The new Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Limited
Harley-Davidson has released its Project Rushmore to the media in what the Motor Company is calling its “largest scale model launch in the company’s 110-year history.” The launch includes eight new models with improved power and braking performance, better ergonomics and dramatic styling updates.
“Project Rushmore is a pure expression of our relationship with our customers and a shared passion for riding motorcycles,” said Mark-Hans Richer, Harley-Davidson Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “It’s resulted in some outstanding innovations, but from day one we’ve been focused on taking the total rider and passenger experience to the next level. We get there together, we come together – to quote the Beatles – through a process that uses not just formal feedback, but the kind of input we get from listening to customers out on the road, in the real world, and then blends that with our engineering and styling expertise. For years at Harley-Davidson we’ve been saying that we ride with you. Project Rushmore elevates that devotion to a higher level.”
The eight bikes Harley introduced are the Road King, Street Glide, Street Glide Special, Electra Glide Ultra Classic, Electra Glide Ultra Limited, Tri Glide Ultra, CVO Limited and CVO Road.
Three of the new models (the CVO Limited, the Electra Glide Ultra Limited and the Tri Glide Ultra – a trike) feature the new Twin-Cooled (as in liquid cooled) High Output Twin Cam 103 powerplant; the rest get the air-cooled High Output Twin Cam 103.
Harley-Davidson’s new Street Glide
“Twin cooling cools the heads around the exhaust ports to deliver at or near peak performance under all operation conditions and temperatures,” the Harley press kit states.
The new models also get “Reflex” linked brakes with ABS and “Daymaker” LED and dual halogen lighting.
As far as some trickery, the new Harleys get “infotainment” in the form its “Boom! Box” system, which includes a 6.5-inch color screen; voice recognition and touchscreen for music, GPS navigation and phones, Bluetooth connectivity, text-to-speech technology and support for intercom and CB communications in a single module.
The bikes also get new Batwing fairings with “splitstream venting” – which Harley says reduces head buffeting by 20 percent. The Ultra Classics also get The Tour Pak, which is larger and comes with the convenience of One-Touch latches. There’s also sleeker fenders, lighter cast-aluminum wheels and intuitive hand control switches.
To see more of Harley-Davidson’s 2014 line-up click here