TEST RIDE
THE FRESHEST BIKES: RIDDEN
2013 HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET BOB WORDS: BASEM WASEF PHOTOS: BRIAN J. NELSON, TOM RILES AND HARLEY-DAVIDSON
I
f you could time warp to the early’60s, you’d witness a small, but vibrant motorcycle microcosm where raked-out custom rides explode with acres of chrome and endlessly edible color combinations. The vibe was strong and the statement clear: these bikers had attitude, and their two-wheeled machines reflected an exuberant celebration of unrestrained style. Over the last half-century, fashion trends have swept through the motorcycle world in waves—from the tricked-out choppers of the ’60s to the pastel superbikes of the ’80s—and HarleyDavidson goes back to the Easy Rider era with a new trim line dubbed “Hard Candy Custom.” The name is apt: with colors like Lucky Green and Coloma Gold Flake, these paint jobs look tasty enough to lick, shining in hues accentuated by embedded bits of shimmering metal, which are seven times larger than traditional flakes. The Street Bob is the most updated bike in the 2013 Harley lineup, and offers a full swath of Hard Candy options—from a funky sprung solo seat finished in white leather with contrasting diamond-pattern stitching to leather swingarm bags and, of course, traditional touches like ape hanger bars and forward controls. Changes for ‘13 include a new tank console with a repositioned ignition switch, chopped rear fenders with a cleaner all-in-one stop/turn/taillamp setup, a chromed rounded air cleaner cover, and rubber isolated handlebar risers, which include a forged top clamp for easier customizing. A rubber-mounted Twin Cam 96 V-twin provides 92 ft.-lb. of motivation, routing power through a 6-speed Cruise Drive transmission that turns the rear wheel via a belt. 104 DUBMAG WINTER 2012
DUB’s Street Bob road test covered the winding stretches of highway between the treelined coastal stretches of Washington State and the dizzying Canadian mountain ranges of Whistler, British Columbia. While the Street Bob wasn’t the only bike from the Harley lineup we tested along these roads, it was one of the more
head-turning—especially when decked out with optional Hard Candy parts. Swing a leg over its saddle, which sits only 26.7” above pavement, and you get a back-to-basics cockpit view: other than its big center console-mounted speedo, there’s not a whole lot of distractions aboard the Street Bob (unless, of course, you count the