Harley Davidson Struts Its Stuff in Milan

Harley Davidson was on hand to strut its stuff at EICMA in Milan. Although they did not have a lot of new models to show, there were plenty of detail revisions, updates and t-shirts to keep the fans happy. Harley Davidson seems to be very popular with the Italians, I've seen quite a few of their bikes on the streets of Milan and their huge display stand was packed with people trying to get a better look at the bikes (and the HD girls).

Of particular interest was the new for 2013 limited edition FXSBSE Softail Breakout CVO from Harley's Custom Vehicle Operations team. Where Harley Davidson really stands out is in the details, and the Breakout is an example of what Harley does best: excess. The chopper was covered in deep, deep paint, lots of shiny bits, huge wheels and chromed everything. It's not exactly subtle, but there's no denying that it does have presence. The crowd loved it, and something tells me it's going to be very loud when they start it up.

For me, the most interesting thing on the Harley Davidson stand was checking out the Hard Candy Custom paint and styling packages (and accompanying apparel). The retro inspired metal flake paint effect has been making an come back in the custom and cafe racer scene (check out thier helmets) for a while now, and Harley hopes to capitalize on the movement with these styling packages. Again, not what you'd call low key, and it certainly won't work for the average wall flower, but it looks really cool and the paint quality is stunning. If you're getting a Harley, you might as well go all in the way. The Hard Candy Custom finish is available in 3 colours, Big Red Flake, Lucky Green Flake, and Coloma Gold Fake.

2013 will mark 110 years for Harley Davidson and they had no fewer than 9 special anniversary models with new colours and trim, not to mention the inevitable Harley Davidson anniversary apparel. Speaking of Special Editions, Harley also released an Italy-only limited release, the XL 883N Iron 883 Special Edition sportster. It's a bit of a mouthful, but the flat black machine looks impressive and definitely captured the imagination of the Italian fans.