Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/727617
34 nOctober 2016n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS by Terry Roorda For 2017 The Motor Company's introduction of the stunning new Milwaukee-Eight engines on the Touring and Trike models has grabbed the headlines and essentially sucked all the air out of the room for the other fi ve OE model platforms in the line-up. That's to be expected, natu- rally, since realizing the full impact of that new clean-sheet Big Twin mill, and keeping the eyes of the audience trained at the top of the chart requires keeping distractions elsewhere in the full roster to an absolute minimum. At that they've certainly suc- ceeded. Aside from new paint pal- ettes and a few minor functional and optional tweaks to the pre-existing 2016 offerings, it's pretty much crickets down-slate. (The CVOs, on the other hand, are a breed apart and perennially get some degree of special treatment.) As is our tradition, however, we'll take a look at exactly what— if anything—has changed in each family, starting with the newest, smallest, most economical and most foreign-market-friendly of the lot, the XG Street models. The Streets Still consisting of two models, the Street 500 and Street 750, the plat- form now offers both optional ABS and optional Smart Security Systems on both displacements. Additionally, the Street 500 has added some paint options, and the Street 750 has added a pair of Deluxe paint schemes, as well as a new tank medallion on those with solid color treatments. The V-Rods Also still numbering just two mod- els, the Night Rod Special and V-Rod Muscle, the V-Rod offerings this year are unchanged save for the addition of some color and graphic options. The Sportsters The collection of XL models numbers six for the new season, with the chopperesque XL 1200V Seventy- Two no longer available. The remain- ing bikes all now come stock with a battery tender harness affi xed—a thoughtful upgrade that is also shared by both the Dyna and Softail families. The bargain-priced XL 883L Superlow now offers new paint options including the Company's Hard Candy colors, as do the XL 883N Iron 883 and the XL 1200X Forty-Eight. The XL 1200C Sportster 1200 Custom offers some new Custom colors (but no Hard Candy, kids), and the same goes for the XL 1200T Superlow 1200T. The remaining Sporty, the XL 1200CX Roadster, is unchanged except for the aforementioned battery tender harness. The Dynas Following suit with the Sportsters, for 2017 the Dyna plat- form comes to market with fewer offerings, down one model from the six available in 2016. Missing from the stable is the FLD Switchback, the agile demi-tourer that held great promise but apparently failed to reso- nate with the consumer base. Of the remaining machines, the FXDL Low Rider got the most atten- tion, and now comes with a keyless ignition, a Smart Security System as standard equipment, and some Custom paint colors. It's blacked-out HARLEY-DAVIDSON MODEL YEAR 2017 OVERVIEW Shaking the pack The best stuff settles to the top The least expensive Sportster in the line-up, the XL 883L Superlow, now comes with a battery tender harness, as does every other model in the Sportster lineup as well as all the 2017 Dynas and Softails This XG750 Street, along with the XG500, is now available with optional ABS and Smart Security Systems. Both Street models also offer paint and other cosmetic upgrades. This year's VRSCF V-Rod Muscle (shown here) and the VRSCDX Night Rod Special have several new color and graphic options The FXDL Low Rider now comes standard with keyless ignition and Smart Security System. Also offered are new Custom paint colors.