In the grand scheme of things, 2009 won’t go down as a major news year for Harley-Davidson product development. No new engines, transmissions, or model prototypes fresh from the designers’ studios. These are not the best of times for motorcycle manufacturers in North America, and the Milwaukee-based company, which debuted its ’09 models this summer, seems to be focusing more on refinements than on earth-shattering introductions.

Still, there are some highlights for the coming model year.

Tri Glide Ultra Classic
For the first time in around 35 years, Harley has put an in-house three-wheeler on the market. For “brothers of the third wheel”, it’s about time. Companies like Lehman Trikes and Motor Trike have had a lock on this market for years, despite the fact that Harley has always had the technology available. Anyway, this isn’t exactly unknown territory for the company; they built the utilitarian Servi-Car for years, and it was used by law-enforcement agencies and military personnel, until its demise, in the early 1970s. Powered by Harley’s 103-cubic-inch V-twin with a six-speed transmission, the Tri Glide Ultra Classic has lengthened front forks, a belt rear drive, 15-inch rear wheels and tires, and an optional reverse gear. The “trunk” offers 127 litres of storage space, and the rear brake features a “park” mode. In most other respects, the Tri Glide carries the same basic engineering makeup as the Ultra Classic Electra Glide, with air suspension, a stereo system, and cruise control.

CVO Fat Bob
Harley’s Custom Vehicle Operations has breathed upon the Dyna Fat Bob and come up with a “burly street hustler”. The CVO Fat Bob features a revised intake breather, a high-performance exhaust system, a heavy-duty clutch, custom Fang wheels, and more chrome than a pimped-out Cadillac. A bobbed rear fender, redesigned saddle, and special paint round out this hooligan bike. Harley will only build 2,450 CVO Fat Bobs at its Kansas facility. The CVO division is basically the company’s performance “skunk works”, much like Mercedes-Benz’s AMG, or Chrysler’s Mopar. This isn’t the first model CVO has put its hand to over the years; the division has modified various Electra Glides, Softails, and V-Rods.

CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide
Also from the skunk works, this is basically the popular Ultra Classic Electra Glide with a slightly redesigned frame, a special exhaust system, greater cargo-carrying capacity, glitzy paint, custom wheels, and chrome up the yingyang. Power comes from Harley’s 110-cubic-inch V-twin, which in this case develops 113 foot-pounds of torque at 3,750 revolutions per minute. Transmission is six-speed, and the CVO Ultra has Brembo brakes with an antilock braking system.

CVO Road Glide
The CVO Road Glide has a slightly more torquey version of the CVO Ultra’s engine, as well as a two-into-one-into-two exhaust system, equally glitzy special paint schemes, and redesigned hard bags. Harley will only manufacture 3,000 CVO Road Glides.

CVO Softail Springer
Utilizing the classic Springer front end, the CVO Softail is powered by the 110B engine, which has a pair of internal counter-balancers. A hefty 240-millimetre tire is squeezed under the bobbed rear fender. And, again, Harley will only build a limited number of this model—perhaps 2,500 in total.

V-Rod Muscle
For performance buffs, the V-Rod is now offered with 120-plus horsepower on tap, in the form of the Muscle. With a dry weight of 290 kilograms, the Muscle comes with a tuned exhaust, Brembo brakes, and your choice of black, silver, blue, or red paint. The V-Rod, despite its outstanding performance and up-to-date engineering, is not one of Harley’s bestsellers, and the company seems to be doing whatever it can to make it appealing to buyers. Traditional Harley riders appear unwilling to appreciate any engine that isn’t air-cooled with push rods.

In August, Harley-Davidson increased its European presence by completing its purchase of the MV Agusta Group for US$109 million. Through the company’s Agusta and Cagiva outlets, Harley will now be able to offer performance-hungry Europeans bikes that do more than cruise the boulevard. The F4-R, for example, is a 190-horsepower hellion that has been tearing up tracks across the continent, and is one in a lineup that includes a 150-plus horsepower Brutale and the F4CC. MV Agusta has some 500 dealers worldwide, and it’s no secret that the company has been struggling over the past few years. In 2007, it built less than 6,000 bikes. With Harley’s vast dealer network and knack for making money, this can only be good news for fans of this storied brand of Italian superbike.