Harley-Davidson

HARLEY-DAVIDSON

HARLEY-DAVIDSON PRIDES itself on being different. And in most respects, the company and the way it builds motorcycles are unique. Harley-Davidsons, you see, are hybrids-that is, rather than developing and building new models from scratch, Harley most often takes the best and most successful elements from one bike and integrates them into another, making a distinctly different motorcycle. This generally constitutes what for Harley is a "new" model, one that, in theory, at least, is better. And 1987 proves to be no exception in that the new models are synthesized versions of the old.

Take, for example, the new FXLR Low Rider Custom. In the simplest of terms, it is the mating of the traditional rigid-mount Harley Low Rider

with a rubber-mount chassis. The idea is to place one of the more popularly styled Harleys in a more sophisticated chassis, thereby broadening the appeal of the bike.

Building on the tradition of the Low Rider, the FXLR comes with special paint and graphics that honor the tenth anniversary of that particular Harley model. This includes an embossed seat and a special leather strap down the center of the fuel tank. The bike also features unusual new handlebars that bolt directly to the top triple-clamp, with the electrical wires routed inside. Hanging delicately from a brace between the bars is the speedometer.

Other changes in the 14-model Harley lineup include the replacement of the FXRD Grand Touring Edition with the FXRT Sport Glide,

which has been upgraded with the Harley sound system and highway pegs. Most of the rest of the bikes have been improved in small ways for ’87, such as improved speedometer drives and drivetrain seals. The Sportsters get new close-ratio gears, and redesigned combustion chambers that are responsible for a claimed five-percent increase in horsepower. And the XLH and FXR models get lighter, seven-spoke cast wheels.

All in all, there is no big news from Harley; but then, with the way this company operates, you don’t really expect sweeping change. What you do expect—and what you get for 1987—is that the selection of models is broadened, and that the quality of the existing models slowly, but surely, gets better.