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Harley-Davidson created the Electra Glide in 1965 by putting an electric starter on their top-of-the-line Duo-Glide. This added a new degree of comfort to Harley’s long haul touring motorcycle. No longer would Harley owners suffer from an over-developed right leg. To commemorate their 100th anniversary, Harley – with one eye on tradition and the other on state-of-the-art technology – brought out a world-class touring bike worthy of the beginning of its second century of existence – the 2003 Electra Glide R.
By now, FM has got this 1:10 scale motorcycle thing down pat. This image has the usual complement of working pedals. The front and rear suspensions operate smoothly. The footplates for the rear seat passenger fold down. The silver and black paint scheme looks understated, yet sharp. The soft-touch plastic seats also look (and feel) right. The lid of the trunk folds up and is held fast by an internal strap. Removable, twin antennas fit into holders at the rear of the trunk.
For some reason, FM chose not to make the covers on the side storage compartments operational, opting for them to be, as the brochure states, “sealed shut for your convenience (?).” Why? And, though it’s been done on the excellent Road King and Triumph images, the brake and clutch handles on the handlebars are static. And don’t you think a helmet would have been nice? This is a 100th anniversary image, after all.
FM’s been puzzling me of late with some of the corners they’ve been cutting on their recent images. Collectors these days are coming to expect more bang for their hard-earned buck in their images. Since DM seems to do just this, it’s a puzzlement to me why FM’s taking such a laissez-faire position in this area. Don’t get me wrong, this is a nicely done image – it would just take a little bit extra to make it a slam-dunk, sure thing. To me, Harley’s forte lies in its ability to maintain tradition along with employing up-to-date technology. They’ve been producing V-twins ever since they added the extra cylinder in the early 1900’s to improve power. It looks like the venerable design is well on its way into the 2000’s. Now, that’s what I call staying power. The issue price is $135.
(01/19/2003)
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