For 2017, Harley-Davidson India has plonked its new Milwaukee Eight engines into the Road Glide and Road King tourers.
The big news is that Harley-Davidson’s new Milwaukee Eight engine is set to feature on all the motorcycles in the company’s touring line up-for India. This includes the Road Glide, the Street Glide and the Road King. “This engine is a brand-new motor, tip to tail,” as Alex Bozmoski, Harley-Davidson chief engineer of new products, puts it, and in fact, it’s just the ninth Harley engine when you consider all the different motors in their line-up.
The new motor gets its name from the fact that it’s born in Milwaukee and it features eight valves; two inlet and outlet valves per cylinder. The Milwaukee Eight seeks to be an engine that is better at producing and delivering power. And while doing this, it also meets emission norms, feels far more refined and is more frugal. It idles at as low as 850rpm as compared to 1,000rpm of the older engine. This not only saves fuel but also brings back a faint ‘potato potato’ burble that disappeared when Harleys went from carburetted to fuel-injected.
2017 Road Glide
So, how does this brand new engine change the way these bikes feel to ride on our roads? Let me start you off with the Road Glide. When I first swung a leg over it, my calves immediately cried out in complaint against the weight of this monstrous motorcycle as I tried to back it up using my feet. While navigating it on narrow roads, I realised that the closest bit of road I could see lay about four feet ahead of my front wheel. This is thanks to the big infotainment console that comprises a 6.5-inch, full-colour screen with digital pages for the radio, your media player and navigation; all accessed through either the touchscreen or handgrip-mounted controls. The infotainment system can hook up to your phone via Bluetooth, and the speakers are so well-placed, you can hear music from them over the noise of the wind and through your helmet.
While navigating this motorcycle through crowded streets is an overwhelming experience, on open highways, this bike personifies all things Harley-Davidson. The weight and the cumbersomeness melt away. The generous seat, the footboards and the ergonomics make it feel like a brilliantly balanced armchair on two wheels. The new engine has an almost buttery feel to it as the revs climb. The distinct Harley burble is still there, but I could hear it rather than feel it, and that’s an indication of how smooth this engine really is. Also, acceleration for what is a 387kg motorcycle, is quite rapid. This bike is on song cruising about 120kph and on an open stretch of road, opening the throttle up will have the speedo sweep past 160kph.
Riding it through a series of corners made it immediately apparent that this bike is meant to cruise on straight highways. However, tackling corners isn’t a task as long as you are measured with your throttle inputs. And even if you brake midway, the ABS is in its element precisely for moments like this, to keep the bike from feeling nervous. While this engine has enough pulling power and lets you be lazy about gearshifts, the new slip and assist clutch also allows rapid yet smooth gear changes.
The new suspension (featuring Showa dual-bending valves in the front forks and a preload adjustment system in the rear suspension) makes this behemoth a fantastic handler; it’s a little too stiff as big potholes do cause a jarring thud. This is also partly due to the bike’s low-profile tyres.
2017 Road King
After the Road Glide, I jumped onto the Milwaukee Eight-powered new Road King, and within a few kilometres, I was convinced that I would pick the Road King over the Road Glide. Even though the Road Glide featured a Screamin’ Eagle pro-tuner package that made it quicker than the stock Road King, the latter feels better suited over long distances. The suspension is slightly softer, the view is unrestricted since there’s no infotainment console, and the Plexiglass windshield largely reduces wind buffeting. Besides, many will prefer that sense of barebones motorcycling that the Road King exudes. Comfortable seat, a good smooth engine, well-positioned handlebars and two wheels – no other complexities.
Harley claims that the Milwaukee Eight Road King will beat the older Road King by two to three bike lengths in a 0 to 100kph dash.
Buying a Harley-Davidson has always been less about buying a motorcycle and more about subscribing to a certain lifestyle that features the call of the open road. You buy a Harley-Davidson for the joy of motorcycling, and with the company adding more models to its fleet, you have plenty of options to choose from, depending on whether you want to do a quick Sunday morning breakfast ride or just swing a leg on the saddle and ride away into the horizon.
