Best Western's Travel Blog - You Must Be Trippin' - Harley-Davidson Announces 2011 Motorcycles

Harley-Davidson Announces 2011 Motorcycles

September 16 2010 by Jason Fogelson

For some of us, the riding season is coming to an end, as nights grow longer, days grow shorter and temperatures drop. When real riding season ends, bench-riding season begins. That's when I start looking at brochures and websites, planning out which new motorcycle I'm going to add to my stable in the spring. Never mind that I make the same plans every bench-riding season, and I still have the same 1993 Sportster in my garage.

The official start of bench-riding season is when Harley-Davidson announces their new model lineup. Including CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations) models, there are 32 bikes to choose from for 2011, and I'd be pretty happy with pretty much any one of them.

Starting with the Sportster lineup, there's the new Superlow (starting at $7,999), which will appeal to height-challenged riders, re-entry riders looking for a smaller, lighter bike and to newer riders just joining the H-D family. The 1200 Low (starting at $9,899) is the cleanest, most timeless Sportster in the lineup. The Iron 883 (starting at $7,999) brings back the peanut tank and solo seat for a raw, aggressive look. The Forty-Eight (starting at $10,499) adds a fat front tire to the peanut tank for a timeless, brutal stance. The Nightster (starting at $9,999) returns as the drilled out, lightened Dark Custom that started the whole movement. The XR1200X (starting at $11,799) tweaks the flat track equation with a blacked-out retro look, incredible cornering clearance and the coolest stance of any Sportster ever -- and that's saying a lot for a model that's been around for over 50 years.

The Dyna lineup doesn't really get as much attention as the other flashier lineups, but has always seemed to me to be the sweet spot for all-around riding. You can outfit a Dyna for two-up touring, or strip it down as a bar hopper, and at either extreme, the Dyna will shine, with great power, handling and comfort. The Dyna lineup includes the Street Bob (starting at $12,999), the Super Glide Custom (starting at $12,999), the Fat Bob (starting at $14,999), and the Wide Glide (starting at $14,499). Each bike gets dual rear shocks, an air-cooled Twin Cam 96™ engine and a 6-speed transmission.

The Softail models are distinguished by their under-mounted rear shock, which gives the bikes the look of a rigid-framed chopper with the cushy ride of a high-tech suspension. Softails also get a specially balanced Twin Cam 96B™ engine, which is internally counterbalanced to allow solid mounting without intrusive vibration. The Softail lineup includes the Heritage Softail Classic (starting at $16,999), the popular Fat Boy (starting at $15,999), the Softail Deluxe (starting at $16,799), the Cross Bones (starting at $16,999), the Rocker C (starting at $19,499) and the Fat Boy Lo (starting at $16,299).

The VRSC (V-Rod) lineup is lean and mean, with just two entries for 2011. Both the Night Rod (starting at $14,699) and the V-Rod Muscle (starting at $14,999) pack the liquid-cooled Revolution engine that was co-designed by Porsche. The V-Rod lineup hasn't caught fire with the public yet, but one ride on a V-Rod will convince you that this is the future of Harley-Davidson.

The Touring lineup is Harley-Davidson's bread and butter, where luxury, comfort and smooth performance meet to create a grand long-haul experience. When I choose a bike for my weeklong trips, I always choose a bike from Harley's Touring lineup. The lineup includes the venerable Road King (starting at $16,999), the Road King Classic (starting at $19,499), the Street Glide (starting at $18,999), the Road Glide Custom (starting at $18,999), the Electra Glide Classic (my favorite bike, starting at $18,999), the Ultra Classic Electra Glide (starting at $20,999), the Electra Glide Ultra Limited (starting at $23,699) and the new Road Glide Ultra (starting at $22,499).

In a nod to aging demographics, Harley-Davidson introduced a factory-built three-wheeled motorcycle last year, and this year the lineup includes two trikes: the Tri Glide Ultra Classic (starting at $30,499) and the Street Glide Trike (starting at $27,499).

In addition to the four CVO models that I wrote about last week, that brings the total number of individual Harley-Davidson models to 32. That's plenty of bench riding to be done this winter. Maybe I'll even find a way to make one of these new 2011 Harley-Davidson motorcycles a reality next year!

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