Well folks, America’s beloved bike brand has finally released the second part of their 2023 lineup – and spoiler, we were right about the Nightster Special AND the Breakout coming back!
For today’s 120th Anniversary drop, a few select H-D hogs have received aesthetic and electric upgrades; new faces (and a new wheel) join the tried-and-true, from a restyled and blacked-out Freewheeler® trike to a Road Glide® 3 trike. The front of the line carries the post-surgery silhouettes of a Breakout® performance cruise and a new Nightster® Special middleweight sport model, too – and that ain’t even the half of it, based on Jochen Zeitz’s contribution.
“Since 1903, Harley-Davidson has pioneered American motorcycle design, technology, and performance, and today marks the beginning of a year-long celebration of Harley-Davidson’s 120th Anniversary,” celebrates the Chairman, President, and CEO of Harley-Davidson.
“We’re excited to share the first release of 2023 Harley-Davidson motorcycles, with more to come later in the year. 2023 is going to be an unforgettable milestone for the Company, celebrating the history, culture and community of Harley-Davidson.”
Let’s take a quick gander at what’s just been dropped.
Harley-Davidson 120th Anniversary Models
‘Heirloom Red’ is the celebratory shade of choice for this particular batch of bikes; we’re told the themed scheme touts a crimson pinstripe and a very nice dark red fade moment, with red panels and powertrain inserts to keep the festivities coming. Everything ties together in the Art Deco eagle tank medallion and gold embroidered Harley-Davidson logo – and repping the anniversary-insired range is none other than the CVO™ Road Glide® “with one of the most intricate paint schemes ever offered by Harley-Davidson.”
1500 serialized units will be reserved for the populace on the Road Glide®, so don’t expect this scalloped scoot to last long on the proverbial shelf.
Six more models show off Harley’s earlier days in the industry::
- Ultra Limited Anniversary Edition – limited to 1,300 units worldwide
- Tri Glide® Ultra Anniversary Edition – limited to 1,100 examples
- Street Glide® Special Anniversary Edition – limited to 1,600 examples
- Road Glide® Special Anniversary Edition – limited to 1,600 examples
- Fat Boy® 114 Anniversary Edition – limited to 3,000 examples
- Heritage Classic 114 Anniversary Edition – limited to 1,700 examples
Breakout® is Back
Thanks to Harley’s never-ending nostalgia, their Milwaukee-Eight® 117 V-Twin is now housed inside their returning chopper, the Breakout®. New digs show off a five-gallon fuel tank, a handlebar riser/bar duo that lifts rider reach to controls, Softail® chassis, chrome accents, and Traction Control/Cruise Control for the electronics bit of business.
Road Glide® 3 Trike
Power, stability, the ‘hot rod’ comfort styling – what more could you ask for?
Harley’s first forage into trike territory for their Road Glide® range includes frame-mounted fairings, a vyer nice BOOM!™ Box GTS infotainment system, Daymaker® LEDs, a weather-proof rear trunk, an electric reverse gear, and the following for electronics:
- Cornering-Enhanced Electronic Linked Braking
- Cornering-Enhanced Antilock Braking System (ABS)
- Cornering-Enhanced Traction Control System
- Cornering-Enhanced Drag-Torque Slip Control System
Everything runs through that delicious Milwaukee 114, with pricing held at an MSRP of $41,899 USD (more, depending on your color options).
The New Nightster® Special
Nightster®’s gone and given herself a techy tune-up for 2023, with the new Special Edition touting improved electronics in the form of the following:
- Antilock Braking System (ABS)
- Traction Control System
- Drag-Torque Slip Control System
- All-LED lighting
- USB charging port
- Standard cruise control
Cast-aluminum wheels (complete with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System) roll out a 5-inch bar/rise combo that brings controls back for a stronger seating position, while a Brembo axial-mount four-piston caliper/320mm rotor and floating single-piston caliper/260mm rotor front/rear duo does the trick on stoppage.
Of course, the whole caboodle wouldn’t be complete without Ride Modes: Expect Road, Sport, and Rain to take care of the basics, while riders in need of a more specialized experience can create their own custom ride mode at leisure.
Oh, and thanks to the new pillion seat and passenger pegs, the Nightster® Special can be an experience for two.
For $14,999 USD? Not bad, Harley.
A Blacked-Out Freewheeler® Trike
When in doubt, make it look more serious.
Everything that was previously shiny/bright on the cruiser-inspired trike now gets a dark profile, with larger, 18” Gloss Black cast aluminum wheels (and exposed rear-wheel lug nuts) carrying the hot rod attitude all the farther into 2023.
Harley’s Milwaukee-Eight® 114 also connects to an electric reverse gear, both of which carry a mini-ape handlebar, classic custom bobtail rear fenders, a weather-proof rear trunk with top-mounted lid, and of course, those slash-down-tipped dual mufflers.
For electronics, we’ve got the following:
- Cornering-Enhanced Electronic Linked Braking
- Cornering-Enhanced Antilock Braking System (ABS)
- Cornering-Enhanced Traction Control System
- Cornering-Enhanced Drag-Torque Slip Control System
… and everything locked in at an MSRP of $29,999 USD.
Of course, where would this entire range drop be without the merch, gear and accessories for which Harley is so well-known? The complete line of 2023 Genuine Harley-Davidson® Accessories and Harley-Davidson® MotorClothes® gear and apparel are now free for a gander on Harley-s website – CEO Zeitz himself admits that there’s a specific reason why Harley devotes so much time to her T-shirts.
“Harley-Dadvison is not just for inspiring for those who buy motorcycles – it’s inspiring for others, which is why we’re making such made such a big effort on apparel and accessories to really bring the brand to broader customer bases – customers that might or might not [ride] one day,” explains the CEO in an interview with Dezeen.
In short, Zeitz is definitely looking toward an all-electric brand for the coming generations of bikers – and with so many pennies spent on curating the ideal Harley aesthetic, the Chairman may very well prove successful at evolving H-D into the successes of the future.
Until then, we break it to them slowly.
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Stay tuned for the “more to come later in the year” part of Harley’s anniversary celebrations, drop a comment below letting us know what you think, and as ever – stay safe on the twisties.