HomeMediaHarley-Davidson brings back the Electra Glide as a revival model

Harley-Davidson brings back the Electra Glide as a revival model

Motorcycle company’s new Icons Collection unveils plans for limited-editions of historic motorcycles

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Inspired by the 1969 Electra Glide, the first Harley-Davidson motorcycle with “batwing” fairing, the motorcycle manufacturer has announced a limited-edition Electra Glide Revival model as part of its new Icons Collection.

Harley’s Icons Collection will offer “very limited-edition motorcycle models designed to elevate traditional forms and celebrate Americana, either by revisiting classic Harley-Davidson design themes or by exploring ideas that represent the future of motorcycle style,” the company said.

‘A retro-classic motorcycle for the nostalgist who longs to ride a bike with style both distinctive and timeless.’

Each year one or two such models will be produced, and then “never be resumed or repeated,” Harley-Davidson said in its announcement.

“Each Icons Collection motorcycle will be serialized, and the purchaser will receive a certificate of authenticity.

“With The Hardwire (a 5-year strategic plan announced earlier this year), we made a commitment to introduce a series of motorcycles that align with our strategy to increase desirability and to drive the legacy of Harley-Davidson,” Jochen Zeitz, Harley’s chairman, president and chief executive is quoted. “With that in mind, I am proud to introduce our new limited edition Icons Collection, a series of extraordinary adaptations of production motorcycles which look to our storied past and bright future.”

Harley-Davidson said the Icons Collection debuts with the Electra Glide Revival model, “a retro-classic motorcycle for the nostalgist who longs to ride a bike with style both distinctive and timeless. 

“Global production of the Electra Glide Revival model will be limited to a one-time build of 1,500 serialized examples, scheduled to reach authorized Harley-Davidson dealers in late April, with an MSRP of $29,199.”

This 1971 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide crossed the block this past week at Mecum’s annual motorcycle auction in Las Vegas | Larry Edsall photo

The company said the design is inspired by the original Electra Glide and notes that that machine’s fairing “became an iconic – and often imitated – Harley-Davidson styling cue, its shape an instant on-the-road identifier of many Harley-Davidson models and the foundational design of the fairing featured on current models. 

“In 1969, the accessory fairing and saddlebags were only offered in white molded fiberglass, and the Electra Glide Revival replicates that look with a Birch White painted finish. The period-inspired tank medallion and Electra Glide script on the front fender complete the look. 

“The Electra Glide Revival will be offered in a single color scheme inspired by the original 1969 colorway: The two-tone fuel tank in Hi-Fi Blue and Black Denim bisected with a Birch White stripe, with Hi-Fi Blue paint on the fenders and side panels.”

We live in a very dynamic time, each of us experiencing constant change,” said Brad Richards, Harley-Davidson vice president of styling and design. “The Electra Glide Revival model is an oasis in this daily turbulence, a way to reconnect with the fundamental Harley-Davidson DNA that created Grand American Touring.”

The company said design highlights include a solo saddle with a black-and-white cover and a chrome rail, mounted over an adjustable coil spring and shock absorber, which harkens to the FL models from the 1960s as well as being “a functional feature that adds rider comfort.”

The bikes also will come with chrome steel-laced wheels and wide whitewall tires, chrome on the front fender rails and saddlebag rails, front fender skirt, Ventilator air cleaner cover, fork covers and auxiliary lights. 

“Old school cool never looked so good,” the company added.

The Electra Glide Revival model will be propelled by a Milwaukee-Eight 114cid V-Twin engine rated at 118 pound-feet of torque.  The engine will be linked to a 6-speed Cruise Drive transmission. 

The bikes will be equipped with Harley RDRS Safety Enhancement technologies including ABS, traction control, slip control and hill-hold control. 

They also will have a tall windshield and splitstream vent to help reduce buffering of the rider’s head, electronic cruise control, a Boom! Box infotainment system with two fairing-mounted speakers, advanced navigation, hand a voice commands, and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility.

For more information, visit the Harley-Davidson Icons Collection website.

Larry Edsall
Larry Edsall
A former daily newspaper sports editor, Larry Edsall spent a dozen years as an editor at AutoWeek magazine before making the transition to writing for the web and becoming the author of more than 15 automotive books. In addition to being founding editor at ClassicCars.com, Larry has written for The New York Times and The Detroit News and was an adjunct honors professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

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