I've always known that Harley-Davidson has a back catalog of parts to rival everyone and everything on the planet, it's why no two Harleys are alike. Even amongst the most like-minded Harley owners, subtle differences and accessory additions abound. That allows owners to truly have a one-of-a-kind motorcycling experience, which just doesn't happen with other manufacturers.
But when I was hanging out with the Motor Co's representatives on the Softail introduction last month, they told me a stat I couldn't quite get my head around.
While we were bantering back and forth about the customization possibilities of the new Softails, and how you can start with five distinct flavors of Softail right off the bat, one of the company's representatives told me that owners can then go far further by picking up the brand's accessories catalog. Thinking it was like an accessories catalog from other manufacturers, I believe I retorted, "Yeah, but how many variations could you really get?" with a hint of sarcasm.
They then informed me that the accessories catalog was 800 pages long. I think everyone in the room went quiet, including myself.
So when I got home, I asked Harley to send me the book so I could check it out, and boy, oh, boy is it a chunky boi. It's not quite 800 pages, but nearly that, and it weighs a whopping three pounds. Seriously, if you can't find the part you're looking for in this, it likely doesn't exist. And if it doesn't exist, I'm sure Harley-Davidson's parts design department is actively working on bringing it to life.
It's, honestly, the intricacy of it all that really gets me about this catalog. Sure, you've got the normal big parts to trick out your hog, things like exhausts, handlebars, soft bags, paniers, lighting, wheels and tires, and other things. But you also have these small little details that you'd think folks would overlook, like gear linkages with Harley crests, different types of pillon seats and seat padding, quick-release hardware (with or without Harley emblems) and oh-so-many foot control options.
On page 219 of 704, there are eight options for the brand's Touring and Trike models. And that's not even all of them.
There are also details no one would ever see or notice, but the rider and owner would absolutely know they're there. Things like the underside of the passenger footboard which have a couple different Harley-Davidson designs, or the fork lock cover with the Harley crest. There are also 10 designs for the fuel tank console for just a single production line. And that doesn't even include all the performance parts that the Motor Co. has been coming out with thanks to its King of the Baggers program.
There's Screamin' Eagle parts for nearly everything Harley makes, including shocks and dampers, forks, air intakes, engine internals, tires, exhausts, seats, and more. You could get pretty close to that $110,000 CVO RR with what's available to you, just not the motor or that fancy-pants swing-arm. Honestly, at one point when I was trying to put this story together, I completely lost where I was and couldn't find all the cool go-fast parts and had to look them up. And that level of dedication toward enhancing and making a Harley-Davidson yours is across the entire lineup of motorcycles.
The lowest number of parts in this entire book is likely for the Pan America, one of Harley's most slept-on motorcycles. But even that's still 17 pages long.
I do wonder how many people take Harley-Davidson up on getting one of these catalogs and strumming through its pages to see what they like. But I'd have to guess a good number given how varied and individual each Harley I see out in the wild. That said, I'd be slightly concerned that so many people have this book in their collection, as it feels as if it could be classified as a weapon. I mean, the first time I picked this porker up, I conjured the scene from Wanted where James McAvoy picked up his keyboard and smacked Chris Pratt across the face, knocking out a tooth.
Maybe that's just an added part Harley didn't mention?
