HARLEY-DAVIDSON BLACKLINE: NEW BIKE WITH BLACK SOUL

08.03.2011 / Milwaukee – Dubai /


Japanese bikes are known for their precision, British bikes are known for their heritage, German bikes are known for their technology as well as reliability and American bikes are known that they are different. I am not talking about the V8-propelled Boss Hoss or Victory bikes. I am talking here about the Harley Davidson bikes, which are not only different but also have a soul.

Harley Davidson bikes might not have the best ABS-brakes or the best suspension among its competitors, but it sure has something which the other German and Japanese competitors do not have: First of all, they have a unique heritage and an authentic soul, secondly, it is about the journey..

Therefore the new Harley Davidson Blackline is another unique addition to the already wide HD model range.

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, according to Harley Davidson. A rebellious creation of the Custom movement, the Blackline celebrates three fundamental elements of motorcycling: mechanical beauty, internal combustion, and the long black line of the road ahead.

Harley Davidson sees that the Blackline balances allegiance with rebellion, discarding previous conventions of colour and chrome for a 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 custom builders. The Blackline throws new fuel on a fire that burns across generations, an unquenchable desire to ride.

Lean and Tight:
Stripped to the legal limit, the Blackline keeps decorative trim and lighting spare. The rear fender is bobbed high-and-tight over a slim, 144mm tyre that emphasises 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 Dragâ„¢ handlebars that bolt right to the top triple-clamp.

The Softail chassis utilises 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, says Harley Davidson. The internally counter-balanced Twin Cam 96B™ engine is rigid-mounted within the frame, creating a solid connection between rider and power that moves the motorcycle to enhance the emotional riding experience, as stated in Harley Davidson’s press release.

The key features of the 2011 Blackline include:

• NEW Powertrain styling

� 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.

� Rigid-mounted, counter-balanced Twin Cam 96B™ V-Twin engine with Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI), rated at 125 Nm /92 ft. lbs. peak torque at 3250 rpm.

ïƒ? 6-Speed Cruise Drive?® Transmission.

• NEW Oval 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 18.9 litre Softail fuel tank is clean on the left side, with low profile fuel cap 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 “distance 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 Deep two-piece seat and passenger pillion. Laden rider seat height is 660mm, 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 146mm-diameter headlamp in gloss black shell.

• Polished forward foot controls.

• Over/under chrome shotgun exhaust.

• Security Package with Anti-lock Braking System and Smart Security System

Last but not least, many of our readers in the Middle East and North Africa will surely be interested to know how much money they will have to withdraw from their bank account in order to park the Blackline in their garage. Well, in Egypt the Blackline will cost around 160,000 Egyptian pounds although Harley Davidson Egypt did not decide yet if they will import it or not.

But if you will buy it in Dubai, or imported it from there, the price will start at AED 69,900 and it will be available in the market from April onwards.

So, at the end remains the 1-million dollar question: How is the ride of the Harley Davidson Blackline?

Well, that we will tell you as soon as we ride it.

MS