Lose weight quickly! Buy one take one! Just some of the highly effective promoting and advertising terms we felt Harley would have easily included in the promo material to its latest model, the Switchback.
It seems everyone as well as their physical trainer are always looking for the newest trend to efficiently shed some pounds. Why not, losing a few pounds helps you look and feel better and you can move much faster and they're a bit more agile. Well, let's say we informed you there was a diet program where you could shed about 100 pounds without reducing your Big Mac take in or jogging one single mile? It's possible. Simply just go into your local Harley dealer and exchange that 812* pound Road King for a 718* pound Dyna Switchback. And best of all, with a price tag that plays around fifteen hundred dollars less expensive than a King, choosing the Switchback you're simply getting yourself a buy one take one value, considering the Switchback is basically two bikes in one.
Not surprisingly the thought of two bikes in one isn't a new concept from Harley by far; the factory has offered convertibles in the FXR, Dyna, and Softail product lines. What is special and different about the Switchback is that having its 41.3mm front-end, chrome front lights nacelle, 130mm front tire, floorboards, durable saddle bags, and full swept FL-style fenders; it looks like from the Touring models and not only a Dyna with hard bags and a windscreen. When you detach the windshield and saddle bags, well, it still appears part of the Touring models, just stripped down, cleared up and more sexy.
As you lay on the saddle and cruise the highway it becomes clear this motorbike isn't the offspring of some plump sofa glide. It's agile and sturdy. I spent some time with the Switchback and everything in it from its external features and maneuvering to the performance, storage capacity, and flexibility pleased me.
The Harley-Davidson designers really invested a great deal of time when they were designing the suspension and steering to make sure the bike got the comfortable and plush drive of a touring motorcycle, but the maneuverability and play of a Dyna. The front-end geometry, tire specs, and suspension are all made to work together to deliver correct and light steerage.
Inside the big fork legs is a 20mm tube that helps deliver better damping, and at the rear is a set of two Nitrogen-charged mono tube back-end shocks with dual rate springs. The back shocks adjustable, which help make it quite easy to set up the rear suspension for solo, two-up, or loaded up riding. Back to the front, a 130mm Dunlop provides a nice steady footprint and bombing across the road, but the low profile design of the wheel can help get the motorcycle over and in and out of sharp comfortably.
One thing I undoubtedly discovered was that different to the members in the Touring product line which can occasionally bring unwanted feedback in the form of trembling when ticked-off by inconsistencies on the road at top speeds and quick turns, the Switchback was sturdy from wheel to wheel at high speeds, tight sudden turns, and once filled up and leaned in high-speed sweepers. Even when I gave the smaller ape handlebars a nice push while cruising along the road, the motorbike continuously kept its line without having the back-end being squirrelly or needing time to settle down.
Driven through the 103ci engine and backed by the 6-speed transmission, the Switchback goes to where you want it, in front of that big rig, without troubles. Given it will not break any specific speed records, although with the saddle bags totally stuffed and a touring bag strapped to a baggage holder, I am able to easily slip past heavy traffic on slope inclines without needing to lower it down into the fifth. Coming in 43 pounds less heavy compared to the Heritage Softail Classic (761* pounds), and only 12 pounds more heavy compared to the second heaviest Dyna, the Fat Bob (706* pounds), the Switchback is simple to fold back kickstand but not so heavy which prevents the efficiency or potential of the triple digit displacement motor. Screwed to the right side of its rubber mounted motor is a stainless 2-into-1 straight cut tailpipe which provides a decent note and gives the motorcycle much more of over all appearance as opposed to the dual classic look found on many touring types. And unlike the Touring designs that have exhaust system attached towards the rear of the saddle bag supports, Harley engineers created the back-end tailpipe hanger clump to install the rear of the drive train and to really move with the drive train. With over-all weight a main concern, Harley-Davidson went for an aluminum rear end hanger clump as opposed to steel.
Slowing down or arriving in an immediate stop is aided by a 4 piston set front caliper and 300mm standard expansion floating rotor, along with a double-piston torque-free rear caliper getting down on a 292mm rotor. The motorcycle I tested had the Security Package Option that bundles the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with the Smart Security System.
The Harley Switchback looks like it is the Road King's younger brother, which is certainly great given that the King has become the best bet among Motorcycle fans. Measurements of the motorbike are perfect considering the saddle bags being about 25 % smaller than an average FLT saddle bag and a 4.7-gallon fuel tank and not 6-gallon tank that comes with the King. Even though the bags are smaller, I managed to pack in them a coat, a few shirts, a tool roll, and a GPS tracker all within a single bag, by installing a sissy bar or a baggage rack and putting a big travel bag and hooked up my motorcycle helmet on the side, I carry enough gear with me for a week-long road trip.
It seems everyone as well as their physical trainer are always looking for the newest trend to efficiently shed some pounds. Why not, losing a few pounds helps you look and feel better and you can move much faster and they're a bit more agile. Well, let's say we informed you there was a diet program where you could shed about 100 pounds without reducing your Big Mac take in or jogging one single mile? It's possible. Simply just go into your local Harley dealer and exchange that 812* pound Road King for a 718* pound Dyna Switchback. And best of all, with a price tag that plays around fifteen hundred dollars less expensive than a King, choosing the Switchback you're simply getting yourself a buy one take one value, considering the Switchback is basically two bikes in one.
Not surprisingly the thought of two bikes in one isn't a new concept from Harley by far; the factory has offered convertibles in the FXR, Dyna, and Softail product lines. What is special and different about the Switchback is that having its 41.3mm front-end, chrome front lights nacelle, 130mm front tire, floorboards, durable saddle bags, and full swept FL-style fenders; it looks like from the Touring models and not only a Dyna with hard bags and a windscreen. When you detach the windshield and saddle bags, well, it still appears part of the Touring models, just stripped down, cleared up and more sexy.
As you lay on the saddle and cruise the highway it becomes clear this motorbike isn't the offspring of some plump sofa glide. It's agile and sturdy. I spent some time with the Switchback and everything in it from its external features and maneuvering to the performance, storage capacity, and flexibility pleased me.
The Harley-Davidson designers really invested a great deal of time when they were designing the suspension and steering to make sure the bike got the comfortable and plush drive of a touring motorcycle, but the maneuverability and play of a Dyna. The front-end geometry, tire specs, and suspension are all made to work together to deliver correct and light steerage.
Inside the big fork legs is a 20mm tube that helps deliver better damping, and at the rear is a set of two Nitrogen-charged mono tube back-end shocks with dual rate springs. The back shocks adjustable, which help make it quite easy to set up the rear suspension for solo, two-up, or loaded up riding. Back to the front, a 130mm Dunlop provides a nice steady footprint and bombing across the road, but the low profile design of the wheel can help get the motorcycle over and in and out of sharp comfortably.
One thing I undoubtedly discovered was that different to the members in the Touring product line which can occasionally bring unwanted feedback in the form of trembling when ticked-off by inconsistencies on the road at top speeds and quick turns, the Switchback was sturdy from wheel to wheel at high speeds, tight sudden turns, and once filled up and leaned in high-speed sweepers. Even when I gave the smaller ape handlebars a nice push while cruising along the road, the motorbike continuously kept its line without having the back-end being squirrelly or needing time to settle down.
Driven through the 103ci engine and backed by the 6-speed transmission, the Switchback goes to where you want it, in front of that big rig, without troubles. Given it will not break any specific speed records, although with the saddle bags totally stuffed and a touring bag strapped to a baggage holder, I am able to easily slip past heavy traffic on slope inclines without needing to lower it down into the fifth. Coming in 43 pounds less heavy compared to the Heritage Softail Classic (761* pounds), and only 12 pounds more heavy compared to the second heaviest Dyna, the Fat Bob (706* pounds), the Switchback is simple to fold back kickstand but not so heavy which prevents the efficiency or potential of the triple digit displacement motor. Screwed to the right side of its rubber mounted motor is a stainless 2-into-1 straight cut tailpipe which provides a decent note and gives the motorcycle much more of over all appearance as opposed to the dual classic look found on many touring types. And unlike the Touring designs that have exhaust system attached towards the rear of the saddle bag supports, Harley engineers created the back-end tailpipe hanger clump to install the rear of the drive train and to really move with the drive train. With over-all weight a main concern, Harley-Davidson went for an aluminum rear end hanger clump as opposed to steel.
Slowing down or arriving in an immediate stop is aided by a 4 piston set front caliper and 300mm standard expansion floating rotor, along with a double-piston torque-free rear caliper getting down on a 292mm rotor. The motorcycle I tested had the Security Package Option that bundles the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with the Smart Security System.
The Harley Switchback looks like it is the Road King's younger brother, which is certainly great given that the King has become the best bet among Motorcycle fans. Measurements of the motorbike are perfect considering the saddle bags being about 25 % smaller than an average FLT saddle bag and a 4.7-gallon fuel tank and not 6-gallon tank that comes with the King. Even though the bags are smaller, I managed to pack in them a coat, a few shirts, a tool roll, and a GPS tracker all within a single bag, by installing a sissy bar or a baggage rack and putting a big travel bag and hooked up my motorcycle helmet on the side, I carry enough gear with me for a week-long road trip.
About the Author:
A motorbike enthusiast and custom motorbike builder himself, he visits a motorcycle superstore every now and then to check the most recent products including motorcycle helmets, apparel, parts and accessories to check out.