The Great Communicator
by Bill Stermer
photography by Scott Hirko
As conservative as H-D's philosophy is, its motorcycles are relentlessly updated year after year. This is especially apparent in the 2006 Ultra Classic Electra Glide. Harley's most luxurious touring model is powered by the venerable air-cooled, 45-degree, 1,450cc Twin Cam 88 V-twin engine with electronic fuel injection-a carburetor is not an option. Wire wheels are, however, and our test unit rode on chromed aluminum Profile wire wheels (a $450 option).
I spent some time with the new Glide and noted its updates for 2006. The bike, by the way, worked flawlessly. One of the most welcome (though invisible) changes for 2006 is that, thanks to a redesigned ball-and-ramp mechanism and lighter diaphragm spring, clutch-lever effort has been reduced by a claimed 24 percent. We've ridden the bike extensively and can attest to the fact that, by golly, the change is both significant and noticeable. The new system will likely be welcomed by riders everywhere-though not necessarily by he-men like us (harrumph!).
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American Rider
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The Glide is equipped with the traditional bat-wing fairing, saddlebags and Tour-Pak trunk, and the color-matched lowers with their storage areas. There are also moveable vents to allow a little cooling air on the rider's legs. We found the black, vinyl-covered seat to be well shaped and offer a nice blend of cushiness with firmness; only the largest or heaviest riders may find it confining.
The Tour-Pak trunk (in my opinion the best piece of motorcycle luggage ever made) has been redesigned; it looks much the same as before, but H-D is now using a new material, injection-molded black GTX nylon alloy. It claims the trunk provides a smoother surface finish but eliminates internal "chalking." We didn't notice any obvious surface finish differences.
The trunk has slightly revised dimensions; it's an inch shallower, but H-D states its capacity has not been reduced. It now has new full-length chrome trim accents, and the Ultra Classic gets new LED side lights. The backrest flap is now attached to the trunk's base rather than its lid, which should prevent rubbing.
If your passenger has put on a little weight (surely you haven't-and may I say you're certainly looking well!), you'll be interested to know that the Tour-Pak with its backrest now has two-position adjustability. The forward position is the same as last year's fixed position; it can be moved back an inch to provide more room. To reposition it, remove five bolts, slide the Tour-Pak rearward, then button everything back up. Our Tour-Pak also has a soft interior liner that's quite deluxe.
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A new three-phase 50-amp, 650-watt charging system is standard on all touring models. H-D tells us that, according to model, this is an increase of 11 to 32 percent, and that the new system is also more reliable and has increased reserve capacity. In addition to the added electrical output, note the new Reflector-Optics Auxiliary Lamps. Engineers found that the old fluted lenses on headlights diminished light output as they spread the beam, and that it was more efficient to direct the light via the reflector and pass it through a clear lens. These new auxiliary lenses join the headlight that was redesigned for 2005.
The biggest news is that the new touring bikes now offer unprecedented sound and communication capabilities. Harley-Davidson has partnered with audio-system maker Harman/Kardon to develop a new radio receiver that will be available on 2006 touring models and offers the usual AM/FM, CD and weather band, but now is also ready to accept XM satellite radio, among other accessories. Its CD player is also compatible with MP3-format discs. It cranks out 20 watts per channel (which is 80 watts for the four-speaker system), and the passenger has separate controls for the rear speakers.
In addition to all this, H-D's Genuine Motor Accessories offers some accessories for the base radio, including the Advanced Audio High-Output Amplification System that doubles output to 40 watts per channel.
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For those not familiar with it, XM is a subscription radio service that offers more than 150 channels (subscription service costs around $10 to $12 per month). Separate music channels feature songs from the '60s, '70s, '80s and so on, including music, sports, news, talk and lots more, all in digital sound. Because XM is beamed by satellite, stations won't come and go and eventually fade as you ride across country or through changing terrain.
The receiver includes an LCD display that lists not only the station playing, but also the individual song and artist--so long as the individual station provides them. After the song title has been displayed for some seconds, the digital clock replaces it.
To determine the viability of the XM system, I took the Glide up into the Southern California mountains where I could ride among sheer cliffs, valleys and tunnels on a road that rose 5,000 feet above sea level. I tuned into local AM and FM broadband stations and listened till they soon began to clip or fade because of the mountains. When this happened I immediately tuned to any of the XM satellite stations (my favorite is hits of the '60s in case you were wondering) and almost always found a crisp, strong signal-in all cases a better signal than the one I had left. Not only was reception excellent except in tunnels or momentarily beside sheer cliffs, but also XM's stations are commercial free. With that said, still some station hosts tended to get a little cute and go off on tangents other than playing music, which I found annoying.
Listening to the radio while riding has always been problematic, depending on your speed, the wind and ambient noise. Therefore, for consistency, I utilized my helmet fitted with a J&M speaker (www.jmcorp.com) in each ear, and plugged it into the dash panel. Note that the legality of such systems varies, as some states and localities allow for sound to be inducted into both ears, while others do not. H-D also offers its Premium Stereo Helmet Headset by Koss.
To navigate this electronic maze, the rider utilizes a thumb control near the left grip for volume. A similar control by the right grip can be pushed up or down to scroll through the choices, or pushed in to select a mode such as AM, FM, CD, Weather Channel or XM. When XM is selected, the LCD display shows a number of channels that can now be scrolled through or selected. Once the rider purchases the sound system, H-D will provide a free three-month subscription to XM; after that, you're on your own.
The Advanced Audio intercom also includes push-to-talk hand controls and headset receptacles for the intercom. The Hands-Free Cell Phone Module utilizes Bluetooth protocol wireless-transmission format that mounts inside the Tour-Pak. It requires a Bluetooth-equipped cell phone and allows the rider and passenger to make and receive cell phone calls via the radio hand controls or full-voice activation. Hands-free operation means that riders won't be subject to the scorn that most auto drivers are when they use the darn things.
The CB Bike-to-Bike Communications/Intercom Combination mounts inside the fairing and is standard on the Ultra Classic. For the future, note that H-D's Road Tech Quest GPS navigation is available; in the meantime, don't get lost.
The brake pedal and both rider and passenger footboards now offer pinstripe rubber pads, which simply means they have vertical stripes. There's a Bar-and-Shield logo on the brake pedal. For security, the new ignition switch requires that the fork be at full stop angle before the switch can be turned to the fork lock position. It's much more positive in its action. U
For more details see your Harley-Davidson dealer; the MSRP is on page 40.
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