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Harley-Davidson’s 2023 Lineup Celebrates 120 Years on 2 (and Sometimes 3) Wheels
Forget the birthday candles, to celebrate its 120th birthday, iconic automotive brand Harley-Davidson has unveiled a beefed-up bevy of limited-edition motorcycles. Arriving alongside a series of events, the 2023 Harley-Davidson motorcycle line-up comprises the CVO Road Glide Limited Anniversary model and six additional limited-edition releases featuring 120th Anniversary commemorative paint, finishes and details.
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2023 CVO Road Glide | Image: Harley-Davidson
For fans of Harley, the new lineup announcement comes at a good time. After years spent steadily growing the modern portfolio, the brand has finally set its sights on upgrading the baselines, including the Harley-Davidson Breakout performance cruiser model, the Road Glide 3 trike model, the new Nightster Special middleweight sport motorcycle, and a blacked-out Freewheeler trike model.
“Since 1903, Harley-Davidson has pioneered American motorcycle design, technology, and performance, and today marks the beginning of a year-long celebration of Harley-Davidson’s 120th Anniversary,” Jochen Zeitz, chairman, president, and CEO of Harley-Davidson said. “We’re excited to share the first release of 2023 Harley-Davidson motorcycles, with more to come later in the year. 2023 is going to be an unforgettable milestone for the company.”
2023 Breakout | Image: Harley-Davidson
Each release is adorned with a striking anniversary paint job that matches the buckets of chrome that have been generously sprinkled across the entire lineup. The Road Glide, in particular, cops a base coat of Anniversary Black, outlined with a bright red pinstripe and a hand-applied gold paint scallop.
Some of the detailing also includes panels portraying the head and wings of a soaring eagle while the gold-plated tank medallion is an Art Deco rendition of the eagle. If that’s too subtle, then the Alcantara seat comes with gold and red contrast stitching accents, gold-tone powertrain inserts and bright red rocker boxes and pushrod tube collars. Only 1,500 of these chrome-laden machines boasting this colour scheme will be made with each serialised with a laser-etched panel on the fuel tank console.
2023 full lineup | Image: Harley-Davidson
The other six limited edition models get a more classic paint scheme inspired by early Harleys with the panelled finish having Heirloom Red as the base colour. Panels are outlined with a red pinstripe and filled with a darker Midnight Crimson fade. Additional details include an Art Deco eagle tank medallion, seat covers with red side panels and gold embroidered Harley-Davidson logo, and red fade motor inserts.
The Breakout meanwhile strays a bit from the norm with a sleeker styling theme along with a lean look when compared to its siblings. The low-profile chrome fuel tank flows in with the design while a new set of handlebars and 26-inch aluminium wheels in gloss black complete the low-slung sports cruiser look.
Coming to the Road Glide 3 Trike, you get three wheels and a lot of equipment including a Boom! Box GTS 6.5-inch colour TFT touchscreen navigation/infotainment system, a weatherproof rear trunk with a top-mounted door and electronic reverse gear and other riding aids.
2023 Nightster | Image: Harley-Davidson
The Nightster Special Model meanwhile sports a Revolution Max 975T liquid-cooled V-Twin engine, cast aluminium wheels with Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), a new handlebar and riser, four-inch round TFT screen displays and Brembo brakes. Finally, the Freewheeler gets an extra dose of black with the front end, headlamp nacelle, tank console, hand and foot controls, powertrain, and exhaust, all having a blackened finish in place of chrome.
Harley has also announced that electronic cruise control will now be a standard feature for the Fat Boy, Fat Bob, Breakout, Low Rider S models, and will remain standard on the Low Rider ST, Heritage Classic and Sport Glide models.
2023 Freewheeler | Image: Harley-Davidson
2023 Road Glide 3 | Image: Harley-Davidson
Somnath Chatterjee
Somnath Chatterjee is an experience car journalist and automotive expert. His supercar reviews, interviews and industry features have appeared in global publications such as Upscale living, Robb Report and Yahoo Lifestyle Asia. Somnath specialises in luxury and lifestyle-oriented features with a focus on automobiles, aviation and luxury. He also holds a Post Graduate in International Business from the University of Dehli.
