According to my book of Harley Davidson, there should be quite a party next year. 2003 marks a century of motorcycle production and justifies the faith of 4 men, William S. Harley, and brothers Arthur, William & Walter Davidson, who gave up their steady jobs to form one of the most successful and enduring motorcycle manufacturers in the world. Regardless of the way the company business dealings unfolded decades later, this was and still is an American Icon, and Harley Davidson is still portrayed today as typifying the great American Dream. I admire Bill Davidson for his tenacity at keeping the company a symbol of his land and the freedom they hold so dear. Bye the way, very few manufacturers have actively encouraged the purchasers of their machinery to customise their bikes as Harley Davidson do, something else to admire them for, the promoting of individualism.

Enough of the USA flag waving, please read on......

Fraser Motorcycles Newcastle finally got the Harley circus to come to town and allow anyone interested in the marque to come along and sample a legend. The new VRod was in attendance albeit inside on show only. Wet roads kept the bikes parked for an hour, but then the keys were inserted and the engines warmed up. I had been given access to three bikes I believed would be the first choice of the masses looking to buy their first HOG, and this is what I found.

The 883R Sportster turned out to be a real sleeper. Garbed in the old Harley racing orange colour scheme, with wide bars and 2 into 1 exhaust system, this bike will please many a motorcycle purist. It was good fun to ride, handled well, had a good turn of acceleration and at $14,300 isn’t going to break the bank to buy or keep on the road. Judging by the pull of the motor and observed revs, there should be plenty on tap for open road touring. Fuel capacity is 12.5 litres and the fuel is fed via carburettor. 240kg curb side mass with 740 seat height.

The 1450cc fuel injected Road King Classic is at the upper end of the range, and at $31,850 on road, you’d expect to get a lot of bike, well, you do. The 340kg heavy weight can still return a respectable average fuel consumption of 15 kilometres per litre (42mpg) and will achieve freeway speeds in very creditable time plus it has excellent city traffic manners. The seat felt as though it could do with more cushion and the blinker controls on all the bikes do require positive movement of gloved thumbs to operate properly. The big screen offered plenty of protection and there is also electronic cruise control. Seat height on the Classic is very low and the bike as a whole was a pleasure to ride. I would dearly love to spend a longer time with this bike, at least enough for a full test. The King has a 18.9 litre Fuel Tank and a quoted seat height of 749mm. The one bike I particularly wanted to ride and one I had always considered under rated, actually disappointed me.

The 1200 Sportster had these narrow goat horn handle bars that made the bikes steering heavier than it should have been, and considering its engine size it felt much in need of the bolt on accessory go bits that can boost a 20% power increase so quoted by the attending technician. Considering the $15,800 on road price tag for the 2 tone model I was riding, I think it needs a shot in the arm to bring it up to what most buyers would expect. Fuel capacity is 12.5 litres and the fuel is fed via carburettor. 240kg curb side mass with 740 seat height. Nice bike to look at, good finish with lots of potential, but the lack of performance will probably see customers go looking for something else. Pity...

However, the new 2004 Sportsters make up most of the lost ground, they are everything these were not.