Harley 1998: New Hogs Go To Market
HARLEY 1998: NEW HOGS GO TO MARKET
ROUNDUP
IF IT'S SUMMER, THEN IT MUST be time for new Harley-Davidsons. Traditionally the first to pull wraps off next year's models, Harley held a world press intro in Milwaukee to show off three new-for-'98 models that will head up a 30-bike lineup.
While the biggest news coming from The Motor Company may be what's just around the bend (see "Plan 2003," Up Front, this issue), devotees of the Orange-and-Black will find lots to like for 1998, especially if long-distance rides are on their agenda.
Leading the way is the allnew FLTR Road Glide, sort of a dresser that isn't. "We were after the minimal look. ..sim plistic, uncluttered," says VP of Styling Louis Netz. To that end, the Road Glide has spoked wheels, a front fender devoid of chrome and running lights, and no rear tour trunk. Most obvious is the new frame-mounted fairing, a downsized, streamlined version of the bodywork first seen on the Tour Glide of 1980.
Housed behind its twin, plexicovered “reflector optic” headlights are a redesigned, more powerful AM/FM cassette stereo, four analog instruments and two sizable storage bins.
Netz expects customers to take the Road Glide in two distinct directions-either “slammed” into a two-wheeled hot-rod, or upgraded with various Electra Glide accessories to form a “grand American touring machine.” The complete wiring loom from the larger FLHs
runs beneath the Glide’s bodywork should buyers choose the latter option. The bike will be available in carbureted ($15,150) or fuel-injected ($15,950) versions.
Minimalist touring in the retro style has been the hallmark of the Road King series, introduced for the 1994 model year. Taking a cue from customer-modified bikes, the Road King Classic ups the vintage ante with wire wheels, wide-whitewall Dunlops and hybrid plastic/leather sad-
dlebags in place of the standard RK’s Electra Glide-derived panniers. The saddlebags are finished in the “plaited leather” pattern first seen on this year’s Heritage Springer. New slantcut mufflers complement the
shape of the bags.
Like all 1998 Big Twins, the Road King Classic ($16,560) features a new, nine-plate clutch said to reduce lever effort by 20 percent. It will be sold in fuel-injected form only.
And that brings us to the last headline Harley for ’98, the XL1200S Sportster Sport ($8395). While the all-black beauty is outwardly almost identical to previous Sports, its Evo motor receives gads of upgrades, chief among those dualplug heads, a 10:1 compression ratio (up from 9:1), lower-re -
striction mufflers and a singlefire ignition system that also incorporates a diagnostic dataacquisition feature. The claim is an additional 15 percent of torque between 2000 and 5500 rpm.
In the final bit of new-model
news, most 1998 Harleys will be available in an extra-cost 95th anniversary two-tone paint scheme of Midnight Red and Champagne Pearl. Also included in the upgrade is a winged “95” tank logo and stamped serial plate on the top triple-clamp.
David Edwards
