It was the first time that Harley-Davidson’s 2004 models appeared in public in Europe and I didn’t want to miss them – would you? It was also the first European outing for Polaris’ new Kingpin, and I hoped that there would to be loads of aftermarket producers, customisers and distributors to look at too, as when I was last at the show, in 2001. Unfortunately the trend has changed, with the focus of the show was fixed firmly on the bike manufacturers rather than the aftermarket industry. Not necessarily a bad thing, because it stops the custom sector getting too diluted, but it meant there wasn’t as much stuff as I expected, and had hoped for.

I’ll stop ranting on and cut to the chase though, running through the model ranges in turn as we did in AmV4, adding my own first hand impressions, together with the news or excuses I was given ...

2004 Sportsters

At first glance I was surprised of how good the new XLs looked – I’d personally liked the Roadster, but didn’t think much of the Custom judging from the pictures on the ’net, but I must admit that I was wrong: all of the 2004 models have a natural appeal and are good looking in their own right – and the differences between the ‘sport’ and the ‘custom’ models, even on a first-glance basis, are greater than they’ve been for a generation.

The revisited peanut tank ties the Roadster to the older Sportster, while the bigger and longer tank of the Custom gives the bike a more elongated look, making it much more ‘custom’ than a solid riser and a skinny front wheel ever could, even if it retains both. The main differences between the bigger models and the smaller ones – apart from the engine, that is – are also to be found on the tank, and are the two colour options for the Roadster compared to the 883’s simpler solid colours – and a chrome strip for the 1200 Custom, which is missing on the 883C. The frame is the same for all the bikes: thicker tubing makes it stronger and more rigid, and it raises the overall weight of the whole bike (yes, I’ve checked with some guys from H-D US) by 50lbs – Harley say it’s needed because the engine no longer contributes to the rigidity of the thing, being rubber mounted (hallelujah) and all. There are four rubber mounts and three anchor points, to stop it shaking its way out of the frame, and it can be taken out of the frame on the left side, however, should you wish to do so.

You all know about the new heads, the new combustion chamber, the increased fin area to improve cooling and the new way oil is used to cool the engine. Speaking of oil, I should mention that people at HD have taken three steps to decrease oil carryover, which used to be quite annoying on the old models: they’ve used a mazed breather to catch oil on its way to the filter and redirect it, they’ve used breather bolts with a narrower passage and they’ve left a passage through the crankcase to get the oil to the oil pump instead of the flywheel cavity. There’s no fuel injection but there might have to be in the future, depending on the EPA; in the meantime a sensor’s been added to the crankcase which relays the timing to the ignition module more precisely than the system which was used before – in fact, should you want to remove the timing cover you’d find ... nothing.

The new oil tank is a quart bigger, which makes it bigger than those on the Dynas and the Softails, and it has a spring loaded cap: a push,a quarter of a turn and off it comes. Do it the other way around (a quart of a turn and a push) and if fits snugly in the oil tank shell, giving a smooth surface. I quite dislike it but it seems to work fine even if the chrome covers on some of the earlier examples used to come off … just something I overheard. Over complicated? The automatic tester has been switched off after 400,000 openings, which seems fair to me: who’d want to open their oil tank more than four hundred thousand times in a lifetime, anyway?

The redesign of the engine is not only practical, but stylistic as well, looking more compact and a bit less cluttered. Among the minor changes in the appearance are the rocker-box covers, for instance, which now consist of only two pieces instead of the three of the previous version. Still with the valve train, shorter pushrods run between the rocker-boxes and a new, one-piece tappet cover replaces the previous engine’s four. The cover is held in place with four fasteners and this, together with some O-rings inside the pushrod covers, should lead to a tighter engine.

Regarding the power and torque increase of the new engine, the people at the H-D booth didn’t shy away from our inquiries, but they didn’t really have a satisfactory answer as to why the increase was so modest, considering they used many performance parts coming from the long-stroke Buells. Their position was that, taking into consideration the styling requirements of the Sportster line and the emission and noise regulations, there was little more they could do ... of course, there’s always the Screamin’ Eagle performance parts line and there’s definitely the possibility to play around with the new engine, reaching almost the output of the XBs. We’ll see.

One last improvement for the XL Series regards the clutch: due to a change in the primary ratio and to a lighter spring, the engineering department at HD has achieved an easier lever action: 25% easier on the 883 and 8% easier on the 1200.

2004 Dynas

The T-Sport has gone. Apparently it’s purely an economical decision, based on the fact that it didn’t sell enough for HD to continue its production. The only thing I disliked about it was the front fairing: it made it look like a ’70s Moto Guzzi even if it was highly useful. Maybe next time they’ll make it detachable … and better looking. If they ever think about the European market in such a direct way again, that is.

Anyway, the Dynas in Milan were all fuel injected – in the US it’s still an option, but it seems that all European Dynas, and indeed all Big Twin models will be Fuel injected for 2004. The major stylistic change is all about the tank: longer and adding to the custom look with a new dashboard and an aircraft filler cap ... wait a minute! An aircraft filler cap on a stock Harley? Yep, you heard right.

The tank looks good, although you wouldn’t immediately spot the change without putting an older bike beside a new one, but you’ll definitely notice the dashboard and the cap. The new shape looks OK on the Low Rider, which they couldn’t alter too much because of the trademark tank-mounted instruments, and while there wasn’t a stock Wide Glide on show, we know that it too retains the two fuel caps as well, either side of a modified version of the classic dash. I really don’t like the thing on the Super Glide and the Sport Glide Sport. It fits, it looks good from the side because it gives a smooth line to the tank, ending with the ‘eyelid’, but I can’t bring myself to look at it. I’ll get over it with time. And if you’re going to throw in an aircraft filler cap, why not make it hinged and lockable? Have a look at the pics and decide for yourself or, better still, take a ride to your nearest dealer and have a look – they’ll be there pretty soon.

2004 Softails

No big news, only another demise (that of the Heritage Springer Softail) and a wider set of bars on the surviving Springer Softail. Well, that and the lack of anything with a carburettor for Europe: even the Night Train gets fuel injection for 2004.

2004 Tourers

The Big Twin news is the new Road King, of course – if you don’t consider the Electra Glide from CVO. The first thing that struck me is that it didn’t look as uncluttered as it did in the pictures, and the reason why it didn’t is that it isn’t. I’ll explain. Due to EC regulations, the Road King Custom apparently cannot be imported with the clean front fender – with no dresser bits, and no light – or the slash cut mufflers, either. You wouldn’t expect it to have such a big influence on the machine but, as you all know, styling is all about little things hanging together, and for me, the FLHRSI with its wide bars, lowered rear end, silver dashboard, chromed front spoiler and stylised saddlebags needed the clean fender it didn’t get. Talking about the spoiler, I took a couple of pictures so that we all can look the King in the eye, just to have an idea of how it looks from the front. The thing cannot be taken off without removing the clamp cover and replacing it, and it does take something away compared to the experience of having the big nacelle occupying the lower area of one’s field of vision when riding. The two saddlebags are taken from the Classic and restyled, and are the same plastic core covered in leather, but now closed with a new system that looks clean but might have some problems if you fill the bags to the top. The lid is released by a button on the back of the saddlebag, which relies on a purely mechanical way to activate the lever that holds the bag closed, using steel wire running along the inside wall of the lid, and it looks as though some pressure might put it in trouble, but that remains to be seen.

Still with Road Kings, the stock carburetted FLHR is now an injected FLHRI, which closes the technology gap on the Classic.

The CVO Electra Glide might be imported in very limited numbers in Europe and it does look really nice, lowered and beefed up (103 cubic inch Screaming Eagle, homologated and street legal) as it is, but its price tag might be a little more than the average Joe can afford (35,000 Euros – a little more than £24,000).

2004 V-Rods

The news had reached me before I went to the show, so I wasn’t disappointed when I saw the VRSCB. By now you’ll all know it’s not a breakthrough, or even a very different bike: it definitely has more potential because of the slightly different look and better price and is essentially a V-Rod for those who want to tinker with it, binning the parts they don’t like (though I’d recommend to stash them safely, just in case) and fitting something from an aftermarket source, like some carbon-fibre chassis parts, or a new exhaust, or a set of bars, or whatever. Mentioning the bars, one thing disappointed me: reading of ‘adjustable bars’ I though of some kind of switch that moved them (quite silly of me, I know); instead the futuristic console of the V-Rod has quite simply been reproduced in a two-piece version, which you can unfasten, much like a riser clamp, to adjust the bars. The colours are all strong – the ‘racing orange’ is just brilliant, I must say, especially with the black frame – and the number of add-ons has greatly increased. We’ll see if a Revolution powered sports-tourer comes towards Europe next year, then.

2004 Buells

The long-stroke bikes are back. I was disappointed when, upon the introduction of the new XBs, they were dropped, mainly because I thought I’d finally get myself together and get one. Now I’m torn, because I don’t know whether to get a new or an old one but, apart from my ravings, there’s nothing much to say about them that hasn’t been said in the last issue: longer stroke, 1200cc, broader and tougher belt able to cope with the increased torque and number of ponies.

I just can’t wait to see one in action.

Polaris – Victory Motorcycles

Although they’ve been on the market for quite some time, and Polaris import their other products to Italy, Victory Motorcycles never made it to our shores – and they won’t, not until 2005. That’s the news regarding Italy, but in the UK you’ll soon receive their latest creation, the King Pin.

Based on the Vegas chassis, it features more than 200 new parts, of which the most relevant are surely the inverted forks and the 18-inch wheels, and, of course, the bigger and longer fenders. According to the press release, the 18-inch wheels – both with low profile tyres – should give better handling, while contributing to the custom look.

I personally quite dislike the cast wheels because I think they’re too modern looking for this bike – and thought the spoked ones looked rather good on both the Las Vegas and the King Pin. The inverted cartridge forks add to the impression of a fatter front end and the bike has more ‘presence’ than the Vegas – not in the sense that it is more striking, mind you, it is ... beefier. As I said before, style is all about little things hanging together in the right way and this brings up two subjects: first, the people at Victory have done their homework and, starting from a Ness co-designed bike like the Vegas, added some ideas of their own, some feedback from the riders and brought home another potential hit. Second, if you visit Victory’s homepage (www.victorymotorcycles.com) you’ll see a picture of a tiny Vegas and a KingPin next to each other: the frame, the tank, the long rear swingarm, the indicators being at the same height even though the rear fender and the forks are different ... and though they seem so similar in a picture, when you see them in the metal they’re quite different bikes – as I said, it’s all about the details.

There is no sign of their touring cruiser making the jump across the ocean yet but, as it really looks a lot like the old V92C with hard bags and a windshield, they might want to wait until they think of a Vegas or King Pin based one (although they’ll have a nice headache trying to deal with the shotgun exhaust and hard bags).

MAG

Not the Motorcycle Action Group, who use the initials in the UK, but a group of American investors who have recently acquired four of the biggest names in aftermarket products: Kuryakin, Progressive Suspension, White Power and Vance & Hines.

This could lead us to think a couple of things: it’s going to be easier to get things in our own continent, and those things are probably going to be EC approved as well (and read this feature to the last word to understand to what extent that might be important, in the future). They unfortunately had no news about their respective 2004 line ups, which is going to be launched in the US at the next big show, and were only showing a Fat Boy sporting a new adjustable air suspension – there’s a little compressor on the side of the bike and, by using it, you can adjust the height and response of the rear suspension of the bike – and Vance & Hines Long Shots, which are still not approved by the European Community.

Drag Specialities

Drag Specialties too didn’t have any news about their 2004 production, waiting for the same show as MAG to unveil their products. The interesting thing at their booth was a heavily modified XB: a Kuryakin filter sticking through the fake tank and an oil radiator right above a high beam projector were the two most outrageous ones. Too high-tech for my taste, as was the Fat Boy standing right behind it – but that’s just me.

Avon & Metzeler

They probably won’t love me for putting them together in the same paragraph, but they’re the two major custom tyre manufacturers on the market and it looks like the shootout isn’t going to finish anytime soon.

Metzeler had their 280/35 18 (ME 880 XXL) tyre showing off on the bike that won ‘Best of Show’ at Sturgis in 2003. It is supposed to be rideable – ha ha – maybe, but only by someone who likes to suck on cars’ exhausts, probably. Until EICMA, it was the widest tyre on the market.

Avon simply responded by designing a new tyre for their Venom line, to be released in two versions during the first months of 2004: a 300/35x18, and a 300/40x17. There’s also talk about a 330 section tyre to be designed for a gentleman named Ness, but nothing’s official or confirmed so I would not be too sure about it.

Another big news item for Metzeler was the introduction, in their 2004 line, of the ME 880 WW in their Marathon line: the WW stands for WhiteWall, of course.

Odds & Ends

Between the few booths showing some new products, I finally saw some aftermarket producers offering something specifically designed for the V-Rod. That this is happening right when H-D releases a more affordable version of the bike to be customised: too much of a coincidence to be true ... ? Anyway, if you’re tired of, or never actually liked the original handlebars, risers or license plate holder, you’ve got your chance to do something about it, courtesy of Rizoma, an Italian producer specialising in aluminium parts.

Or you might try and find some inspiration for new paintwork in Gianfranco’s (from Kustom Drink Paint) – if you’re too lazy to travel, I hear he ships all over Europe.

Like all major shows, you might want to start looking for EC approved parts for your bike, or Euro 1 and Euro 2 Harley-Davidsons.

Euro what Harley-Davidsons?

That’s the reason behind the EFI-only Big Twins: it is the only way that they can comply with the newemission standards.

If you don’t start looking now, you may well have to pretty soon. Imagine having a pre-’97 bike and living in a city like Milan – and there will be more than a few Brits who’d consider that to be a nice place to hang around on a fairly recent model. Now imagine a law that’ll stop you using that bike from 8.00 to 10.00 and from 16.00 to 19.00 every day, for the four months from the beginning of November to the end of February. Financial incentives have been given to car owners to change their cars – provided they want to – into something more environment-friendly, but bikers are left to fend for themselves.

Sounds like science fiction, but that’s what a bunch of motorcyclists were demonstrating against, the opening day of the show.

Think about it.

10 Minutes with Craig Jones

Pushing our way through the crowd assembled around the show area we were able to catch the attention of one of today’s most celebrated stunt riders: Craig Jones. After chilling out for a while he met me in Harley-Davidson’s hospitality suite, to exchange a few thoughts …

AmV: How did it all start?

CJ: I used to be an amateur motocrosser, and I loved to pull wheelies. In 1994 I started to ‘do the stuntman’ and perform for my friends, in car parks or in secure environments. I first saw a stoppie in Assen, at a Superbike race, it was in 1995. I had to do it! So I got back to England and tried it. And got it right, eventually. The next year I started performing as a professional stuntman and in 1997 I had my first sponsorship.

AmV: You didn’t start with American V-twins from the beginning, did you?

CJ: No, I first used a Triumph for a year, then a Suzuki for two and then, briefly, a Honda. In the summer of 2000 I rode a Buell for the first time, in Australia, and I thought it could be the perfect bike. When I returned to England I contacted Buell UK and that’s where it all started. Now I work for Harley-Davidson/Buell worldwide and report directly to them.

AmV: Why a Buell, and is it any different from the other bikes you have used?

CJ: At the time when I first tried it, the Buell was a hooligan bike. And a stuntman is a perfect hooligan. The bike’s short, very flickable and it has a low centre of gravity. It has a lot of torque and the brakes are perfect for what I do. A V-twin will always have a firmer grip on the floor than a 4-cylinder bike and it’s very easy to pull wheelies. That’s why I use it for 80 percent of my stunts. For the rest I use a Sport Glide, equipped with a Screamin’ Eagle stroker kit (that means a 1700cc engine). The torque on that bike is incredible: a twist of the wrist and it starts sliding the rear wheel, it pulls wheelies and whatnot. Low down torque is very important also from a safety point of view: it allows you to do almost any trick at an overall slower speed.

AmV: You first used an X1, then an XB9S and now an XB12S. How are those bikes different?

CJ: The X1 is a wonderful bike, I still love it. It’s generous and sturdy, and in a way it’s more aggressive than the new one. You see, the X1 has a slight dip of power between 2500 and 3000 RPM but then the surge of power is very strong. The XB9S is smoother in its power delivery, so I wouldn’t rate it as aggressive as the X1; besides, all the power it has is entirely manageable: I can use it for wheelies and stoppies even in the wet – and I do. Finally we get to the new long-stroke Buell: the longer stroke means more power and more torque, and I welcome them both, as I use them during my shows.

AmV: Do you think the bike needed the extra ponies?

CJ: I welcome them, as I’m able to use them all – and I think all experienced riders will love the HP and torque increase. I’m not sure the casual rider needs them but then there’s always the XB9.

AmV: How is the life of a professional stuntman?

CJ: It has some good sides and some bad ones, as everything. I have a very tight schedule (after the show in Milan he’s flying to England, then to France, then over to Greece and then he’ll be driving to Holland) but always try to meet the people, when it’s possible – I like to interact with the people who come to my shows, to show them that I’m one of them, which I really am. The adrenaline rush from the stunts and from the crowd is incredible and I really like the crowd to have fun. On the downside I cannot manage to have a decent personal life: I’m always away from home, always working, sometimes even without sleep for a couple of days… But right now my job is living for the people who come to my shows, to make them happy, to show them a hooligan on a bike can also be a nice man.

AmV: I’ll let you off the hook so you can relax a bit before the next show then.

CJ: Cheers, mate.