Page 91 - Australian Motorcycle News (January 2020)

NEW PRICE
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SECONDHAND
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THE
LOW
DOWN
WHAT TO LOOK
FOR
HARLEY ELECTRA GLIDES
get ridden – and ridden long
distances. Check for the usual
wear and tear on a motorcycle
that has travelled long distances
– swingarm and steering-head
bearings; brakes and brake
lines; tyre wear; leaking fork
seals; rear shock absorber
damping; blue colouring of
exhaust headers; noisy tappets;
oil weeps around gaskets.
Oil weeps and blue pipes could
indicate sustained high-speed
use or an over-heating engine.
The dark days of AMF
ownership are long gone, with
current Harley’s bullet-proof and
reliable. There’s no need to be
put off by an Electra Glide with
high mileage.
SERVICE HISTORY
HARLEY’S 45-DEGREE V-twin
Twin Cam engine is a proven
and robust design that has
a lifespan stretching from
through to the current.
For the - Electra
Glide Ultra Classic featured
here oil and oil-filter change
intervals are recommended at
km intervals, with valve
adjustment ‘automatic’.
Air-filter and sparkplug
replacement will depend to
some extent on the type of use,
with primary chain oil changed
at , km intervals and
major inspections at , km
and , km.
A minor service should cost
around $ , but prices will vary
from dealer to dealer.
The Electra Glide is
the quintessential
Harley touring
motorcycle
With its combination of classic styling, a Big
Twin engine, floorboards, hard luggage and
plenty of chrome trim, the Electra Glide is the
quintessential Harley touring motorcycle. The
Ultra version featured here gets Harley’s proven
air-cooled, fuel-injected, 1584cc Twin Cam 96
engine and comes with the full bells ’n’ whistles
treatment of a luxo tourer.
The Electra Glide features a fork-mounted
Bat Wing touring fairing, a rubber mounted
engine and lockable saddlebags. Add in a Tour-
Pak cargo system, a 40-watt Advanced Audio
System by Harmon/Kardon, additional fender
and saddlebag trim, cruise control, armchair-
like saddle, good protection from the elements,
cavernous luggage compartments and the Ultra
has everything a serious tourer requires.
Well, nearly everything. Unlike Honda’s
GL1800 Goldwing or BMW’s K1200LT the Ultra
doesn’t have a reverse gear, so be wary where
you park. A loaded weight of around 450kg
with fuel and luggage (but no rider) can prove
challenging if your parking space slopes the
wrong way.
Over the years, the performance of the Electra
Glide has continued to evolve. In 2008, H-D
touring models became available with Brembo
brakes and an independent ABS system. An
Electronic Throttle Control was also introduced
in 2008.
In 2009, the Electra Glide, along with all
of Harley-Davidson’s touring motorcycles,
received a new chassis. The stamped and
welded single-piece frame that Harley had used
for three decades was replaced with a cast,
single-spar, rigid-backbone frame.
The relaxed thump of the big V-twin plus
the luxury appointments of the Ultra certainly
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NAMING RIGHTS
A tour back through the years
● The FL was introduced to the Harley-Davidson
model line in — . It used a —ci ( cc)
version of the Knucklehead OHV engine from the
ci ( cc) EL form.
● The FL continued relatively unchanged until
— , when it was given the redesigned Panhead
engine. The Panhead had aluminium cylinder-
heads to reduce weight and improve cooling and
self-adjusting hydraulic lifters.
● In — , a year after receiving the Panhead
engine, the FL was given hydraulically-damped
telescopic forks. In honour of its first production
motorcycle so equipped Harley-Davidson named
the FL the Hydra Glide.
● In the Hydra Glide’s transmission format
was reversed from hand-shift/foot-clutch to
foot-shift/hand-clutch, although the original
format was offered as an option until .
● A more highly-tuned engine with high-
compression heads, higher-lift cams and
polished ports was offered with the FLH version
of .
● The FL model was given a new frame in
which included a rear swingarm and dual rear
shocks. The model name was changed from
Hydra Glide to Duo Glide.
● The third and final name change given to the
basic FL model occurred in , the final year
of the Panhead engine. These last Panheads
were the first big-twin Harley-Davidson engines
to be equipped with electric starters, with this
innovation leading to the model name Electra
Glide.
● In the Panhead gave way to the
Shovelhead and a per cent increase in power.
● A fork-mounted fairing became available on
Electra Glides in and became known as the
‘batwing’ fairing.
● An ci ( cc) engine was made optional
on the Electra Glide in , but by was the
standard fitment.
● The Shovelhead engine was replaced by the
— cc Evolution (or Blockhead) in —.
The Twin Cam engine was introduced in ,
initially as ci.
● The current Milwaukee engine was introduced
on the model in , in either ci or —ci
versions.
make for a relaxing ride. Sure, you can’t punt a
big and heavy bike like the Ultra as you would a
sports-tourer like Honda’s VFR1200 through the
twisties – but horses for courses.
Like all Harleys the quality of the paint,
chrome and polished alloy on the Electra
Glide is superb, although some of the bolts and
brackets can be a bit low-rent.
However, a motorcycle is more than just the
sum of its parts and that’s the case with the
Ultra. It also explains why Harleys currently
dominate the Touring sector on Australia’s sales
charts, with not only the top-seller (2019 Street
Glide Special), but seven models in the top 10.