Great innovation Harley Davidson 2012, Switchback combines the technical base of Dyna to the comfort of Touring. Thanks to its satchels unit/removable windshield, this motorcycle wants to be among most general-purpose of the range.
City with big spaces, it intends to know to do everything and with the manner, thanks to Twin Cam wood 103. We wanted to check these aptitudes and sometimes, three opinions are better than one.
Harley Davidson Switchback: First test
The idea of a toured light, let us say purified being more than really light, does not go back today: by 1978, Harley Davidson proposed a version Sport of its imposing Electra Glide Shovel head, which FLD takes as a starting point besides being large. Today, Road King and Street Glide raise this spirit a little: comfortable and tenant able passengers, without sinking in the obesity or the excess of sophistication.
Very new Harley Davidson Switchback inserts the nail, with the possibility of removing it from his bags and his windshield in a wink. Milwaukee had already cleared the kind with Convertible Soft ail CVO, but the ticket of access was quite simply indecent. More accessible and – especially – equipped with the road frame of the Harley Davidson Dyna family, it – almost only true innovation of the year 2012 is undoubtedly an interesting motorcycle with many regards.
Great compact tourism
First visual contact: the motorcycle proves finally much more compact than the photographs. Rather short (1 595 mm of footing compared with 1,715 mm for Wide Glide), not very broad of handlebar (780 mm) nor on the level as of satchels (720 mm), really low of saddle with 695 mm, it reassures from the start. Moreover, according to its originators, Switchback is also addressed to the women.
When the meter seventy is bordered, one appreciates a natural ergonomics, which obliges neither to tighten the legs to go to seek the footboards, normal to squirm the arms to catch the handles.
One is fixed well on board and finally many gauges fined their brands instantaneously. End of the inch one starts Big Twin of 103 Ci, 1,691 Cm3 for the “metric motorcyclists”. Sonority is felted as on all Harley Davidson of series: as comparison, “a small” Sportster, less attached by the standards of pollution, is shown less discrete…
City, road, and highway: It can do everything!
With 332 kg on the balance bikescatalog, the FLD is worth not to escape on the cowboy boots during the operations at low speed. For as much, the centre of gravity placed low facilitates the catch in hand, frankly easy for the category. As of 20-25 km/h, the Dyna gross is handled easily, carried by the smoothness of its engine to the couple of Ken worth.
I roll up the cable of accelerator and I fit it on twice the two-ways, the banana under the helmet. Oddly, I seek from the start to pass the relationship with the heel, but Harley Davidson Switchback does not have a double selector connects. It is undoubtedly the position, if typified touring, which induced me in error.
Further, rocked by the engine, I seek the speed regulator, absent too. For the blow, it must be the protection very successful to 110-120 km/h which gave me desire of cruiser. While changing way, rather in an energetic way, I discover a sufficiently rigid, precise motorcycle and rapid to be rocked with the angle, for the category gets along of course.
Engine breath
On main road and secondary road, Harley Davidson Switchback shows a good comfort of saddle and suspensions. In spite of their weak clearance, saddles with the short-nap cloth of the bitumen obliges, the shock absorbers are inserted and slackened in a progressive way. Braking, convincing, obtains a rather transparent ABS: a good point.
One then likes oneself to play with the engine, showpiece of this Dyna. The originators had the good idea to graft Twin Cam wood A 103 to him. Being flexible, it agrees to go down again to 1600 tr/min without balking and pulsates sympathetically between 1800 tr/min and 2,500 tr/min, pile at usual speeds on road, between 70 km/h and 120 km/h.
One can use this engine in two ways. Either by requesting the couple on reports 2.3 and 4, benefitting rather from the vigorous push of the large twin-cylinder, or while being fixed in 5th to enjoy the resumptions with low modes accompanied by small a potato and some good vibes inherent in Dyna. To engage 6th, 80 km/h should at least be reached.
The couple of the engine even invites to seek one 7th phantoms, the more so as Harley Davidson has good year to remove very practical the seeing green one overdrive encrusted in the meter.
Heat Marcel!
The environment of control, in the two modes of use of the engine, is with go. Of agreement, it is not really the ecstasy, but our Harley Davidson Switchback of loan strictly legal was certainly choked of everywhere.
Today, there exist more alive mechanics, like the ancient twin-cylinder of Moto Guzzi California, but the TC103A is torque, flexible and quite round on all its beach of use. Even the lengthening-piece, secondary on a custom, is far from being ridiculous. In short, approval is there and it is felt that there is potential.
With the liking of the stops in the villages, the table is spoiled a little with an engine which heat up much, phenomenon accentuated by a room temperature passing very close to the 28°C. The enormous transmission casing, quickly boiling, will dissuade to roll the calves to the air, under penalty of grill summer improvised…
Right side, work on the line of exhaust bore fruit, even if one should not rub there. But as soon as tit rolls, the smile is found. And between the total agility, the good directional stability to more than 130 km/h if one wants to roll quickly, good comfort, the correct ground clearance when one rolls up; there is really average to cut the road.
One nothing strips it
One of the arguments of this innovation 2012 is the possibility of removing its windshield and its satchels in a little time, and of passing quickly from a road custom to an urban cruiser: two Harley for the price of one altogether. After two or three handling, one carries out the striptease in a dexterity.
Most pragmatic will curse in front of the absence of handles of transport on the satchels, but an H-D will be never a BMW… even if Harley Davidson Switchback aims at similar customers thanks to her proven versatility.
Most anxious will always be afraid to be made fly, avoiding it breeze stripped of security of origin. The pace of the motorcycle changes all the same and the points of anchoring of the satchels or the windshield remain very discrete, not bad. The behavior, it, do not move, in spite of the lightening of 15.4 kg. One expected it.
Assessment: The good side of the bottom between two chairs
This Harley Davidson Switchback news arrives at point named in the Harley Davidson range. Easy of catch in hand, equipped with a relevant ergonomics and road good qualities, it also takes again the engine Twin Cam wood 103 which does not miss approval. Moreover, she proposes a general-purpose side with her concept of two motorcycles in one.
Without pouring neither in the characterial exuberance nor to offer the comfort of truth toured, it is shown attaching with use because it can do everything.
Sold starting from 17,190 €, with ABS, the large engine of 1691 Cm3, the removable equipment, it seems placed well in the range to cut a share of lion.
