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New 2008 ModelsHarley-Davidson does things differently, including, it seems, the calendar. It might be July 2007 but the Milwaukee factory has decreed that now is the time to begin the release of its 2008 models.
Shot at 2007-07-29
This year - or next if you're Harley - there are six or seven new machines, depending on how you count them: three high-spec CVO models and a Sportster variant called the Nightster, which we'll be reporting on later, plus the Fat Bob and the Rocker, along with the up-specced Rocker C.
If date and designation are debatable, there's more uncertainty, as "new bike" doesn't mean "new engine" on Planet Harley. Instead these two (or three) feature the 1,584cc Twin Cam motor that was new last year, and there's nothing wrong with that as it's the definitive cruiser motor both visually and in terms of character and feel. The new models, meanwhile, are inspired by current customising trends on either side of the Atlantic.
Harley Davidson Rocker
The Rocker looks as if it could have rolled out of the workshops of American Chopper, with its extended forks raked out in front, skinny 19in front wheel and super-fat rear tyre. There's a single front disc - all that chopper riders demand - and a very low single seat.
Shot at 2007-07-29
The stretched lines are beautifully clean and simple and the combination of single-colour paint with the rough champagne finish on the cast-aluminium components, including the oil tank (directly beneath the seat), engine cases, forks, lights and along the tank top, lends the bike an unexpected elegance. It's this sort of thing (and the creation of unique components such as the tyre-hugging rear mudguard), rather than the attainment of more horsepower, to which Harley devotes its development. The rear mudguard looks simple but it's attached only at the front - the rest is self-supporting and carries the lights too - so it moves up and down with the rear wheel.
The machine is part of Harley's Softail series so the suspension is hidden beneath the bike to give it a classic solid rear-frame look, but it's compelling following a Rocker and watching the whole rear end move over bumps while the rider is perched just in front.
It doesn't feel any different on board, though. The riding position is relaxed but natural and the suspension works well, with more attention paid to damping than on previous Harleys; this has improved ride quality considerably. Short riders will like the very low seat, if not the stretch to the forward-mounted footrests. Harley has done a good job of getting the bike to turn obediently, considering that 37-degree steering-head angle. At low speeds it does want to drop to one side, but not excessively, and everything happens with languid ease, so it's still little effort to make tight U-turns. As the pace rises the steering neutralises and stability is excellent.
The Rocker C features chrome or polished aluminium instead of that champagne coating (apart from the oil tank, which is colour-coded to the paint) and there are additional wavy graphics, all of which add up to a more garish, West Coast custom style. But if you have to carry a passenger this is the one to go for, as the C features a pillion perch that pulls out from beneath the rider's seat. It's small and disappears beneath all but the pertest of bottoms, making the passenger look as if she (or he) is floating behind the rider above that dancing mudguard. To create the extra space the C's main seat is about an inch higher than the stock model's and the riding position is less comfortable as a result.
Harley Davidson Rocker [tech/spec]
Harley Davidson Rocker
Price/availability: from £12,755 on the road. On sale November 2007.
Engine/transmission: 45-degree V-twin 1,584cc, fuel-injected, air-cooled four-stroke, four valves, n/a bhp, 86lb ft of torque at 3,200rpm. Six-speed gearbox, inverted tooth belt final drive.
Performance: top speed 110mph est, average fuel economy 41mpg.
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BigBore
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Well, firstly I for one can't say that it appeals to me, and secondly it seems rather expensive, guess we will have to see.???
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