Chris McGinnis
Cesar Millan
Sam Lowe
Jason Fogelson
Bryson Forbes
Amy Graff
Karla Henriquez
More New Harley-Davidson Models for 2012
February 10 2012 by Jason Fogelson
Never a company to rest on its laurels, Harley-Davidson has announced two additional motorcycle models that will join the lineup for 2012: The Softail Slim and the Harley-Davidson Seventy-Two.
Based on the Softail platform that includes the Fatboy, Blackline and Heritage Softail Classic, the new Softail Slim is a back-to-basics stripped-down old school motorcycle. "It's time to make the engine the focal point of the motorcycle," says Harley-Davidson Senior Designer Casey Ketterhagen, "so we put a Softail on a diet to get the proportions back in check. Scale down the rear with a narrow tire and chopped fender and the heart of the bike, the motor, once again becomes the focus."
The Slim features combination stop/turn/tail lights and a side-mounted license plate, with uncovered rear struts that expose the bike's works and fasteners. Even the gas tank gets the lean and mean treatment, with a leather strap covering the seam where other Softails wear a metal cover. The cylinders are blacked-out with powder coat without highlights, and polished engine covers take the place of chrome. Even the front fender is trimmed back.
"I'd personally like to strip the bike down even further," says Ketterhagen, "but this is as far as we can go on a production model. The Slim is intended to be a direct interpretation of home-built customs of the 1940s and 50s, and we used a number of components that evoke that era."
The Slim has an extremely low seat height at 23.8", the lowest in the Harley-Davidson lineup, which makes it a good candidate for the inseam-challenged.
Softail Slim should be on showroom floors soon, with a starting price of $15,499 in Vivid Black and $15,884 in color paints.
The Harley-Davidson Seventy-Two is a Sportster variant. Equipped with the 1,200 cc Sportster V-Twin engine finished in Gray powdercoat with chrome covers, the Seventy-Two looks back at the 1970s with a metal flake paintjob, 2.1 gallon "peanut" gas tank and mini-ape hanger handlebars.
"In creating the Seventy-Two, we were also inspired by the vibe of the early chopper era," says Frank Savage, Harley-Davidson Manager of Industrial Design. "Those bikes were colorful and chromed, but also narrow and stripped down to the essentials. You look at period examples and they are almost as simple as a bicycle. It's a custom style that's very particular to America and that California scene."
The name "Seventy-Two" is inspired by East Los Angeles' Whittier Boulevard, also known as Route 72. Whittier Boulevard is a renowned cruising spot for custom builders, who still bring their cool creations out to show off to their peers. A new round air cleaner cover completes the unique look of the Seventy-Two in the Sportster lineup.
The new Sportster Seventy-Two starts at $11,199 in Hard Candy Big Red Flake.
The 2012 Harley-Davidson lineup just keeps getting cooler and cooler. Can't wait to see what they come up with next.
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