Does Harley Davidson Make An Automatic Motorcycle?
Harley Davidson does not currently have a motorcycle that has a fully automatic transmission. There have been several attempts in the past to design such a bike, but none of the designs ever panned out.
Reasons why an automatic transmission Harley has not been produced
Automatic transmissions take away some of the control
When a Harley Rider is coming up to some treacherous curves they can increase or decrease the RPM’s their bike is running at and improves the control they have as they go around the curve. These increases and decreases in RPM’s are done by shifting the gears, and an automatic transmission will not allow you to shift in this manner and control your RPM’s to the same degree.
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People riding Harley Davidson bikes have lone wolf imagery, they are seen as tough, and hard core bike riders. The automatic transmission would take away the tough appearance, and if you are going to take away the toughness you might as well be riding a Honda, or a Moped.
Cost and Design
The automatic transmission development would be costly, and at this time Harley Davidson has not seen enough interest in an automatic transmission to make it worth their time and effort to develop one.
You also have to consider the design complications, like designing an automatic transmission that would not add to much weight to the bike, or designing a bike that looked good with a gear box under it.
There are Automatic Alternatives Available
Just because Harley Davidson does not have a motorcycle with an automatic transmission ready on the showroom floor, does not mean that you cannot get an automatic transmission on a Harley Davidson. Nothing is impossible.
To get a Haley with an automatic transmission you are going to have to install an adapter. Generally these changes are made to Harley trikes instead of Harley bikes, but I have seen a couple of bikes that have had the conversion made.
You need to know that this is not an easy to make conversion, and it requires a high level of mechanic skill, tools, and patience. You have to adapt the bike to the automatic adapter, and you are going to have to make some other conversions before the bike will operate correctly.
Special Orders and Special Needs
There is a distinct possibility that you could have a made to order Harley Davidson that included automatic transmission technology. This design change would be beneficial to people who are disabled or have special riding needs.
Harley did invent bikes that are electric start instead of kick-start, and they have the ability to create the automatic transmission with adapters and special changes.
If you are truly interested in an automatic Harley you might want to consider ordering a fully electric Harley. The electric version of the Harley will go 146 miles before it needs a charge and it can reach speeds as great as 60 mph.
The electric Harley does not have the rumble of the traditional Harley engine, but a Harley with an automatic transmission is not going to have the traditional rumble and roar either.
