Milwaukee is the Mecca for massive, chugging air-cooled V-twins and that wistful glint of sunlight off chrome. As the Motor Company enters its 105th year the manufacturer has sneaked subtle bits of technology into its tried and true concept of authenticity.

RIDING STYLE
Helmet: Bell Apex
Jacket: River Road Mesa
Gloves: River Road Taos
Pants: Shift Havoc
Boots: Harley-Davidson Megamotor Engineer. (Click image to enlarge)

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But forget the ergos for a minute; the real magic of motorcycling is the ride, and the Screamin’ Eagle Ultra lives up to its name once you press the big black starter button with your right thumb.

As two massive pistons reciprocate their startup ritual, the 110 cu in undersquare powerplant churns itself to life, sputtering a rough cough that graduates to a bass-inflected thump the instant ignition is achieved. In spite of its antique appearance, the massive mill’s gruff exterior hides a number of modern concessions, including electronic sequential fuel injection, self-adjusting hydraulic lifters, and fly-by-wire throttle. With a compression ratio of 9.3:1, the souped up Custom Vehicles Operations’ Screamin’ Eagle powerplant produces a thumping 115 ft/lbs of torque at a conservative 3,000 rpm. (Click image to enlarge)

At idle, the engine’s internal hula-dance is enough to send sine waves of vibration throughout the bike. Objects in the chrome mirrors are not only closer than they appear; they also resemble a late Jackson Pollack. Whether or not these rhythmic gyrations are your cup of tea, a twist of the throttle will remedy them, making this Ultra scream less and glide more. Just a few miles per hour of forward movement dissipates any perceived heft, and further increases in velocity reveal the Ultra’s sweet spot: lazily paced riding, preferably along gently twisting roads.

The Ultra’s blackwall Dunlop tires bear the weight of supersized responsibilities: cushioning the ride of this big tourer while hustling its weight through turns. Direction changes come easier than you would expect, but the price for this is a susceptibility to surface irregularities. What might initially feel like an alignment issue is actually the front end hunting for grip, and the characteristic becomes exacerbated on superslab highways. Rain grooves create a dissonant dynamic that moves through the chassis and wobbles the steering. While the ride is plush, the tracking can be disconcerting; exit the highway and merge onto a smooth asphalt surface, and the trait disappears.

More technology is hidden in the braking system, which now incorporates four-piston front and rear Brembo units. Huge 300mm floating rotors appear both functional and decorative, but their purpose is made clear through an anti-lock braking system which is available on all ten of Harley’s touring models. While lever effort can require a firm grip, expertly modulated stops are on tap thanks to a system that works only when slip is detected, pulsing the brakes faster than humanly possible. The system can not repeal the laws of physics, but it will infuse your riding with more confidence.

If and when you stop to fill the six-gallon fuel tank, there is a strong likelihood of garnering unsolicited attention. This CVO—one of four special editions available for the 2008 model year—is decked out with a mile-high list of bells and whistles. Richly finished paint comes in three choices of complementing colors—white-and-silver, copper-and-silver, and a 105th Anniversary copper-and-black combo. Chrome covers everything from the custom CB pod to the nine-spoke cast aluminum wheels. A few details such as uneven weather stripping around the fairing and bundles of visible wiring reveals a bit of sloppiness, but the CVO is otherwise an attractive bike with no detail left uncustomized. (Click image to enlarge)