Harley-Davidson unveils 2020 range
The Low Rider S returns, the first CVO trike and a host of new rider safety tech on selected Touring, Trike and CVO models…Harley-Davidson Australia has rolled out its refreshed 2020 model range, with a new Low Rider S, CVO Tri-Glide trike, and the addition (on selected models) of the brand's Reflex Defensive Rider Systems (RDRS) suite of safety technology headlining the update.
2020 Harley-Davidson Low Rider S
The Low Rider S builds on the legacy of the previous Low Rider S introduced in 2016, but ramps the performance up a notch with the Motor Co's Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-twin. A part of Harley-Davidson's Softail family, the new Low Rider S also adopts "premium suspension components" and takes its styling cues from the American west coast custom scene, with the model's roots extending back to the sporty pre-Dyna FXR models of the 1980s.
The Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine has a capacity of 1868cc and produces 161Nm at 3000rpm, says Harley-Davidson. That's a fair hike over its standard Low Rider sibling, which is powered by the Milwaukee-Eight 107 (with 145Nm).
Highlights include plenty of blacked-out components, including gloss black and wrinkle black finishes, a colour-matched mini fairing, a motocross-style handlebar on 4-inch risers, and 'Radiate' cast-alloy wheels, a 19-inch rim up front and a 16-inch rim down the back.
The 2020 Harley-Davidson Low Rider S is available in two solid colours – Vivid Black or Barracuda Silver – and is priced from $27,995 plus on-roads – that's a $3500 premium over the standard Low Rider.
"We've applied that coastal style and performance-first attitude to the Softail chassis to create a Low Rider S that's more powerful and agile than ever, with a heavy dose of tough-as-nails attitude," said Harley-Davidson Vice President of Styling & Design, Brad Richards.
2020 Harley-Davidson CVO Tri-Glide trike
For those who prefer their open-road thrills on three wheels instead of two, the 2020 Harley-Davidson range will also include a new CVO Tri-Glide trike – the first trike to bear the CVO (Custom Vehicle Operation) badge.
Joining the CVO Limited and CVO Street Glide, the CVO Tri-Glide is powered by the Milwaukee-Eight 117 V-twin which, at 1920cc and with 168Nm, the biggest and most potent engine offered by Harley-Davidson, and exclusive to the CVO family.
The CVO Tri-Glide features premium touring suspension and an integrated power-locking trunk topped by a Tour-Pak luggage carrier, along with LED lighting, Tomahawk contrast-cut alloy wheels, heated handlebar grips, heated rider and passenger seat covers, a CB radio, and more.
The CVO Tri-Glide is available in Blizzard White or Black Stardust from $73,250 plus on-roads.
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Harley-Davidson Reflex Defensive Rider Systems (RDRS)
For the 2020 model year, Harley-Davidson is also equipping its Touring models (excluding Road King and Electra Glide Standard), CVO and Trike models with its Reflex Defensive Rider Systems (RDRS) suite of rider assistance and safety technologies.
The RDRS system comprises six individual systems: cornering-enhanced linked braking, corner-enhanced antilock braking, cornering-enhanced traction control, drag-torque slip control, a hill hold feature, and tyre pressure monitoring.
The suite uses gyroscopic sensors to account for the forces acting upon the motorcycle when cornering, moderating intervention to suit, while the drag-torque slip control feature reduces any rear wheel slip detected during aggressive downshifts or abrupt deceleration on wet and slippery surfaces.
The linked brake system employs both brakes when just the one brake control (ie front brake lever or rear brake pedal) is used for better overall braking performance, but this is an electronic system that is smart enough to eliminate the linking during light breaking or when at low speeds (like when applying some rear brake through a U-turn, for example).
As often found these days in the car world, the hill hold feature will hold the bike steady for a short period during an uphill start after the bike's brakes have been released, ensuring the motorcycle doesn't inadvertently roll back.
Bikesales will be sampling the 2020 Harley-Davidson model line-up soon, so stay posted for a full report.
Harley-Davidson's 2020 model range is on sale now; see your nearest Harley-Davidson dealership for more information.
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