Harley Davidson FXDR 114 - All you need to know

Harley Davidson is slowly moving away from its traditional styling and design. We have seen a clear example of that in the form of the Livewire, Harley’s first electric motorcycle, that has been recently revealed to the world. While there’s still time for that to start arriving at the dealerships, we already have a new motorcycle to appreciate and admire. Harley Davidson Malaysia recently launched the new FXDR114 for a price of RM 122,500. Here’s all you need to know about this new Harley in town.

Looks and styling

Harley Davidson FXDR114 is a modern motorcycle but it still has a silhouette of old Harleys. We mean that you will be able to recognise it as a Harley instantly. And that’s a good thing, right? For us, one of the best parts of the bike is its front end which features a distinctive LED headlamp and a pair of LED side turn indicators. These are very similar to that of the Livewire except its front cowl and they look brilliantly done. By the way, all the lighting on the FXDR114 is LED.

The USD forks at the front also add to the overall appearance of this Softail bike. The side profile of the bike is dominated by the Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-twin engine and the massive exhaust. The two pipes twist and turn and combine into a single-piece exhaust unit is like a piece of art. The rear end cowl is also something that many would appreciate. And, of course, we have the fender-mounted license plate holder with tail light and side turn indicators.

Powertrain

The FXDR114 is powered by Harley’s Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine. It is a 1,868 cc V-twin unit that produces 160 Nm of peak torque at 3,500 rpm. Just like any other Harley, we don’t have any official power figure for this one as well. But you can take our word, this thing is going to be very fast and consumes fuel like anything. Thankfully, Harley has provided a large 16.7-litre fuel tank. The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox which transmits the power and torque to the rear wheel via a belt drive.

Ride and handling

Since the FXDR114 is a Softail, it doesn’t mean it can be fast only at the straights. Harley has worked hard to make sure that this bike is as flawless in the corners as it is on open highways. A lot of important elements have been included to make that happen. We already mentioned the 43 mm USD forks at the front.

Harley has also tried to keep the weight of the FXDR114 as low as possible. It has used various lighter components like aluminium swingarm which weighs only 6.25 kg and saves 4.62 kg over the previous model. We also have a welded aluminium tubing subframe at the tail section that further saves 3.2 kg. So the total weight of the FXDR114 is 289 kg dry. At the rear, we have a monoshock suspension setup with preload adjustment. All this make the FXDR114 more agile and nimbler.

Braking performance

Harley Davidson FXDR114 specs list a couple of 300 mm disc brakes at the front with twin four-piston calipers and a single floating disc with a two-piston caliper at the rear. Combine them with the wide 120-section front tyre and a whopping 240-section rear tyre and you have a lot of surface area in contact with the ground underneath to enhance the overall braking performance. Harley Davidson has also added ABS as a standard safety feature.

Convenient features

Harley Davidson has also provided a few convenient features in the FXDR114 that make it even more likeable. It has a 5.4 cm LCD display as its dash which shows all the necessary information that the rider would need like speedometer, odometer, etc. We don’t see a keyhole which suggests that the FXDR114 has a smart key which enables keyless ignition. You just need to have the key on you and you can fire up the bike. There is also a USB charging port, to keep your smartphone charged at all times, and Harley’s own smart security system.

Harley Davidson FXDR114 price of RM 122,500 is indeed on the higher side but for that, you do get a lot. Also, Harley-Davidson Malaysia has said that buyers who register the new FXDR114 before 30th November 2019 will get a general merchandise voucher worth RM 4,200 and a Screamin’ Eagle titanium exhaust muffler. So if you are really interested in buying this machine, now is the time! It is available in six colour options - Rawhide Denim, Vivid Black, Bonneville Salt Denim, Industrial Gray Denim, Black Denim, and Wicked Red Denim.