2008 Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic - Road Hog - Test - 2008 Ultra Classic

And speaking of cornering, the Ultra Classic is amazingly light and nimble for a bike of its sheer girth. It easily slips in and out of corners, making even the twisty roads of San Diego's East County a pleasure to navigate. We went from dragging the right running board to dragging the left board time after time as we put the bike through its paces on the roads in and around Jamul, California. Even with the saddlebags full of clothes and the Tour-Pak loaded with camera gear, the bike went wherever we pointed it, and even our "rented" test pilot, Dave Chappelle, commented on how well the bike went around corners. His usual ride is much smaller and is actually made for cornering, and he was attacking corners on the Ultra Classic that he had to brake into on his own bike. The front geometry is a nice compromise between being able to turn sharply at slow speeds and being stable at highway speed, to boot.

Then there are the new Brembo antilock brakes that come as an option on all of the 2008 touring bikes from Harley-Davidson. In the new model introduction a few issues back, we said, "The ABS is the best we have tried on a motorcycle," and we stand by that statement. The nonlinked ABS system on the new FLHTCU is without a doubt the biggest reason to go to your local Harley-Davidson dealership and test-ride one of these new 2008 machines. The first time you get into a panic-stop situation and hit a little paint, oil, sand or ice on the road and hear that little ABS generator kick on and glide to a very quick, controlled stop, you'll thank your lucky stars that you spent the extra $795 on the ABS upgrade. Just think of the additional cost as cheap insurance that will help keep the shiny side up in slippery situations.

Everything else is exactly what we have come to expect from Harley-Davidson over the past decade: a nice, solid-feeling, comfortable touring machine that is as at home on the open highway as it is on a twisty two-lane road. The Ultra Classic has plenty of storage space to make the road feel like home and has styling that hasn't lost its roots. The only thing we have to wonder about is how Harley-Davidson is going to top the 2008 model next year-they've set the bar pretty high with this offering.