for a great starting point for you would-be bike customizers looking for a suitable platform.

Harley-Davidson marks three decades of production for one of its most-iconic families with the release of the 2020 Fat Boy 114 30th Anniversary model. This machine proudly displays DNA from H-D’s immediate post-WWII era all the way down to the old-school frame geometry that mimics the rigid rear ends from way back in the day. Harley powers it with its largest production engine and wraps the whole project in a unique graphics package complete with a limited-edition serial number and 2,500-unit limited production run for an extra bit of exclusivity.

Becoming a part of the Softail range in 2018, the Fat Boy received a massive upgrade on the reinvented Softail chassis, powered by the Milwaukee-Eight engines. Celebrating 30 years of this monster, the 2020 model gets a blacked-out theme, converting the satin-chrome outlook to a sinful looking “Vivid-Black” theme. And running this evil hooligan is the thumping Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-twin engine.

Low, wide and intimidating. Ever have these been the hallmarks of the Fat Boy line since its launch in 1990, and it’s still true of today’s subjects. Post 30 years of a bodacious run, the Bar & Shield brand is celebrating it with a limited run affair of a bold all-black livery, complete with gentle touches of bronze. And running this evil hooligan is the thumping Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-twin engine.

2020 is a new decade, a new year for all of us to leap and move forward fearlessly. To re-invent and to make room for things which really matters, things that will uplift you physically, mentally, and spiritually.

OR

Throw up your arms, wash off that alcohol stink, and go get yourself a new motorcycle. Works just the same.

Here’s our top twenty production motorcycles coming in 2020 that does all of that, and more.

Being the closest thing to flying without leaving the ground, Cruisers have been the incarnation of the ‘30s to ‘60s American lifestyles. Large motors with plenty of low-end torque, forward set footpegs, and a laid-back reclined riding position define any modern-day cruisers. Traditionally, large V-twins ran under the hoods, but inline engines have become more common these days.

Here is our list of new cruiser motorcycles coming in hot in 2020 that gets us to simply cruise, at one with our bike, taking in the sights and smells, the cool air washing over, and supposedly cleansing the soul.

The beginning of this century saw the world views changing gradually towards climate change and the need to preserve the environment. This, along with stringent policies, has forced the manufacturers to develop motorcycles that can run cleaner fuel and extract the maximum economy from it, sometimes even at the cost of performance.

Bad news for people who seek the element of thrill, but a pretty good one for someone living in urban jungles where folks prefer commuting on a motorcycle rather thank a car for its practicality and frugal fuel-efficiency. Then there are us few who love the idea of putting serious miles on two-wheels and living the adventure.

We here have compiled a list to give you the best available tools for such situations and save some money on gas while at it.

Full dresser, full dress tourer, or dresser are jargons for machines that love to hit the asphalt covering some major miles in the most sumptuous comfort. With complete sets of saddlebags and top box to carry all your and your passenger’s belongings, dressers are the ultimate cruising weapons that give you creature comforts like no other on two wheels.

Coming in hot with full fairings to protect you from the elements, large engines, navigation systems, an all-important music, and connectivity options and by far the most comfortable seats, here are our top ten dressers of 2018 that does all of it in luxury:

Harley-Davidson remakes its hot-rod trike, the Freewheeler, ahead of the 2019 model year with a host of improvements that the factory hopes will help it compete against the burgeoning three-wheeler competition. Brand-new-for-2019, traction control and backtorque-defeating measures were put into place, and they’re buttressed by a new suspension system for an overall increase in safety and stability. That’s not all; the beating heart was upgraded with a 114-inch powerplant shoehorned in where a 107 used to reside, so there’s even more of that grunty performance we expect from Harley’s three-wheeled stoplight-burner.

Paying regards to what their customers made, Harley-Davidson decided to add two new models to their already strong Sportster series, factory-costumed Iron 1200 and Forty-Eight Special. Yes, the Iron now also comes with the Evolution 1200 V-Twin engine running under the hood apart from the 883cc.

Taking inspiration from their customers, the Milwaukee brand created the new Iron 1200 giving it an all-new character and soul making it look very much like a custom motorcycle. It gets pimped up with equipment that was previously available only as exclusive HD parts and accessories, yet still retains the aggressive throwback styling.

“A modern take on what’s been putting big grins on the faces of Sportster motorcycle riders for decades,” says Harley.

The Bar and Sheild brand launched two new motorcycles in their Sporters lineup as part of their new strategy to add 100 new models in the coming decade. The Iron 1200 and Forty-Eight Special factory customs.

These machines pay regards to the throw-back styling trends developed all over by the custom-bike scene with the solid foundation of the Sportster platform and the punchy performance of the Evolution 1200 V-Twin engine.

Taking inspiration from what Harley customers were doing with their Sportster models since generations, the Milwaukee brand created the new Iron 1200 and Forty-Eight Special and gave them an all-new character and soul making it look very much like a custom motorcycle.

That is exactly what the new models are all about. The Iron 1200 and Forty-Eight Special. These machines pay regards to the throw-back styling trends developed all over by the custom-bike scene with the solid foundation of the Sportster platform and the punchy performance of the Evolution 1200 V-Twin engine.

As part of their new strategy to add 100 new models in the coming decade, Harley-Davidson has already introduced 10 new ones this year: nine new Softails and the Street Rod. Now, the Bar and Shield brand has added two more models in their Sportster lineup, their first after the Roadster was launched back in 2016.

Following the footsteps of what Triumph did with theBonneville Bobber, BMW with its R nineT range, Indian with the Scout Bobber and Ducati with their Scrambler series, Harley is trying to rake up its falling sales with these factory-customs.