The Blackline is a Harley-Davidson Softail pared to the bone with visual elements of the original bobber movement combined with a raw style embraced by today's young bike builders. The rear fender is bobbed high-and-tight over a slim, 144 mm tire that emphasizes an authentic hardtail profile. The rider hugs the frame on the lowest two-up seat offered by Harley-Davidson, while reaching high for the new Split Drag handlebar. The rigid powertrain allows tight packaging of the engine and frame to create a solid connection between the rider and the power that moves the Blackline.
Lean as wire, hard as iron and dark as a tar road at midnight, the new Blackline motorcycle is a Harley-Davidson Softail model pared to the bone. A rebellious creation of the Dark Custom movement, the Blackline celebrates three fundamental elements of motorcycling: mechanical beauty, internal combustion, and the long black line of the road ahead.
The Blackline balances allegiance with rebellion, discarding previous conventions of color and chrome for a Dark Custom look that’s honest, functional and attainable. Visual elements of the original bobber movement are combined with the raw, hand-hewn style embraced by today’s young builders. The Blackline throws new fuel on a fire that burns across generations, an unquenchable desire to ride.
Lean and Tight
The rear fender is bobbed high-and-tight over a slim, 144mm tire that emphasizes an authentic hardtail profile. The compact headlight and speedometer are tucked low into the wide, FX front end, and there’s just enough shine to make the black parts look blacker. Black-rimmed laced wheels complete a look that’s tough, tempered and undeniably Harley-Davidson.
The styling spotlight shines on a Big Twin engine dressed in black and silver, and on a fuel tank shaved smooth and low. Aboard the Blackline, the rider hugs the frame on the lowest two-up seat ever offered by Harley-Davidson, and reaches high for new Split Drag™ handlebars that bolt right to the top triple-clamp.
The Softail chassis utilizes rear suspension control provided by coil-over shock absorbers mounted horizontally along the frame rails below the powertrain, where they are out of sight. So while the swingarm section replicates the lines of a vintage hardtail frame, the Blackline delivers suspension performance and handling that are thoroughly modern. The internally counter-balanced Twin Cam 96B™ engine is rigid-mounted within the frame, creating a solid connection between rider and the power that moves the motorcycle to enhance the emotional experience of riding.