Harley-Davidson Deadwood revealed as stripped-back Softail bobber
Harley-Davidson's mysterious Deadwood trademark has become a production bike, bringing old-school bobber styling and a Milwaukee-Eight 117 engine to the Softail range.
Back in May, Harley-Davidson had everyone scratching their heads after filing trademarks for two unfamiliar names, Deadwood and Low Bob. At the time, the smart money suggested the former would end up attached to a Revolution Max-powered machine while the latter would slot somewhere into the existing Softail family.
As it turns out, Harley had other ideas.
The newly revealed Harley-Davidson Deadwood is very much a Softail, but rather than being another chrome-heavy cruiser or touring machine, it arrives as a stripped-back bobber that appears to borrow heavily from the custom scene that Harley itself helped create decades ago. Sadly, for UK and European fans, it only looks to be heading to the USA, with no mention of the bike on the H-D UK website.
Powered by the Milwaukee-Eight 117 Classic V-twin, the Deadwood uses the same 1,923cc air and oil-cooled engine found elsewhere in the current big twin range, although Harley says the tune has been aimed squarely at delivering usable low and mid-range shove rather than chasing headline horsepower numbers. The result is claimed outputs of 98bhp and 120lb ft of torque, figures that should make it less about traffic light drag races and more about rolling on the throttle and riding the wave of grunt.
Visually, the bike sits somewhere between a Street Bob and a Fat Bob that has spent a long winter on a strict diet. There's a solo seat, chopped mudguards, wire-spoke wheels and a distinctly minimalist look that strips away much of the visual bulk often associated with modern Harleys. The low stance and simple silhouette are clearly intended to tap into the growing appetite for factory customs that look like somebody built them in a shed, despite them rolling off a production line in Wisconsin.
Despite the old-school styling, the electronics package is anything but traditional. Cornering ABS, lean-sensitive traction control, drag torque slip control and tyre pressure monitoring all come as standard, while riders can also select between three riding modes depending on how much intervention they want from the bike's electronic safety net.
The name itself is an interesting one. Deadwood, of course, is best known as the historic South Dakota mining town that sits a few hours from Sturgis, making it about as Harley-Davidson a name as the company could have chosen without simply calling the bike "Black Hills". It's exactly the sort of Americana branding Harley does better than almost anyone else in motorcycling.
What the launch also confirms is that Harley's recent trademark activity wasn't merely defensive legal housekeeping. When the company filed applications for both Deadwood and Low Bob earlier this year, it specifically listed motorcycles and motorcycle parts as the intended use, suggesting real products were in development rather than merchandise or lifestyle accessories. The Deadwood has now become the first of those mysteries to be solved, leaving the Low Bob as the remaining unanswered question.
Whether the Low Bob follows as another Softail derivative or something entirely different remains to be seen, but if Harley's latest naming convention is anything to go by, subtlety is likely to play no part in the plan. Honestly, though, that's probably no bad thing for a company currently trying to remind the world exactly what makes a Harley a Harley.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
