DYNAMIC CHANGES AT HARLEY-DAVIDSON: ADIOS, DYNA!

HARLEY-DAVIDSON’S BIG TWIN CRUISER line has been redesigned for the new century in “the largest product development project in company history.”

It’s not easy being The Motor Company. Having created the most successful motorcycle style in history, the company is rigidly held to that high standard by its customers. That makes change dangerous—something to be undertaken only after exhaustive study. Yet if you get the heritage part right, get the proportions, the colors, the unspoken but clear message right, you may earn the right to move ahead with change. Harley Earl, General Motor’s great styling chief, once said, “You must lead public taste. But not by too much.”

Ben Wright, H-D chief engineer for Softail, listed the goals of the redesign:

1) To integrate the new Milwaukee- Eight V-twin into the product

2) To design-in improved dynamic capa bility, handling, and reduced steering effort, with more Softail lean angle

3) To include an improved suspension and increased payload

4) To make a more aggressive product through reduced weight and a 100 percent balanced M-8 engine.

The men from styling said, “It starts with lots of customer research. Research showed us that, yes, people want the heritage values,