You probably don’t know it, but you can tie a link from luxo-tourers like the BMW Grand America, the Honda Gold Wing, and the Kawasaki 1700 Vaquero, all the way back to 1969. That year, Harley designers developed the batwing fairing and installed it on the FLH 1200 Electra Glide. They might not have known it at the time, but when they did that they created the original long-distance touring bike. The FLH already had fibreglass saddlebags, a large touring saddle and floorboards, but the batwing fairing gave it distinctive touring-bike styling, and it provided better wind protection for extended time on the road. Harley-Davidson did not invent the motorcycle, but it did invent the modern touring motorcycle.
Harley is tied to tradition, however, and while the Milwaukee-based Motor Company has made major technological improvements to its touring models over the decades, styling has remained largely untouched. The company walks a very fine line when it comes to making big changes, especially to the styling of its big twins, always considering
