Harley-Davidson 1745 TRI GLIDE ULTRA 115eme Anniversaire FLHTCUTG 2018 — Specifications

Who buys a trike costing over 39,000 euros and weighing 564 kg fully loaded? Not a weekend rider, not a fresh license holder chasing thrills. The Tri Glide Ultra targets a very specific clientele: those who've been riding their whole lives, who want to keep eating up tarmac without worrying about balance at a stop, and who fully embrace the ocean-liner nature of the thing. With this 115th Anniversary edition, Harley-Davidson pushes the needle one notch further into the realm of motorized collector's pieces.

Beneath that imposing bodywork beats the Milwaukee-Eight 107, a 45° V-twin displacing 1746 cc. The numbers speak for themselves: 87 horsepower at 5,450 rpm won't set the world on fire, but 151 Nm of torque from just 3,250 rpm — now that changes everything. This engine never asks to be whipped. It pulls hard, low, with a smoothness that only a big long-stroke twin (100 x 111.1 mm bore x stroke) can deliver. The six-speed gearbox and belt final drive do the rest: you cruise in suppleness, in relative silence for a V-twin of this displacement. Top speed caps out at 170 km/h, more than enough when you're piloting a machine whose steel double-cradle frame carries a dry weight of 546 kg.

Chassis-wise, don't expect the agility of a Can-Am Spyder or the lightness of a Piaggio MP3. The Tri Glide plays in an entirely different league — that of pure, unadulterated cruising. The 49 mm telescopic fork offers 117 mm of travel, just enough to iron out imperfections without turning the steering to mush. Braking duties fall to two 300 mm discs clamped by four-piston calipers, providing adequate stopping power given the mass involved, even if a bit more initial bite would have been appreciated. The 205/65-15 rear tire betrays the automotive lineage of the axle, and the seat perched at just 735 mm makes it accessible to just about everyone. The 22.7-liter tank allows decent range between fuel stops, provided you don't lean on the V-twin too hard.

What sets this anniversary edition apart from the standard Tri Glide comes down primarily to its presentation. The two-tone Legend Blue and Vivid Black livery dresses the beast with an elegance that stock Harleys don't always offer. The air cleaner receives specific badging, the tank sports an individually numbered medallion, and the seat is adorned with blue stitching and an HDMC logo integrated into the seating surface. The detail that will catch collectors' attention most is the metal badge mounted on the tank flanks, where the American eagle clutches the famous Bar & Shield. Limited production dictates that this edition could well appreciate in value over time, as has been the case with other commemorative series from the brand.

At 39,350 euros, we're clearly in luxury-on-three-wheels territory. The Tri Glide Ultra 115th Anniversary justifies itself neither through performance nor versatility. It justifies itself through what it represents: a piece of American mechanical history, built for those who prefer the journey over the stopwatch and style over efficiency. An object of passion, with its strengths of generous torque and royal comfort, and its obvious limitations of weight and bulk. Nobody buys this by accident.