2023 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Highway King First Look

As with the previous Icon models, the 2021 Electra Glide Revival and the 2022 Low Rider El Diablo, the 2023 Electra Glide Highway King will be a limited edition model produced for one year only. Production will be limited to 1,750 individually-numbered units, with 1,000 Highway Kings in Hi-Fi Orange and 750 in Hi-Fi Magenta.

The original Electra Glide was Harley-Davidson's top model, offering touring accessories such as a windshield, fiberglass saddlebags, engine guards and a luggage rack on the rear fender. With the exception of the luggage rack, all of those features come standard on the Icon model.

“In its day this was a really deluxe motorcycle,” said Brad Richards, Harley-Davidson Vice President of Design and Creative Director. “The colors we’ve selected for the Highway King model are reminiscent of the original color options offered in 1968. We carefully matched each color in the lower section of the windshield. In 1968, the accessory fiberglass saddlebags were only offered in white, so we’ve done the same in 2023. The result is a thoroughly modern motorcycle that looks unapologetically old school.”

The windshield is detachable, with the lower section tinted to match the paint color. In front of the shield sits a round halogen headlight and auxiliary lights, which appear to be identical to the setup on the now-discontinued Road King. The Road King Special still lives on, but it doesn't come with the shield and extra lighting, and we're a little surprised Harley-Davidson didn't refer to the Road King in the Icon model announcement, as the Electra Glide Highway King is essentially it's limited edition replacement.

Resembling the FL models of the 1960s, the FLHFB's seat is mounted over an adjustable coil spring and shock absorber, and comes with a black and white cover and a chrome rail. Up front, the Electra Glide Highway King is equipped with 16-inch chrome laced wirespoke wheels and custom whitewall tires, plus a large fender with rails and the classic "Electra Glide" script.

The Electra Glide Highway King is built on Harley-Davidson's single-spar touring frame, and powered by the Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-Twin engine. The suspension is comprised of a 49 mm dual bending valve fork and dual preload adjustable rear shocks. The braking system is comprised of four-piston calipers and 300 mm rotors, with two for the front wheel and one at the rear.

Electronic enhancements include cruise control, vehicle hold control, and cornering-enabled ABS, linked braking, traction control and drag-torque slip control.