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The Motor Company builds a chopper that rocks

By Bill Andrews, photos by Tom Riles and Kevin Wing

Harley's built a full-on chopper!

That’s my first impression as I walk around the new FXCW Rocker at the 2008 Harley-Davidson new-model launch in Baltimore.

And after I get over that revelation I think: What took so long?

For decades Harley sat on the sidelines as custom builders took Harley's own engines (or clones thereof) and built what chopper buyers demanded—bikes with low seats, stretched tanks, long forks and rear fenders that hugged massive rear tires. In the past, folks who went the custom chopper route sacrificed handling, reliability, comfort, a bank account, and often, a warranty.

All that has changed with the introduction of the new Rocker. The MoCo’s factory chopper comes in two flavors, the rugged solo-only FXCW for $17,295 (above, right) and the FXCWC, which comes with a passenger seat, a host of chrome accents and a lot more “bling” for $2,200 more (left). The “CW” suffix stands for “Custom Wide,” while the “CWC” appropriately indicates “Custom Wide Chrome.”

The Rocker project started three years ago, as increasingly more manufacturers offered bikes mimicking the Softail design, making the look appear more commonplace.

“We wanted to expand the Softail to the next degree of custom,” said Motorcycle Product Development Director Bill Davidson, great grandson of founder William A. Davidson and son of styling guru Willie G., describing the genesis of the Rocker project.

Though nominally based on the Softail line, very little of the Softail remains. An all-new chassis and drivetrain were developed specifically to accommodate the Rocker’s extra 4.5 degrees of rake and massive 240-spec rear tire.

Hovering a mere finger’s width above the tread is a fender that has no visible means of support. In fact, it’s attached directly to the swingarm and “rocks” with the tire, hence the name Rocker, short for Rocker Tail. In order to withstand the 100+ g’s of force that Harley claims can be exerted on it over bumps, the stainless steel outer fender is bonded to a steel inner fender for increased strength.

Stop/turn/tail lights, which were first used on the Nightster, are integrated into a magnesium housing to reduce unsprung weight. They also keep the rear end clean by eliminating the need for a conventional tail lamp. Durable LEDs provide illumination, as conventional bulbs would surely fail from the constant thumps from the road.

Throwing a leg over the low seat—at just 24.5 inches from the pavement, Harley claims that it’s the lowest of any production motorcycle made today—I notice my heels at the end of my 31-inch inseam just reach the ground on the standard model. On the “C” model I’m just about a half-inch away from flat-footing it, due to a thicker seat that conceals a passenger pillion. Why such a stretch on so low a bike? Thank the pushed-out primary and drivetrain used to clear that 240 rear tire.

That extra inch of seat height on the “C” model is a small price to pay for a truly trick passenger seat setup. Going from solo to passenger mode literally takes seconds: Lift up the solo seat, roll back the passenger struts, and then attach the passenger pad which is stowed in a compartment underneath the solo seat. You’ll want to choose your passengers carefully, though — the load limit on those elegantly molded struts is 250 pounds.

The standard version of the Rocker accepts a passenger seat/luggage rack system (costing a little over $500 from the H-D catalog), but it’s a bolt-on item that doesn’t conveniently fold away like the one on the “C” version.

Below the seat is a new aluminum horseshoe style oil tank with raised ribs that Harley says aids in cooling and offers “old-school styling.” The powdercoated tank matches the Satin Stainless Metallic of the powertrain on the standard, while the tank matches the bodywork on the “C” version. In both versions, the frame is powdercoated to match the bodywork.

Doug Clarkson, principle stylist on the project, said they wanted owners to be pleasantly surprised by the level of detail they would discover at the end of the day, even months after their purchase. These include nestling the hand-grenade-shaped coil/ignition cover between the cylinders on the left side (right). Currently a barrel key is used, but designers hope the final production bikes will have a key that looks like a pin.

The gas tank is the stretched five-gallon version off the discontinued Deuce, with a console painted the same as the powertrain and oil tank. The “C” version gets the same parts but with the chrome treatment.

A raised speedometer cup (no tachometer) sits atop the console and houses a gauge that looks remarkably like the Sportster speedo. You can toggle through a variety of information on the LCD display at the bottom of the speedo, including two trip meters, a clock and a fuel countdown gauge that reports how many miles you’ve got until empty. A computer measures each squirt from the ESPFI along with remaining fuel in the tank to calculate mileage. According to the factory, the system is so accurate that when you hit zero you'd better have a gas station in sight.

Reaching forward to grab the V-style handlebars, I take notice that the wiring is hidden internally—another nice custom touch. The right and left bars are actually separate pieces clamped together at the V junction, and can be rotated to suit the rider.

Then there’s the front end.

Beefy 49mm forks reach out at a 36.5 degree rake to new sculpted oval fork lowers that straddle a 19-inch, five-spoke wheel. Thanks to that rake, the overall wheelbase is 69.2 inches—the longest in the Motor Company’s history. So long, in fact, that the roll booth where completed bikes are tested at the Harley assembly plant in York, Pennsylvania, had to be redesigned to accommodate it.

The Rocker features the balanced version of the new 1,584cc engine. Power from the Twin Cam 96B is transferred through a six-speed transmission and primary modified to accept the Rocker’s wider tire and fender.

I turn the key and fire up the balanced twin and discover that the slight clunk from the compensator I used to hear in the TC96B is gone. The redesigned primary includes different ramping on the compensator that eliminates most of the reverse loading that occasionally caused that sound.

Rolling away, I’m amazed at how the MoCo designers were able to make this long bike with such a big rear tire so well-balanced. I let go of the bars at 25 MPH and the bike remains dead stable.

All-in-all the Rocker is a very easy to handle machine, especially considering its radical geometry. Handling is slightly chopper-like, requiring a slight push in the direction you want to go and then full-on countersteer to complete the turn. Tighter turns at speed require a constant push on the bars, but it’s easy to lean the big bike over until the feelers on the ends of the forward pegs make initial contact. At that point, you still have a degree or two to go before harder stuff starts to scrape, but it’s not wise to push it that far.

Slowing things down, the single disk, four piston caliper up front can haul the 690-pound machine down in a hurry, which is good because the rear brake on the forward controls on both models was a bit of a reach, so much so that inseam-challenged riders may not even be able to engage it fully.

After about 15 minutes of riding the “C” model, I start to really notice the back edge of the saddle. I try to slide forward, only to have the dish of the seat roll me back to the same spot. Admittedly, I may be a little larger in this area than the younger, fitter crowd this bike is aimed at. Still, I found the standard Rocker to be the more comfortable of the two, thanks to its deeper seat.

The TC96B engine and six-speed transmission work in concert to provide plenty of grunt at low RPM. Sixth gear is so tall, in fact, that running it at speeds less than 70 mph will only bog the engine.

With the Rocker, Bill Davidson said 2008 will be “a year to reestablish our leadership in the custom motorcycle market.”

It’s hard to argue with that statement. Here’s a factory-built chopper that handles better than anything this size should, is guaranteed to be a head-turner right out of the box, costs thousands less than comparable custom choppers, and comes with a two-year warranty.

Knowing full well that Harley customers are never satisfied with leaving well enough alone, though, Davidson said he’s looking forward to seeing what creations come out of this radical new model.

And so am I.

2008 Harley-Davidson FXCW Rocker
Engine	Air-cooled, V-Twin, push-rod activated valves with self-adjusting lifters, two valves per cylinder
Displacement	96 cu. in., (1,584cc)
Bore x stroke	3.75 in. (95.25mm) x 4.38in. (111.25mm)
Carburetion	Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
Compression ratio	9.2:1
Transmission	Six-speed
Final drive	Belt
Tires	90/90-19 front; 240/40R18 rear
Front brake	Patented, uniform expansion single rotor, 11.50 in. (292.10mm) x .20 in. (5.08mm), four-piston caliper
Rear brake	Patented, uniform expansion single rotor, 11.50 in. (292.10mm) x .23 in. (5.84mm), two-piston caliper
Front suspension	49mm telescopic, 5 in. (127mm) travel
Rear suspension	horizontal mounted, 3.40 in. (86.36mm) travel
Seat height	Rocker: 24.50 in., laden w/ 180 lb. rider, 26.20 in. unladen Rocker C: 25.25 in., laden w/ 180 lb. rider, 27.48 in. unladen
Wheelbase	69.20 inches
Fuel capacity	5 gallons (w/ warning light at approximately 1 gal.)
Dry weight	Rocker: 660.90 pounds (in running order - 690.70 pounds) Rocker C: 686.30 pounds (in running order - 720.69 pounds)
Colors	Rocker: vivid black, vivid black deluxe, pacific blue pearl, crimson red sunglo Rocker C: vivid black deluxe, pacific blue pearl deluxe, crimson red sunglo deluxe
Warranty	24 months, unlimited miles
MSRP	Rocker: $17,295 - $17,640 Rocker C: $19,840
2008 Harley-Davidson FXCWC Rocker C