Harley-Davidson has added two new models to its Softail range in India. The 2018 Low Rider is priced at Rs. 12.99 lakh and the Softail Deluxe costs Rs. 17.99 lakh (ex-showroom, India).

The 2018 Low Rider gets a lighter and stiffer frame compared to the previous model. It measures 2,360 mm in length and has a wheelbase of 1,630 mm. The seat height is 680 mm and it comes with a 19.1-litre fuel tank. The Low Rider gets cartridge-type front forks and a monoshock in the rear. It has a circular headlamp with visor and sweptback chrome handlebars. It gets dual tank mounted gauges with a 4-inch digital readout and 1970s-inspired tank graphics. The engine and twin side-mounted exhausts are finished in chrome. The bike rides on 19-inch aluminium wheels in the front and 16-inch in the rear shod with 110/90 and 180/70 section tyres in the front and rear respectively.

The 2018 Softail Deluxe measures 2,405 mm in length and has wheelbase of 1,635 mm. The seat is set at a height of 675 mm and it comes with a 19.1-litre fuel tank. The new model uses the lighter and stiffer 2018 Softail frame. In the front, it gets cartridge type forks and a monoshock in the rear. It has a retro-style front fender with wire-spoke wheels and whitewall tyres. It gets triple-pod LED headlights with integrated LED DRLs in the front and Tombstone tail light in the rear. The turn signals are placed under the headlights on a chrome bar. The bike features chrome-finished pull-back handlebars and a tank-mounted gauge cluster with a 5-inch digital display. The bike comes with a single seat and twin side-mounted chrome exhausts.

The 2018 Softail Deluxe and the Low Rider are powered by the same drivetrain. The engine is a 1,745 cc, Milwaukee-Eight 107 V-twin cylinder engine which churns out 144 Nm of peak torque @ 3,000 rpm and is mated to a 6-speed gearbox. The bikes get disc brakes at both ends equipped with a 4-piston fixed caliper in the front and a 2-piston floating caliper in the rear, while ABS is standard.

Harley Davidson has launched the 2018 Softail range in India. The revised lineup consists of eight new models out of which four will be available in India. The Fat Boy is priced at Rs. 17.50 lakh, Heritage Classic at Rs. 19.00 lakh, Fat Bob at Rs. 14.00 lakh and the Street Bob at Rs. 12.00 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The new Softail range is based around a more rigid and lightweight frame. According to the company, the carbon steel frame has 22% fewer welds and 50% less parts than before. It is 65% stiffer than the outgoing Softail chassis. The swingarms on the wide and narrow chassis are 15% (5.89 kg) and 20% (8.16 kg) lighter respectively compared to their predecessors. Overall, the new Softail models are up to 17 kg lighter than before. The bikes ride on dual-bending valve front suspension with 130 mm of travel and a new adjustable monoshock rear suspension.

The 2018 Fat Boy comes equipped with Lakester wheels shod with the widest front tyre ever fitted to a Harley Davidson. It measures 160 mm while the rear tyre is 240 mm wide. It is 16 kg lighter than the previous Fat Boy. ABS is offered as standard on this model.

As the name suggests, the Heritage Classic boasts a classic look. It comes with a detachable windscreen and gets rigid, lockable, sealed and water-resistant saddlebags. Payload capacity has gone up thanks to taller suspension and it weighs 17 kg less than the outgoing model. Features like cruise control and ABS are standard.

The Fat Bob comes with a 2-1-2 upswept performance exhaust, 43-mm inverted cartridge style front forks and dual front disc brakes. It rides on 150 mm and 180 mm wide tyres in the front and rear respectively. It has a 13.2 litre fuel tank and it weighs 15 kg less than the previous model.

The Street Bob is the lowest priced model in the Softail range. It rides on black spoke wheels with chopped fenders. It also gets a riser-mounted digital instrument screen. The Street Bob has a 13.2 litre fuel tank and its weight is down by 7 kg compared to the earlier model.

The 2018 Softail range comes with standard features like LED headlights with new instruments, keyless ignition with a security system, adjustable rear shocks, USB charge port on the handle and new fuel tanks on all models.

All the bikes use the same dual-counterbalanced Milwaukee Eight 107 engine. The 1,745cc V-twin engine delivers 114 Nm of peak torque @ 3,000 rpm. This figure varies from model to model. The engine is paired with a 6-speed gearbox.

Harley Davidson has unveiled the 2018 Softail range of bikes. The company has merged the Dyna range with the updated Softail series which now comprises of eight new models.

The eight Softail models include - Fat Boy, Street Bob, Fat Bob, Low Rider, Softail Slim, Deluxe, Breakout and Heritage Classic. These come fitted with LED headlights in varying designs. Key less ignition, security system and USB port on steering head are all part of the standard package.

The 2018 Softail range is said to be based around a lightweight frame which is stiffer than before. The result, according to the company is that the bikes handle better than their predecessors.

Harley Davidson has introduced two new engines on the 2018 Softail range. These include Milwaukee-Eight 107 (Displacement - 1,745 cc) and Milwaukee-Eight 114 (Displacement - 1,868 cc). Both the engines feature dual-counterbalancers for reduced vibrations. The Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine produces 144 Nm of torque @ 3,000 rpm while the Milwaukee-Eight 114 churns out 156 Nm of torque @ 3,000 rpm on the 2018 Fat Boy. The torque figures vary slightly on different bikes of the range depending on the tuning and weight. 

The 2018 CVO Limited uses a larger capacity Milwaukee-Eight 117 engine (Displacement - 1,923 cc) which makes 167 Nm of torque @ 3,500 rpm.

A month ago, we had reported that Harley-Davidson would update some of its models (link to news article). The company has now officially revealed the updates to the Iron 883, Forty-Eight, Street 750, Road King and Heritage Softail.

The updated Iron 883 gets an all-new suspension in the form of adjustable rear shocks and front cartridge forks. It also gets a new rolled leather seat and styling changes like new pipes and wheels, a chopped rear fender and a low drag-style handlebar. It is priced at Rs. 7.37 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Next is the Forty-Eight, priced at Rs. 9.12 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), which gets a new seats, new wheels, 49mm wider fork and adjustable rear suspension. Its tank features retro-styled graphics. It also gets floating brake rotors and a blacked-out slotted exhaust. A new Velocity Red Sunglo colour has been introduced too.

The Street 750 gets upgrades like a new front and rear braking system and improved wire loom routing. This one is now available in Superior Blue colour. It is priced at Rs. 4.52 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

The Road King returns to the Indian line-up, priced at Rs. 25 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

The Heritage Softail Classic gets new saddlebags, cruise control and a High Output Twin Cam 103B engine. This engine is available with the entire Softail range. This motorcycle is priced at Rs. 16.60 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

The company has added new merchandise for the Black Label Collection and has introduced new parts and accessories which customers can add to their motorcycles.

Harley-Davidson has issued a large recall of 19,015 motorcycles from its Dyna and Softail motorcycle ranges in the USA. The American motorcycle maker disclosed a problem with the banjo bolt to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Harley-Davidson suspects that the threads of the bolt in the front-brake master cylinder could corrode. The corrosion of these threads could cause a sudden loss of brake fluid, thereby severely hampering braking.

The motorcycles in question were manufactured between August 22nd, 2011 and February 24th, 2012. The company will contact customers and replace any faulty parts. Customers will not incur any expense for the same and the recall is expected to begin from January 14th, 2015. No such recall has been issued for the Dyna and Softail models in India and Harley-Davidson has not stated if vehicles sold in India will be affected as well.