Autoblog

Click on the image for more shots of Indiana's Harley-Davidson

It seems that the marketing folks at Harley-Davidson have managed to get a bit of product placement for themselves, following the likes of Audi with Iron Man, Volkswagen with The Bourne Ultimatum and GM with Transformers. The new Indiana Jones movie, titled 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull' features both Harrison Ford and Shia The Le Beouf riding what appears at first glance to be an old Harley. Upon closer inspection, the bike is actually a new model, complete with fuel injection and Harley's new six-speed transmission. The movie-crew manages to make the bike look much older by using parts from older machines, such as the old Sportster tank and pre-war "beehive" tail light. Look real close and you may even notice the fake kick-starter which must just be welded to the frame.

As a celebration of the upcoming movie's use of the bike, every Harley dealership will reportedly get the chance to order 30 pairs of free tickets to the movie to be given away as a promotion to customers.


[Source: Cyril Huze Blog, Harrison Ford Web]

Click to see more pictures of the Wickerbike

We can't actually remember ever meeting the elusive crack band of Russian bikers known as Hell's Weavers, but we now have definitive proof that the group does indeed exist. Eschewing the dangerous rough-and-tumble lifestyle of drinking and running amok, the Weavers are rumored to have a much kinder, gentler side. With this in mind, we'd like to present the result of their latest weekend basket-weaving get-together, the Wickerbike.

The Wickerbike appears to be a nearly 1:1 replica of Harley-Davidson's new FLSTSB Cross Bones, including the mini-ape-hangers, solo saddle and springer fork. We have little additional commentary to offer, other than pointing out the fact that the work done, such as it is, appears to be of a very high quality.


[Source: Snegopad via Winding Road]

We've run across plenty of custom motorcycles in our time, and the goal of many of them is to combine the best features of both sportbikes and cruisers into one machine. The Suzuki Hayabusa is arguably the king of the sportbike, and there is no arguing that Harley-Davidson is the owner of both the custom and cruising crowns. We can imagine combining the two to make a laid-back, yet super-fast custom, but the thought of torturing yourself with the feet-back, forward-lean position forced by a sportbike with clip-ons, combined with the shaky, grunty lump of American V-Twin underneath had eluded us... that is, until we saw the Barley. We kind of like the name "Harley-Busa" better, but nobody asked us for our opinion. If they had, we might have questioned the wisdom of taking this particular route in the ongoing effort of making motorcycle bliss, but now that it's done, it's really not half bad. The original plans for this unholy union called for a turbo, and we think that its inclusion could only improve this machine.

If you want to replicate this offbeat creation, you can get the frame from Maximum Motorcycles, and soon, the body-work in carbon fiber from Tricky Air & Billet. If this doesn't strike you as a marriage worth consummating, though, might we suggest the alternate possibility of owning both a Hayabusa and a Harley? Just a thought.

[Source: Cyril Huze Blog]

Few motorcycle companies today can truly draw on past styles and trends when releasing new versions of their bikes like Harley-Davidson. Japan, Inc. has a few retro-styled bikes and Triumph has reinvented the British bike, but Harley-Davidson may be the only company in motorcycling that can replicate old styles so effortlessly because its own parts bin offers so many unique pieces from which to choose. Take, for instance, the new FLSTSB Cross Bones, which uses the venerable softail frame and adds Harley's own springer front end, bobbed rear fender, ape-hanger bars, tractor-style single seat, floorboards and a horseshoe oil tank. Special touches are then added, such as the hand-laced leather tank panel and a new speedometer face. Functional items include the 200 mm rear tire, five gallon fuel tank, fuel injection and a six-speed tranny. Power comes from the TC96B engine, meaning that the bike should have ample, if not overwhelming force.

We like the bobber-style look of this bike and think that it looks great wearing all black. If you want the "cut-down" look of an old bob-job with the reliability of a new model, it's hard to overlook the Motor Company's own FLSTSB Cross Bones.

[Source: Harley-Davidson]

Harley-Davidson, that most quintessentially American Motor Company, has gone and released a bike in Europe before releasing it in America. What is the world coming to? The XR 1200, based on the Sportster model range, is a streetbike that's inspired by the XR750 dirt track racing bikes that Harley has been campaigning so successfully -- on racetracks in America. This is the first time that Harley-Davidson has ever released a bike first in any country other than America. In fact, the bike will be available in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, starting in the Spring of '08.

Here in the States, the best selling bikes are cruisers, and the XR 1200 is a bike that's being marketed towards the sporting standard crowd -- a popular one in Europe. We like the idea of a nice, solid handling bike with the classic "sit up and beg" riding position. If there is one brand that could make a positive impact on the slow-selling standard genre in America, though, it is likely Harley-Davidson. Here's hoping that the XR 1200 does not stay a European import forever.

[Source: Harley-Davidson, Motoblog]

Click the image above for high-res shots of the 2008 Harley-Davidson Edition Ford F-Series pickup.

The new for '08 Ford Harley-Davidson F-Series Super Duty is what you've come to expect after walking ten times around this dual-branded block. Harley owners not willing to ride in the rain (we can't blame them) and others that like to emulate the leather- and chrome-clad image have purchased over 60,000 of the things in the last eight years. This time around it's a celebration of the Pennsylvania-based biking outfit's 105th anniversary, coinciding with Ford's own celebration of building cars for just as many years.

Paint schemes are inspired by Harley's special-edition 105th anniversary motorcycle and come in one of two flavors: either a two-tone, black and "Vintage Copper" combo or an all black body with copper pin striping. According to Brad Richards, the Ford/Harley brand manager, the chrome side vents and grille are inspired by the heat diffusers found on the cylinder heads of the V-Twin, and the 20-inch polished wheels bring the theme home.

The "Vintage Copper" color finds its way inside, accenting the leather seats and panels, while anniversary Harley badging adorns the front and rear thrones, plus a serialized plaque mounted on the armrest.

You can get all the details in the press release after the jump and peruse the gallery below for a handful of high-res shots.

For those complaining that the Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson introduced yesterday wasn't suited for real truck duty, here you go. It's the F-250/450 Super Duty version of Ford's cobranding enterprise with Harley-Davidson, and can surely tow a few more bikes behind its bed than the half-ton version. Since this big bruiser from Milwaukee via Dearbon hasn't been officially unveiled yet, we can't tell you any details beyond what the spy pics show. Expect a set of nice chrome wheels, a catchy paint job, and badging, lots of badging. The grille up front gets the same slim bars seen on the F-150 version, as well.

Man, how embarassed would you be rolling up to Sturgis behind the wheel of your 2007 F-150 Harley-Davidson and seeing some Hell's Angels fella bombing around in the Super Duty version? At least the F-150 Harley-Davison can be ordered with a $6,500 SALEEN supercharger/intercooler set up so you can smoke the other guy off the line.

The crown prince of Dubai has already pledged to give ex-F1 racer Michael Schumacher his own man-made island called "The World", so what other man-made gift can top that as a retirement present? The Ferrari Clienti, a group of folks who buy and race classic and late model Ferrari competition cars, doesn't count any crown princes among its members, but it did manage to scrape up enough coin to commission for Schumacher his very own custom built Harley Davidson. The appropriately colored motor bike was given to Schumacher at a Clienti event at Monza and will join the 7-time World Champion's bike collection that spans multiple continents and already includes a few Harleys. We're not very well versed in two-wheel culture, so lacking any concrete info we can't tell you much more about the bike, though any readers who can shed more light on the custom creation are welcome to in the comments.

[Source: Winding Road]

Iconic U.S. bike-builder Harley-Davidson, Inc. (ticker symbol: HOG) announced Friday that it will develop a range of Harley-branded three-wheeled 'trikes.' The company is partnering with South Dakota's Lehman Trikes (the self-proclaimed 'Leader of the Three World') to build Harley trikes based on its motorcycles, like the aftermarket Lehman Renegade touring model shown above. The new trikes will be sold through Harley dealers.

Lehman already builds three-wheeled conversions of Harley-Davidson, Honda and Suzuki bikes, among others.

Looks to us like Harley is covering its bets as its core demographic gets ever older...

[Source: Reuters]