A new 2020 Harley-Davidson has been revealed to the world thanks to the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
The filing confirms the model will be a 1746cc Softail Standard, even going onto to confirm the, de rigueur, Stage 1 upgrade has also been certified.
The Softail Standard (or the FXST to the Harley aficionados) is a bike that’s been missing from the Harley-Davidson range since 2007, back that is was powered by a wheezy 1584cc twin-cam lump. The new 2020 version of the bike looks to be using the same Milwaukee Eight 107 engine that we can see on bikes like the Street Bob and Softail Slim.
More information on the final spec and styling of the bike as yet remain unclear, although if Harley ais sticking to what they know with the bike, it’s likely to feature a 21” spoked front wheel, albeit mated to an all-new chassis.
The spec of a ‘standard’ model in the Harley-Davidson range points to a bike that is stripped back and basic bike. One school of thought is that this makes then cheaper and more accessible models, the other it that they are ripe for that all-important customisation. Either way, any assistance the company can get from extra sales will be more than welcome given their current dwindling fortunes.
If we take a look at the Electra Glide Standard, for instance, it’s an Electra Glide but is stripped of the extra bells and whistles. There’s no TFT dash, no infotainment system – that what Americans call a stereo by the way!
