Die dicken Harleys haben jetzt mehrere Fahrprogramme. Bisher bestand das einzige Fahrprogramm in einem souveränen Dahindonnern, einer von elektronischen Spitzfindigkeiten unabhängigen Art des Reitens, in der eine sinnvolle Menge an moderner Technik zwar vorhanden war, aber im Verborgenen wirkte. Niemals wurde derlei demonstrativ als Hauptbestandteil des Erlebnisses hervorgehoben.
Erinnern wir uns: Als Harley-Davidson vor Jahren ansetzte, Bremsanlagen mit ABS zu verbauen, wurden die erforderlichen Sensorkränze – an den Rädern aller anderen Hersteller sichtbar – sorgfältigst versteckt, damit auch ja nichts den American Anblick verhunze. Zentrales Element des Harley-Fahrens war stets eine unerschütterliche Selbstgewissheit, der es vollkommen egal ist, ob andere mehr Fahrmodi haben, ein ausgeprägtes Desinteresse an der Frage, ob irgendwer ein stärkeres, agileres, mit mehr Computerei ausgestattetes Fahrzeug bewegt. Harley ist Harley. Ich bollere, also bin ich.
Ein Cinemascope-Bildschirm macht sich breit
Doch die Welt dreht sich immer schneller, nicht mal Harley-Davidson, seit 1903 im Geschäft, kann das aufhalten. Der Modellwechsel in der Touring-Baureihe zum Motorradjahr 2024 zeigt das in aller Deutlichkeit. Die Überarbeitung der Schwergewichtstourer Street Glide und Road Glide fiel recht radikal aus.
Auffälliges Zeichen: Aus dem Cockpit der beiden Reisemaschinen wurden sämtliche Analoginstrumente entfernt, Nadel ade. Stattdessen macht sich ein Cinemascope-Bildschirm breit, auf dem man sich gut noch einmal den Monumentalschinken „Die zehn Gebote“ mit Charlton Heston als Moses und Yul Brynner als Ramses II. ansehen könnte, nicht zu vergessen Anne Baxter als Nefertari. Es handelt sich um ein brillant gemachtes Instrument.
The times demand it. Anyone who has long been tired of screens in everyday life and prefers the look of the previous cockpit combination of four analogue round instruments and a much smaller display will have to submit. There are three view modes to choose from on the 12.3-inch touchscreen: Tour presents the map of the navigation function centrally. Sport puts the tachometer in the spotlight, as if the corpulent sisters were sports motorcycles. Cruise sorts the pixels so that it looks somewhat like a pair of classic analog clocks, at least.
200-watt sound from speakers on the inside of the fairing
Touch control has by no means led to the disappearance of buttons and switches on the ends of the handlebars; on the contrary, there are plenty of them on the left and right. This will be welcomed by people who don’t want to constantly point their outstretched index finger at the screen while on a motorcycle. Voice control via a Bluetooth headset is another option.
Skyline OS is what Harley-Davidson calls its operating system for infotainment. It serves radio, music streaming, telephone, traffic and weather data. The 200-watt sound from speakers on the inside of the fairing drowns out the old system like the ghetto blaster drowned out the Nordmende portable radio. Apple and Android devices dock via Bluetooth; Mysteriously, Apple CarPlay only works in combination with a headset. Directly under the Street Glide’s screen there is a compartment with a USB-C port for a smartphone. It is 25 centimeters wide and 20 centimeters deep, so it is no exaggeration to call it a motorcycle drawer. The old one was convoluted and too puny for many cell phones. The sister model Road Glide has two of them, on the right with a charging socket, on the left without, each smaller and more of a slot than a drawer, but still suitable for common cell phones.
Seems to have somehow slipped away from the designers
The modernization of the design was also consistent. In addition to the shape of the suitcases and side covers, this mainly affects the handlebar fairings, with, in our opinion, mixed success: the “Batwing” fairing of the Street Glide can be seen as a successful development of its predecessor, the “Sharknose” of the Road Glide somehow seems to the designers to have slipped away. In its massiveness, it is reminiscent of something similar from Indian, the brand that seems to have sought salvation in copying Harley for years. The old Sharknose was more sophisticated. There used to be more shark.
But we respect opposing opinions. They clearly predominate, as Harley dealers report. The Road Glide is increasingly taking away the audience from the formerly dominant Street Glide, recently also because this model makes it particularly easy to adjust or replace the handlebars to adjust the seating position. The almost futuristic LED equipment creates not just light, but striking lighting effects.
The sharknose weighs a good ten kilos on the front wheel
As before, both models are largely identical except for the panels. The Batwing stem of the Street Glide rotates with the handlebars, the frame-mounted sharknose bow of the Road Glide always points rigidly forward, even when the handlebars pivot. This creates certain, non-serious differences in handling and driving behavior, some prefer this, others that. The sharknose puts a good ten kilos of additional weight on the front wheel, which is irrelevant considering the total weight of 368 kilos of the Street compared to 380 kilos of the Road Glide .
In any case, a Harley carries its extra pounds with pride. The way in which the weight is balanced and how wonderfully agile and neutral such a structure dances around once it is in motion is incomparable. We had the opportunity to ride two of eight stages of the magnificent Grand Tour of Switzerland, which is more than 1,600 kilometers long, a demanding test including five Alpine passes. Experiencing the plump people screwing their way up steep serpentines and circling downhill through hairpin bends in a strange spectacle has its special charm. The brakes and suspension, upgraded according to factory specifications, have this well under control.
The largest Harley density in the world
The V-twin cylinder known as the Milwaukee-Eight swings an even bigger hammer after increasing the displacement from 114 to 117 cubic inches – 1923 instead of 1868 cubic centimeters. The engine mobilizes the strength of 109 horses, yee-haw. With up to 175 Newton meters at 3500 revolutions per minute, it takes Flüela and Furka at a gallop, expanded throttle valves and increased air filter volume clear the airways. What escapes the standard exhaust sounds like a rumble with a subtly raw note at a low volume that seems to echo from the depths of a wilder past. The dealer in Zurich reports that 80 percent of customers ordered an accessory exhaust from the outset, while most others retrofitted it later. Switzerland is Harley territory. Apparently every 75th household has a motorcycle of this brand. This is the largest Harley density in the world outside of North America.
If the Milwaukee-Eight trudges through the federal idyll at the officially prescribed speed, it barely consumes more than 4.5 liters per 100 kilometers. Thanks to water-cooled exhaust valves in the cylinder head, Harley’s Big Twin has gotten rid of the habit of giving those in the saddle the feeling of sitting on a stove with flames coming out of it. Stop-and-go in the valley when outside temperatures exceed 30 degrees are now easier to endure. Long-awaited progress here too: the gear indicator in the cockpit no longer disappears when the clutch lever is pulled.
It hummed unpleasantly at higher speeds
The weather protection is excellent, with small side wings directing fresh wind either towards the driver or around the outside. Whether it is quiet behind the non-height-adjustable window or loud due to wind turbulence depends on your body size. In our case, body length 1.85 meters, it hummed unpleasantly at higher speeds.
The basic price for both variants is 31,845 euros. This means you’re buying yourself way up into the Harley cosmos. But some wishes still remain unfulfilled. After central locking, for example, or at least a lockable tank cap, after cornering lights, a semi-active chassis. Radar-based assistance systems such as adaptive cruise control, collision and lane change warnings are not yet available. The matt black plastic on the inside of the fairing looks cheap; petrol splashes leave stains there if you are not careful when refueling. The recently thin-walled suitcases twist when the lids are opened. Sacrilegious: On the left side of the iconic engine, where the prettiest of all horns was previously located, there is a plain ignition distributor. The horn was banished to the basement.
The driving programs vary the power delivery and the control behavior of the assistance systems for brakes, traction and drag torque, which work depending on the lean angle. In Rain mode the Harley tries to lull you to sleep, which can be avoided by switching to Road. This is the mode for all occasions. In sports, the machine exudes an artificial hecticness. Every mid-range Asian motorcycle that can be taken halfway seriously now has all sorts of assistance and driving programs. But a Grand American Tourer from Harley-Davidson stands above such banal things. Road is enough.
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