2017 Harley-Davidson test incoming

Published: 07 September 2016 Updated: 07 September 2016

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MCN is getting ready for the launch of Harley-Davidson’s massively-updated for-2017 touring family of bikes which we’ll be testing near Tacoma, Washington State, USA, later this week.

The biggest news is the move to Harley’s new ‘Milwaukee Eight’ engine, so called to reflect the classic V-twin’s adoption of four-valve heads for the first time. This, along with a capacity hike to 107cubic inches (or 1745cc from the old Twin Cam 103ci engine’s 1690cc) plus higher compression helps boost peak torque by a claimed 11%.

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In addition, the new engine also uses a single balancer shaft to smooth vibes, plus now has an either oil or liquid-cooled head design.

Two basic versions of the new engine will be available: The oil-cooled ‘Milwaukee-Eight 107’, which powers the more basic, less-faired models in Harley’s touring line-up, namely the Street Glide, Road Glide and Road King; the liquid-cooled ‘Twin-Cooled Milwaukee-Eight 107’, meanwhile, is used on the full dress Ultra Limited, Road Glide and Tri Glide models.

In addition, as has been the norm in previous years, Harley’s limited edition, premium-priced CVO models, which for 2017 comprise the CVO Limited and CVO Street Glide, get an enlarged version of the latest engine, in this case being the ‘Twin-Cooled Milwaukee-Eight 114’ which, at 114ci displaces 1870cc, or 125cc more than the standard bikes.

The new engines aren’t the only changes, however. The new tourers also feature updated suspension front and rear which is made up of new Showa forks at the front which are claimed to deliver improved damping performance allied with lighter weight. While at the rear, what Harley calls ‘new emulsion technology’ is claimed to offer up to 30% more preload adjustment, which is now via a single knob.

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By Phil West

Contributor