Melaka invasion with harley-DaviDson
IN the many years that we have been reviewing motorcycles, there were only a handful of times that we managed to test ride a Harley-Davidson in Malaysia. This is quite surprising, given that we have ridden perhaps hundreds of motorcycles of various capacities from numerous manufacturers within a 15-year span.
However, last week, we were invited to ride Milwaukee steel from Gasket Alley to Melaka. And despite the sweltering, nearly 40 Celsius heat, we were quite enthusiastic.
The Harley-Davidson franchise changed hands last year and is now operated by DIDI Resources Sdn Bhd, the newly appointed sole authorised distributor in Malaysia.
It seems that the new guys are eager to move things into high gear. They’ve also got some help after their principal set up a plant in Thailand. Motorcycles imported from the new Thai plant are up to RM40,000 cheaper than those imported from the United States.
Last year, HD Malaysia swung open the doors to its new swanky 20,000 sq ft showroom in Petaling Jaya. The showroom at The Gasket Alley operates under Goh Brothers Motorcycles Sdn Bhd, a company under Goh Brothers Capital, a retailer for several other automotive brands in Malaysia.
Our epic ride pushed off from Gasket Alley at about 10am on a Monday morning.
Our ride leader gave a little brief
ing about safety and with a roar and rumble, 10 big Harleys came to life and started rolling out of Petaling Jaya.
The convoy consisted of a mix of old and new bikes. Three of the bikes were new models, powered by the allnew Milwaukee-Eight engine. I was assigned to a Street Glide, powered by a 107 Milwaukee-Eight.
I wasn’t really prepared for the touch-screen that sat on the dashboard of the big tourer. The tourer has four shiny, very American meters that indicate the fuel level, speed, rpm and battery level. Below it though is a GPS/ entertainment touchscreen system that operates like a system in a modern car. In fact, after fiddling with it for a while, I found it even more responsive and easier to use than those on many cars. Harley-Davidson also did a really good job of integrating the system into the classic styling of the bike. There was no jarring contrast between the old and the new. In fact, it blended in quite nicely. The system drives a pair of speakers that are perfect for running a playlist consisting mainly of rock, with extra bass added in from the exhausts.
In operation, the Milwaukee-Eight powered tourer is modern and easy-to-ride while retaining a traditional Harley flavour, albeit slightly watered down. Harley says the rubbermounted Milwaukee-Eight engine has a single internal counter balancer that cancels 75 per cent of primary vibration at idle. The engine didn’t rock furiously like the one on my next ride, a previous generation Road Glide. This was a step closer to the older Harleys, rocking at idle and traffic stops. It definitely had a certain charm to it, but the heat emanating from the engine was pretty intense. HarleyDavidson says the old engine idles at 1,000rpm while the new one ticks over at 850rpm.
There was also a marked difference in power and smoothness. The new Milwaukee-Eight was noticeably much smoother and more powerful than the previous generation engine. Which isn’t surprising since each Milwaukee-Eight engine produces about 10 per cent more torque than the engine it replaced in the Touring lineup.
Halfway through the ride, it dawned on me why a lot of people get a high from riding in these Harley convoys. The rumble of the massive machines thundering down the roads attracts attention, and stares from the public. There are now thousands of “big bikes” plying our highways, but the big Harleys still look impressive, shiny, and expensive. Put 10 of them together, and you get a spectacle.
We arrived in Melaka and were led to the Stadhuys for a photo stop in the searing heat. Next on the agenda was a visit to Harley-Davidson of Melaka. There, we were treated to a tour of the premises and a briefing on the new Milwaukee-Eight engines.
On the ride back, we jumped on to a gorgeous black Street Glide 114, a perfect steed to round up the short Melaka adventure.