Harley-Davidson FXS Blackline Softail hits the streets [w/video]

Harley-Davidson FXS Blackline Softail – Click above for high-res image gallery

The minds at Harley-Davidson have just unveiled the newest creation to arise from the company’s Dark Custom project. Called the FXS Blackline, the new take on the Softail wears resculpted tin, including a bobbed rear fender and an asymetric tank design that departs a bit from the bike’s standard look. Get a little closer and you’re likely to notice that the big V-twin at the heart of the Blackline has been powder coated black in all the right places. HD’s designers also dropped in a compact headlight and a tiny speedometer for more custom look.

Of course, this particular Softail is defined by two things. First, Harley-Davidson says that the FXS Blackline wears the lowest seat that the company has ever installed on a bike. The rider sits a mere 24 inches off the ground, and combined with unique “split drag” handlebars, the Blackline looks to have a personality that’s a good deal different from the rest of the Dark Custom creations. Hit the jump for a look at the full press release and a quick video.

[Source: Harley-Davidson]

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NEW HARLEY-DAVIDSON® BLACKLINE™ IS SOFTAIL® STRIPPED TO THE CORE

Dark Custom™ Softail Features New Fuel Tank Styling and Split Drag™ Handlebars

MILWAUKEE (January 21, 2011) Lean as wire, hard as iron and dark as a

tar road at midnight, the new Blackline motorcycle is a

Harley-Davidson Softail model pared to the bone. A rebellious creation

of the Dark Custom movement, the Blackline celebrates three

fundamental elements of motorcycling: mechanical beauty, internal

combustion, and the long black line of the road ahead.

The Blackline balances allegiance with rebellion, discarding previous

conventions of color and chrome for a Dark Custom look that’s honest,

functional and attainable. Visual elements of the original bobber

movement are combined with the raw, hand-hewn style embraced by

today’s young builders. The Blackline throws new fuel on a fire that

burns across generations, an unquenchable desire to ride.

Lean and Tight

The rear fender is bobbed high-and-tight over a slim, 144mm tire that

emphasizes an authentic hardtail profile. The compact headlight and

speedometer are tucked low into the wide, FX front end, and there’s

just enough shine to make the black parts look blacker. Black-rimmed

laced wheels complete a look that’s tough, tempered and undeniably

Harley-Davidson.

The styling spotlight shines on a Big Twin engine dressed in black and

silver, and on a fuel tank shaved smooth and low. Aboard the

Blackline, the rider hugs the frame on the lowest two-up seat ever

offered by Harley-Davidson, and reaches high for new Split Drag™

handlebars that bolt right to the top triple-clamp.

The Softail chassis utilizes rear suspension control provided by

coil-over shock absorbers mounted horizontally along the frame rails

below the powertrain, where they are out of sight. So while the

swingarm section replicates the lines of a vintage hardtail frame, the

Blackline delivers suspension performance and handling that are

thoroughly modern. The internally counter-balanced Twin Cam 96B™

engine is rigid-mounted within the frame, creating a solid connection

between rider and the power that moves the motorcycle to enhance the

emotional experience of riding.

Key features of the 2011 Blackline include:

· NEW Powertrain styling

Ø Powertrain is finished in gloss black powdercoat on the rocker

box covers, the crankcase, the outer primary cover, and the

transmission side cover. The cylinders are silver powdercoat with

machined highlights. The derby cover and timing covers are chromed.

Ø Rigid-mounted, counter-balanced Twin Cam 96B™ V-Twin engine

with Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI), rated at 89

ft. lbs. peak torque at 3250 rpm.

Ø 6-Speed Cruise Drive® Transmission.

· NEW Round air cleaner cover in brilliant chrome.

· NEW Black Denim powdercoat frame and swingarm.

· NEW Profile Laced Aluminum wheels with black anodized rims.

Front wheel is 21 x 2.15 inches; rear wheel is 16 x 3 inches. Dunlop®

D402 tires are MH90-21 front and MU85B16 rear.

· NEW FX front end with black powdercoat triple clamps and

black painted fork lowers.

· NEW Split Drag™ internally-wired handlebars mount directly to

the top triple clamp.

· NEW Asymmetric five-gallon Softail fuel tank is clean on the

left side, with a low-profile fuel fill on the right. Die cast

“Blackline” trim panel flowing down the center of the tank is just

high enough to cover the fuel pump hardware.

· NEW Analog speedometer on a triple-clamp mount that also

holds indicator lights. LCD screen on the speedometer includes

low-fuel warning and “miles to empty” display function.

· NEW Bobbed rear fender with combination stop/tail/turn lights

in black housings, and a new composite license plate holder and light

module that mounts on the lower edge of the fender.

· NEW Raw forged rear fender supports are finished in Black

Denim powdercoat.

· NEW One-piece, two-up seat and passenger pillion. Laden rider

seat height is 24 inches, the lowest two-up seat offered by

Harley-Davidson. Gap between the nose of seat and fuel tank exposes

the top of the frame.

· NEW 5.75-inch diameter headlamp in gloss black shell.

· Polished forward foot controls.

· Over/under chrome shotgun exhaust.

· Optional Security Package with Anti-lock Braking System and

Smart Security System

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