2023 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Highway King Joins Icons Collection

11 months, 4 weeks ago - 3 May 2023, RideApart
2023 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide
2023 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide
Merging 1968 FLHFB Electra Glide styling with modern-day technology.

In 1968, Harley-Davidson marketed the FLHFB Electra Glide as a cross-country tourer. The model’s “King of the Highway” accessories package delivered on that promise with a tall windshield, fiberglass saddlebags, engine guards, and a luggage rack. Back then, the Motor Company’s 74 cubic-inch (1,212 cubic-centimeter) Shovelhead V-twin and four-speed transmission helped the Electra Glide gallop across this great nation.

Highway speeds may demand a bit more pep nowadays, but the 1968 FLHFB Electra Glide’s styling remains as timeless as ever. Merging classic and contemporary, Harley-Davidson turned to the “King of the Highway” as inspiration for its latest Icons Collection entry—the 2023 Electra Glide Highway King.

Remaining true to the original, the third Icons Collection installment comes in Hi-Fi Orange (limited to 1,000 units) and Hi-Fi Magenta (limited to 750 units) color options. The Birch White hardshell bags even mimic the FLHFB’s white fiberglass add-on saddlebags. H-D also applies a Birch White pinstripe on the fuel tank, separating the primary color from the Black Denim panel and era-inspired Harley-Davidson tank badge. To commemorate the occasion, an Icons Motorcycle Collection graphic and a laser-etched serial badge adorn the tank console.

Harley’s design team doesn’t take any half-measures either. They go the whole nine yards with color-matched detachable windshield, chrome rails along the saddlebags and front fender, and chrome steel laced wheels shod in whitewall tires. The Highway King does its predecessor justice with a touring-worthy solo saddle and Electra Glide script emblems emblazoned across each side of the front fender.

Under all that nostalgia, Harley-Davidson equips the special-edition variant with its totemic Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-Twin. While the big-bore powerplant delivers gobs of torque on demand, the brand’s full suite of Rider Safety Enhancements wrangle the burbling beast with lean-sensitive ABS, linked braking, traction control, and drag-torque slip control. Even vehicle hold control provides safety when at a standstill.

On the open road, the model pounds the pavement with ease thanks to standard electronic cruise control. All the while, a halogen headlight and auxiliary lamps not only light the way but maintain the vintage aesthetic. With just 1,750 units produced and a starting price of $26,999, we expect the 2023 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Highway King to pick up right where the 1968 FLHFB Electra Glide left off.