Harley Announces 2017 Lineup

Harley-Davidson Announces 2017 Lineup

Harley-Davidson’s headliner for 2017, the Milwaukee Eight, was announced to considerable fanfare and pre-press leakage in the past few weeks. And with all the scuttlebutt and rumors about the new engine, a few other significant changes have been overlooked.

First, all the Touring models get new suspension to “enhance the comfort, control and performance. New emulsion-technology rear shock absorbers offer 15 to 30 percent more pre-load adjustment than previous standard Touring shocks, with a single knob to hydraulically adjust pre-load.”

“Pre-load can now be adjusted to match the load of rider, passenger and gear without tools or an air pump,” said Paul James, Harley-Davidson Director of Motorcycle Product Planning. “Once set, the pre-load will not leak down or require further adjustment.”

The front suspension features new Showa SDBV suspension technology that delivers the damping performance of a racing-style cartridge fork with linear damping characteristics and reduced weight.

Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle Performance will offer a full selection of street-legal performance components for the Milwaukee-Eight engines, including Stage I, II and III kits that Harley says deliver up to a 24-percent increase in torque over the stock engine.

Meanwhile, for those with thick wallets, the Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) models combine prestige and performance in three limited-edition factory-custom motorcycles for 2017. The CVO Limited model features the new Twin-Cooled Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine.

The CVO Street Glide adds a four-speaker, 600-watt Boom! Audio system, power locks for the saddlebags and fork controlled by a single security and locking key fob, and a re-styled seat cover.

The CVO Pro Street Breakout is powered by Twin Cam 110B air-cooled V-Twin engine. Three finish choices include the new Starfire Black/Scorched Apple combination. (Scorched Apple?! How do they come up with these paint color names? –Ed.)

Notably just in time to meet EU regulations, Harley-Davidson 500 and 750 Street motorcycle models are now available with ABS, as well as the Harley-Davidson Smart Security System with hands-free, proximity-based security fob, as a factory-installed option. New optional two-tone paint schemes for the 2017 Street 750 include Vivid Black Deluxe and Velocity Red Sunglo Deluxe for North America and Vivid Black Deluxe and Fire Red Deluxe for Asia, Europe and Latin America.

In the Cruiser lineup, the Twin Cam 103 remains standard for all 2017 Softail and Dyna models except the Street Bob and the S Series, with the Twin Cam 110 engine.