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2018 Road Glide “Missile” Is All Kinds of Special

Had 2020 been ay different, we would have had by now a great deal of motorcycle shows opening all across the U.S. But since the health crisis put an end to all that, we’re only left with enjoying these builds online, thanks to the efforts made by people and organizations.
2018 Road Glide Special by Danny Wilson 3 photos
Photo: Harley-Davidson/Danny Wilson
2018 Road Glide Special by Danny Wilson2018 Road Glide Special by Danny Wilson
One of the companies that wanted 2020 not to be completely ruined when it comes to the presentation of new bikes is Harley-Davidson. The bike maker released in June a series of 60-or-so videos called The No Show bringing to light all the incredible two-wheelers that would have taken center stage at various shows. And with a twist: accompanied by the stories of the people who made them.

The 2018 Road Glide Special shown in the video below is one of them. It is the work of a guy named Danny Wilson, a former Harley employee and now with a Phoenix, Arizona shop called Collective.

For now it doesn’t look like much, although a close look does reveal tons of work already done to it. The body is mostly stock for now, but that will change soon as the shop is planning to swap most of the bodywork for custom carbon-fiber parts.

Used by Wilson as a daily rider, the Road Glide uses a naturally-aspirated 159ci Leading Edge engine that develops a hell of a lot more power than the stock one: 159 hp and 199 lb-ft of torque, enough as per Wilson’s own admission to turn the entire experience of riding it into something like “riding a missile.”

Aside from the engine, there are a host of other custom parts that went into the build already (more work lies ahead, we understand), including the fitting a custom suspension and a racing exhaust system.

Unlike other of the builds shown in Harley's The No Show, this one was not confirmed as taking part in any upcoming motorcycling event, but you might be able to see it on the road with Wilson riding it in Phoenix.

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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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