Harley-Davidson Australia & New Zealand released its 2026 range in a blur of speed and colour at Sydney Motorsport Park, Eastern Creek.
The Tradie was there to experience some truly magnificent motorcycles and a world-class racing facility.
The flag marshall’s eyes stretched wide as the Road Glide smoothed its way into the infamous Turn Two at Eastern Creek and the front tyre began to chirp as it fought to keep the big bike on the track. The left-side footplate planted solidly onto the tarmac sometime before the apex and ground its way through the duration of the corner as the magnificent 121 cube motor effortlessly hurled the bike into the approach of turn three.
The rider’s grin was testament to the feeling – it was the Harley-Davidson feeling, made up of a rush of freedom tinged with mischief – that has made the brand so popular around the world for the past 120+ years. And while plenty of brands have copied the V-twin engine format, none of them have truly captured the spirit of Harley-Davidson.
What does it feel like to throw a 380kg cruiser into a tight turn on a racetrack where it has no right to be?
It feels like living. Fast, hard and unrestricted.
Big range
As seen in years past, the Harley range is extensive. There really is a bike for just about every taste, from learner-legal commuters and fun bikes through lively Sport and Sport Tourer models, right on to the high-end Custom Vehicle Operation (CVO) cruisers, including trikes.
While the entire range wasn’t available at Eastern Creek, there were a dozen or so different models, some with a couple of examples in different colours or with different accessories, and the riders were able to experience everything from big, comfortable cruisers like the Road Glide, a couple of Pan America 1250s – one with sticky road tyres which cut some very fast laps – and a naked Sportster S that went like a cut cat and danced around like Ricky Martin with a heat rash in his jockstrap.
That bike took some serious holding onto.
Of course our dream bike, the Low Rider ST, was included, and we’re still smiling at just how damn good it felt to actually let it off the road-legal leash and see what it could do. It handled well, went like stink, and its pace exiting corners was only matched by its love of ferocious late braking on the way in. It was downright wicked in the best possible ways.
There were plenty more examples of how Harley has embraced the high-performance standards set in today’s motorcycling world, and we’re not sure we rode every bike because there were so many, but we must’ve gone close and they were all fantastic in their own way.
Engines
The Milwaukee 8 117 motor we’ve written about often enough. It’s a smooth, strong, whippet of a powerplant. The Softails now come in three different engine packs depending on the model, but the high-output version of the Lowrider S and Lowrider ST were the pair that had us frothing.
The big CVOs oozed out the torque and drive from their 121-cubic-inch donks and long-throw gear changes while the tunes blared out from on-board sound systems. The luggage capacity and big, easy-to-read TFT screens were totally at home alongside the extremely high comfort levels of the big, long-distance bikes with their spectacular colour schemes.
The whole shooting match
There were too many bikes on show on the day for us to tell you about each one. The launch, as is everything with Harley, was an event in itself, a celebration of bikes and riding, with catering, a simulator which put the rider on a real Harley and had him swoop and weave his away around Phillip Island on a monster screen, a battalion of Harley staff ready to help with enquiries or make adjustments, a couple of baristas, some wild bikes on show, and of course, a world-class race track.
To see all the models and their updates and features, log on to harley-davidson.com/au, or, to really get a feel for the H-D experience, drop into a dealer and ask a few questions.
The answers might just set you free.
