Harley-Davidson adds a new Softail to its 2018 line-up

Sport Glide combines classic styling with contemporary form

Harley-Davidson introduced a new motorcycle Tuesday at the EICMA in Milan, Italy. Called the Sport Glide, it’s the ninth model in the new Softail line-up introduced over the summer and covered by ESR here.

Starting at $22,299 CAD for a nicely-equipped model in Vivid Black (it’s $450 more for Twisted Cherry or Silver Fortune), the Sport Glide is designed to be lightweight and stiff with the new Softail chassis delivering agility and handling performance.

“The look of the new Sport Glide is a modern interpretation of some of our most iconic, classic motorcycles, and riding it lives up to that legacy,” said Inaki Isusi, Managing Director, Harley-Davidson Canada. “It’s a great all-around motorcycle because it will cruise, commute and tour.”

Some other features the motorcycle-make is touting include:

New 43mm inverted forks, plus remote hydraulic rear shock spring preload adjustment

The inverted forks stiffen the front end and feature a single-cartridge damping system that promises to increase handling, stability and braking performance (which is further enhanced by standard ABS). The Sport Glide rolls on new Mantis cast-aluminum wheels, 18-inch front and 16-inch rear, shod with Michelin Scorcher 31 performance tires.

Powered by the Milwaukee-Eight 107 V-Twin engine

The rigid-mounted, blacked-out powertrain brings a new level of performance to all of the Harley-Davidson Big Twin cruisers, including the Sport Glide, as it provides torque for acceleration and passing power. Dual counter-balancers are tuned to eliminate primary vibration at idle while permitting some engine character to reach the rider at speed. The engine is rigid-mounted in the frame, which stiffens the chassis and connects the rider more directly to the powertrain.

Fairing and panniers can be quickly and easily removed

The Sport Glide’s fairing is designed to deflect wind away from the rider’s chest while leaving his or her head in a clean stream of air. It’s secured to the fork tubes with quick-release clamps, making removal or installation fast and easy. If you need more win protection, you can exchange the standard 1.5-inch-high windshield for a 5.5-inch Light Smoke Windshield available from H-D.

The new rigid (and lockable) panniers feature a clamshell design. They’re easy to load and unload and can be opened with one hand by a seated rider and a damping device allows the lids to open smoothly. Also the bags can be removed in seconds with an internal quick-release mechanism, leaving behind barely visible mounting points. Combined pannier capacity is 1.9 cubic feet (25.5L).

Full LED lighting and electronic cruise control

The Daymaker LED headlamp is surrounded by a ring of LED signature lighting and complements the bright LED taillight (and LED rear indicators).  The electronic throttle control enables standard electronic cruise control.

A USB charging port, keyless ignition and the Harley-Davidson Smart Security System are some of the other standard features.

So, will you be asking Santa for this motorcycle?