Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128008
New Bikes 2000 Harley-Davidsons A little older, / a lot bolder By Scott Ro usseau it h th e fe rvo r of it s wo rl d wi de 95th an niversa ry celebra tio n fin all y dying down, it s re volut io n ar y T w in Cam 88 a res ou nding success and its blockb us ter 2003 cen te n nia l ce lebra tio n no t qu ite ready for p rime time, you would thi nk that the Harley-Davidson Mo to r Co mpany wou ld be wi lling to use the next year, o r tw o, to ta ke a brea ther. You know, relax, maybe change a pain t job or two and gear up to introduce its nex t se ries of radica l product cha nges o n what will be a highly anticipated l00th anniversary of Ha rley motorcycles, in abo u t thr ee years. Guess agai n. A tech nological revolution - Harley style, tha t is - continues to spill forth from the doors of the company's Capitol Dri ve Produc t Development Center in Mil w a u kee . Product advancement is taking place at the most feverish pace in Motor Company his tory . The proof is no mor e evident than in Harlev-Davidson's 2000 models, the first to t>ear what may just be motorcycling's most famous bra nd name from the past century. At the pinnacle of this technological ' revolu tion is an all-new Softail platform that features a new flagshi p for the yea r 2000 in the FXSTD Sof ta i l De uce , a mot orcycle th a t Harley-Davidson officials say is the first beacon to mark the d irection of the fu ture. W I/ยป !Ii. :::Iiii ~ lIIii III .. Q :iii Q . 0> 0> 0> ~ FXSTD SOFT,t\IL DEUCE gj " I am ex tremely excited," Harl ey- g' Davidson 's hea d of new product plan- "7- ning William H . Davidson sa id whe n 30 unveiling the n ew ma chine du ring a press conference at the company's recent worldwide dea ler show in San Diego, California . "U nde rnea th this cove r is a mot orcycle tha I I tru ly believe will affect the en tire ind us try. This is probably ou r bigges t yea r of p ro d u ct intro d uction since 1903. We have inves ted ro ug hly $25 mill ion in our Prod uct Deve lop men t Cen ter, and we have started a n infrastructure to bring out new prod ucts at an increased rate, with mo re tec hno logica l innova tion than ever befo re." . Technology aside, the Deuce continues in the vein of the "factory custom" tha t was introduced by styling gu ru Willie G. Davidson in 1971. Tha t model, the Super Glide, which ma ted th e XL fron t end with an FL chassis, is looked upon as being largely responsible for putting the cruise into the cruiser mar- (Above) Harley-Davidson's FXSTD Softail Deuce is des igned to take the company's " factory custom" her itage into the 21st century. Wlth 'the new Tw in Cam 888 eng ine as the platform , cus tom styling touches, suc h as the Deuce 's all-new wide rear tirelfender combo, " Co ke bottle" chrome forks and stretched fuel tank, are just Icin g on the cake for the new fla gship . of th e Softail family. (Right) That 's the brakes : Harley-Davidson has stepped up big-time to the dema nds of its customers by introduci ng all-new 290mm, four-piston brake s on ali of it s 2000 models. The new units greatly inc rease stopping power. Also new on the FL touring lineup are these new hollowspoke, cast-a lum inum alloy wheels, which are significantly lighter than those of the prev ious des ign.