Tobacco Fade Treatment Makes These Harley-Davidson Bikes Look Like Old Guitars on Wheels

The Milwaukee-based behemoth took advantage of the event to release not one, but a total of four new motorcycles. Ok, maybe not exactly new, because they are all based on something we've had before, but at least they all bring something special to the table.

Every year around this time Harley lets loose some of its special edition bikes, more specifically the ones included in the special collections called Icons and Enthusiast.

Icons is all about honoring some of the company's most important historic models, or some piece of technology it developed in the past that completely changed the future. For 2024, that translates into the release of something called Hydra-Glide Revival.

As the name says, it is a model meant to honor the release, in 1949, of the Hydra-Glide telescopic front suspension for the E and F models. And the Hydra-Glide Revival is also meant to advertise a bit an upcoming biker movie, starring Tom Hardy, called The Bikeriders.

The second collection, Enthusiast, is technically meant to honor the Harley riders themselves, and as such the bikes included here are "inspired by their stories and legacies." Although most of the time we're not told what those stories and legacies are, the bikes that are part of this family are exciting enough for us to at least have a closer look.

Unlike Icons, which usually releases a single motorcycle per year, Enthusiast bikes come in packs of three.

Last year Harley focused for the Enthusiast collection on the Low Rider ST, Street Glide ST, and Road Glide ST. A limited number of bikes from this series (2,000 each) were given a special treatment meant to honor a Harley rider of the 1920s named Ray Weishaar, but also the man's mascot, a piglet named Johnnie – because of that, the 2023 Enthusiast series became known as the Fast Johnnie.

This year Harley revisited the Enthusiast range during the Daytona Bike Week, and introduced into the world the Tobacco Fade, a series that gives a special treatment to a different set of motorcycles: the Low Rider ST, Ultra Limited, and Tri Glide Ultra.

As per the bike maker, Tobacco Fade is not about… tobacco, but about music. More to the point, the three special models are meant to celebrate "the burst of collective energy released by live music at the corner tavern, at a motorcycle rally, or the live stage at the Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival."

Just like all other iterations of this series, the modifications made to the bikes are not about performance, but simply about styling. What that means is not a single one of the three is mechanically altered from their stock selves. But the visuals are impressive enough to make them worthwhile.

Tobacco Fade is the name of the paint scheme and graphics Harley chose for the three motorcycles. It's a hue that was inspired by the sunburst wood finish that was made famous by rock and roll musical instruments (guitars, bass, and drums) of the 1960s.

Basically a sort of warm brown, the color is used on most of the bikes' body parts, from the fairing and fuel tank to the fenders and covers. From place to place, caramel-colored pinstripes and metallic gold can be seen, adding a touch of style to the entire design.

The cherry on the cake for this setup is the medallion on the fuel tank. Its shape is inspired by the grooves one sees on a vinyl record. Separately, a graphic fitted on the front fender, looking a lot like some sort of logo, is meant to remind people of like a guitar pick.

Each of the three motorcycles will be offered by Harley with an Enthusiast Collection branded logo fitted on top of the Tour-Pak luggage carrier or the rear fender.

Just like the Icons bike we talked about earlier, the Enthusiast will be made in limited numbers as well - just 2,000 units of each of the models will be made and sold globally. And the pricing for each is not all that different from what the stock versions are asking for.

The Low Rider ST, for instance, with its 117ci Milwaukee-Eight, is selling in Tobacco Fade guise for $25,299. The Ultra Limited throws into the fight a lot of capabilities, and its unmistakable batwing fairing in exchange for $35,399. Topping them both off in terms of pricing is the only production trike in this world that matters, the Tri Glide Ultra, which in Tobacco Fade guise requires an investment of at least $41,999.

All three motorcycles from the Enthusiast collection are already available for order.