Harley-Davidson releases ‘Arctic Blast’ Street Glide Special
Harley-Davidson used the 2021 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally to unveil a new MY21 Street Glide Special with ‘Arctic Blast’ limited-edition paint.
Defined by a colourway that’s made up of a white pearl upper section over gloss black with metallic deep blue sections and bright blue striping, the Street Glide Special Arctic Blast will be limited to 500 units. Of that total, only eight are allocated for Australia and New Zealand.
“With the Arctic Blast Limited Edition paint offering for the Street Glide Special, at Harley-Davidson we continue to build on our reputation and lead by example, as the best in exclusive custom motorcycles and design,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman, President and CEO Harley-Davidson.
According to Kelly Slank, Harley-Davidson’s Styling Manager, Arctic Blast is a translation of the notions of ‘performance bagger’ and ‘speed’ into colours and graphics.
The white sections of Arctic Blast feature a subtle blue pearl that’s picked up in certain light, while the bright blue sections feature a fine metalflake. The deep blue sections on the fairing and front mudguard run with a coarser metalflake and add subtle hexagonal patterning, too.
Colorado-based Gunslinger Custom Paint are producing all 500 units of the Arctic Blast Street Glide Special for Harley-Davidson and have been an exclusive short-run custom paint supplier for The Motor Company for 18 years, previously painting other limited editions and selected CVO models.
Gunslinger didn’t just lay down the paint; their art department provided some input to the design and finish of Arctic Blast, too, with their involvement in the design phase resulting in the subtle hexagonal patterning that features on the front guard and fairing.
“The Arctic Blast paint is executed in strokes of high-contrast colour intended to communicate the appearance of motion,” said Brad Richards, Harley-Davidson Vice President of Styling and Design. “The design looks bold from a distance but offers interesting details that can only be seen up close, including a blue pearl effect over the white base, and a ghosted hexagon pattern on the fairing.”
Gunslinger’s production process for the Arctic Blast Street Glide Special features a high degree of artisanal work, including pinstriping that’s laid down by hand.
Each unit in the limited edition rune will have its individual build number applied to the offside of the fuel tank, alongside a small bar and shield logo.
Under its special paint, the Arctic Blast limited edition is a standard 2021 Street Glide Special, running that model’s Milwaukee-Eight 114 v-twin engine producing 158Nm at 3250rpm, as well as the same Cruise Drive six-speed transmission, the same suspension, lockable panniers, low-profile engine guard, Prodigy alloy wheels (19-inch front, 18-inch rear), 300mm disc brakes with ABS and Daymaker LED headlight.
There’s no change to the 690mm seat height or the 359kg dry weight on the limited edition, either.
Safety technologies under the Reflex Defensive Riding System are unchanged, as are features like the Boom! Box GTS infotainment system with a colour TFT touch screen, advanced navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, Bluetooth connectivity and two-speakers, with voice commands possible via a compatible headset.
Australian pricing for the Street Glide Special Arctic Blast is $47,245 (NZ$51,440) – a $7,495 premium over the regular Street Glide Special. Despite that premium, all eight units for Australia and New Zealand are likely to be spoken for by the time you read this.
