2013 Harley Davidson Softail Slim, Black, 1390 Miles, Remainder Of Factory on 2040-motos

Moto blog

Vespa goes back to the future

IT'S been a while coming, but the gorgeous Vespa 946 - EICMA 2012's Best of Show - has finally introduced something to the two-wheeled world that our four-wheeled counterparts have had for a while.  I call this 'reverse retro-futurism' - the art of borrowing lines from models past and imbuing them with a sleek sense of future direction (as opposed to retro-futurism, the pre-1960s design trend of depicting the technology of the future. The term 'decopunk' may come close, but feel free to tell me if there's a more exact term.) It's what the New Mini and the New Beetle (both 1997 and 2012 versions) have done so well, and so successfully: building an all-new model as a tribute to a classic, something that's modern yet already timeless, with a widely-appreciated, inclusive aesthetic (and here we eliminate the Plymouth PT Cruiser from the conversation). The biking world is great at retro, indeed thrives on it, but not so good at adding in a taste of the 21st century.

Harley-Davidson Hires ex-GM Engineer Federico

Harley-Davidson has hired a former General Motors engineer and executive, most recently recognized for leading the automaker’s internal investigation of its ignition switch fiasco that resulted in a recall of 2.6 million vehicles. Jim Federico retired from GM on May 5 after working in various roles with the company over nearly four decades, most recently as executive director of global vehicle integration. Federico will join Harley-Davidson on June 2 as vice president of engineering.

Harley-Davidson Discontinuing Road Glide and Other Models for 2014

A leaked memo sent out to Harley-Davidson dealers reveals plans to drop several models from the company’s 2014 lineup. Slated to disappear are the XR1200X Sportster, the FXS Softail Blackline, and the FLHTC Electra Glide Classic. Also being discontinued, at least for 2014, is the FLTRX Road Glide Custom and FLTRU Road Glide Ultra, as the tourer models undergo a design refresh.