Harley-Davidson Announces First Wave of 2022 Models

In an announcement that sounds like the first of several more to come, Harley-Davidson has confirmed a large segment of its lineup for 2022, mostly consisting of carryover models from its cruiser and touring categories, like the new Sportster S and Pan America, as well as long-running faves like the popular Street Glide. The bikes are said to be hitting US Harley dealerships as we speak, but the only changes we can suss out for this year are cosmetic, with new paint, graphics, and details garnering the lion’s share of tweaks (if you can call them that). In addition to the usual core suspects, the list of discontinued bikes has grown as well, adding to the cuts from last year’s line, like the Breakout 114 and the Softail Deluxe.

Harley brass says the 2022 CVO models as well as additional new bikes will be revealed on January 26 at an event called “Further Faster”; you can register for that livestream here.

The two main models that grabbed headlines last year return for 2022 essentially unchanged. The Sportster S, which tops H-D’s newly established Sport Category, is still powered by the same Revolution Max 1250T engine—good for a claimed 121 hp—but will come in two new colors for 2022: White Sand Pearl and Mineral Green Metallic, which join the now standard Vivid Black.

Then there’s the Pan America, H-Ds’ first adventure model which debuted last year to critical acclaim. For 2020, we’ll still see the same two flavors, the Pan America 1250 and Pan America 1250 Special, but with a few very subtle tweaks. The upgrades include better visibility for the bikes’ TFT screen, as well as longer active times for the Vehicle Hill Hold feature, which now increases to up to 5 minutes in normal conditions. And yeah, there’s a new color option for the Special model: call it Fastback Blue/White Sand.

Related: Harley Cuts Breakout, Deluxe, and FXDR From 2021 Lineup

In Harley’s newly established Cruiser group, you’ll find the remaining Evo-powered Sportsters now lumped together with the Softail models, which as a whole now represents the company’s more traditional offerings.

In that group, we see one of our favorite bikes, the Heritage Classic 114, returning for 2022 basically unchanged except for a new Chrome trim option. The base Black trim version is back, albeit with a few new styling elements, including wrinkle black on the upper rocker, transmission and primary covers, and blackened details on several brackets, clamps, and the mirrors, as well as on wheel hubs and exhaust shields (capped by chrome-tipped mufflers). The Chrome option can be had with black nine-spoke cast aluminum or chrome laced wheels while the Black version comes in either the nine-spoke black or laced black wheels; in short, there no mechanical changes for the model.

The Street Bob 114 returns in the same form for 2022 as well, though it does wear new Annihilator cast wheels (in black) this time around.

Related: 2021 Harley-Davidson Street Bob 114 First Look

The Fat Boy 114 also is back this year, but the most noticeable cosmetic cues include a restyle of its signature Lakester aluminum wheels. Those hoops now have 11 turbine-like spokes and an open center, while the tank now bears a revised, streamlined Fat Boy tank badge.

Capping off the Softail cruisers is the Fat Bob 114, which roars back the same as it ever was, save for new accents that include a fresh oval waterslide graphic on the tank. As for the Evo Sportsters, both the Iron 883 and the Forty-Eight models are back for 2022, again with exactly zero changes.

You could say a validation of the Hardwire strategy can be seen in H-D’s Touring category (now renamed Grand American Touring) which sees essentially the same bikes as last year, because they’re core products that are still selling in volume. All these bikes still pack the same features—like a 49mm fork with dual bending valve suspension, emulsion rear shocks with hydraulically adjustable preload, and linked brakes with ABS—as standard, with the only changes coming in the color scheme offerings. The Reflex Defensive Rider System is now called Cornering Rider Safety Enhancements, but you can still get it as an option on all touring models. It includes electronically linked brakes, cornering ABS, cornering traction control, Drag Torque Slip Control, Vehicle Hill Hold, and tire pressure monitoring.

At the bottom end of the series you’ll find the stripped down Electra Glide Standard, the ever popular Street Glide and the long-running Road King, all base models that return in 2022 unchanged and the only three left in the touring category still running the M-8 107 engine.

The better equipped (and slammed) Street Glide Special returns to the 2022 lineup untampered with as well, joining its shark-nosed Road Glide cousin, and followed by the Road King Special, all three bearing Daymaker LED headlamps, a Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine, and Prodigy custom wheels. The Street Glide and Road Glide Special models are also offered in a black or chrome finish this year (as they were last year), and as usual, pack on the Boom! Box GTS system as well. The Road Glide also comes in Limited and Ultra Limited versions, which add the Tour-Pak top box for extra cargo capacity, as well as heated grips, cruise control, Slicer 11 custom wheels, and the Twin-Cooled M-8 114 engine.

As for trikes, Harley is soldiering on in the category with the stripped-down Freewheeler, as well as the more plush Tri Glide Ultra, both of which rock an M-8 114 engine, cruise control, and ABS (and Cornering Rider Safety Enhancements), but vary wildly in terms of comfort and touring amenities. The Freewheeler gets a new Chrome and Gloss Black tank medallion for 2022 as well as a new two-tone paint option in Midnight Crimson/Vivid Black for the fenders and the fuel tank.

The Tri Glide Ultra steps things up with an additional King Tour Pak top box, and Boom! Box GTS infotainment, along with standard Cornering Rider Safety Enhancements and a Daymaker headlight. The only news here for 2022 is an intricate Cloisonné tank medallion and optional two-tone paint schemes in Midnight Crimson/Vivid Black or Gauntlet Gray Metallic/Vivid Black.

Even though the touring segment is still Harley’s bread and butter, you’ll notice there’s been consolidation and movement among the brand’s other previously acknowledged areas this year. For instance, the remaining Evo-powered Sportsters (now down to two models) have now joined the Softail bikes to form the Cruiser category; each was previously its own series. But even with that change, the portfolio looks to have shrunk again. That’s not surprising, given the fact that last year’s Hardwire restructuring plan had proposed consolidating new model offerings from the get-go.

We’ll mention the most obvious cuts first: Dropped from the Softail-now-Cruiser line is the Sport Glide, as is the Softail Slim and the base Heritage Classic 107 model (though that was already in the offing last year). We also noticed there was no mention of the Low Rider S in the official press release. Stay tuned on that front. As usual, there’s a caveat here; Harley has yet to show its full lineup so we may still see any of these bikes in revised form later this year.

In any case, there’s always January 26 to look forward to.