There’s badge engineering, and then there’s this. Again, Harley-Davidson has lent its brand and badging to a pickup truck. This time, the lucky recipient is GMC, not Ford like it has previously to its special edition trucks. Doug DeMuro took a close look at the latest version from GMC and is here to share its ridiculous ostentatiousness with us. If you’re not interested in a detailed truck review, don’t worry, Doug already reviewed the Sierra in another video. This one is strictly about the changes to the Harley-Davidson edition. AMERiders explains
First, the truck is freaking enormous. Thanks to a BDS suspension with Fox shocks to lift the truck, we can barely see Doug’s head over the “Harley-Davidson-inspired ram air hood” as he stands behind it. I’ve met Doug DeMuro. I’m six feet tall, and he towers several inches over me, which should give you an idea of just how tall this truck is. You wouldn’t be able to see me behind it at all.
The next thing you notice is a seemingly infinite number of Harley-Davidson badges all over the inside and outside of the truck. Some are obvious, like “Harley-Davidson” spelled out on the front doors, tailgate, windshield, and below the grill. Others are more subtle, like the special alloy wheels that resemble some Harley wheels, or the exhaust note that rumbles like a Harley because of those loud pipes.
Speaking of the grill, it has an obvious Harley orange outline. Less obvious until you look closely is that the holes in the grill itself are small Harley-Davidson shields. There have to be hundreds of them on the grill alone. If hundreds of small shields aren’t enough for you, the solid truck bed cap has a ginormous Harley logo pressed into it. It’s so large you could easily see it from the air, and possibly from the International Space Station.
Aside from the lift, the exhaust, and the appearance modifications, this is an otherwise stock GMC Sierra SLT, which retails for $62,000. That’s already an expensive truck, but by the time Tuscany Motor Company is done performing the conversion, it commands an astounding $95,000 price. That’s a premium of $33,000. That’s enough to buy an actual Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited and still have some cash left in your pocket. Why would anyone buy one of these excessively badged special edition Harley trucks when you can buy an actual Harley-Davidson for less?
The final quirk and feature that amused me is something Doug doesn’t mention but is visible near the beginning of the video: a slow drip of liquid from the truck onto the ground. No doubt this is simply condensation from the air conditioner, but to me it evokes the Harley-Davidsons of old, marking their territory by dripping a bit of oil while they’re parked. Still, I don’t think I would pay that much for any Harley special edition truck.
But what did some of the trucks look like that came before?
The original bad boy truck spanned 12 years, from 2000 through 2012.
The first new Harley-Davidson F-150 in seven years debuted at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show. While it did wear the requisite badging with orange trim, the Harley upfit wasn’t technically a product of Ford this time. These Harley special edition trucks came courtesy of Tuscany Motor Company and were sold through Ford dealerships.
Still, it marked the return of a rather prominent vehicle in the F-150 lineup, one that turned heads for over a decade. It was something of a roller-coaster ride, however, with exterior trim changing nearly every single year. Power was also all over the place—at one point the Harley F-150 produced 450 horsepower—and for a few years the Harley treatment also encompassed the beefier Super Duty trucks. We’ll leave those for another time and focus instead on the F-150.
Below we will give you a little walk down memory lane with this Detroit/Milwaukee Partnership.
First Generation: 2000 – 2004
It all started in 2000 with a simple appearance package for F-150 SuperCab models. Every truck was the same – black with big 20-inch chrome wheels, an orange stripe, billet grille, and Harley-Davidson badging. The suspension was lowered ever-so-slightly for a meaner presence, and though the engine was a standard-issue 5.4-liter V8 making 260 horsepower, it gained a throaty exhaust upgrade for a bit more noise with this Harley special edition truck.
Second Generation: 2005 – 2008
All Harley-Davidson F-150 pickups received special touches inside as well. Black leather with an abundance of black and chrome trim was the order of the day, with Harley-Davidson logos embossed on the headrests.
First Generation: 2000 – 2004
Pinstriping changed slightly for 2001, and the package was offered for crew cab pickups as well as SuperCab models. Substantial changes under the hood, however, were just around the corner.
First Generation: 2000 – 2004
In the early 2000s Ford was making waves with its high-performance SVT F-150 Lightning pickup, which made 380 horsepower from 2002 through 2004. A slightly detuned version of that engine – a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 – found its way under the Harley’s hood for 2002 and 2003. The bad-boy pickup finally had some bite to go with its bark.
Second Generation: 2005 – 2008
A new F-150 hit the streets in 2005, and the reborn Harley-Davidson model followed in 2006. Its entrance was a curious one, however, in that the model reverted back to being just a SuperCab only available in black. The supercharged engine was gone as well, leaving the truck to turn its 22-inch chrome wheels with a standard 5.4-liter V8 making 300 horsepower. The truck did gain an all-wheel-drive option, making it the first Harley-Davidson F-150 to turn all four wheels.
Second Generation: 2005 – 2008
2007 is where the Harley-trimmed pickup became a serious performance truck. The 5.4-liter V8 was still standard, but an optional supercharged version from noted Mustang tuner Saleen delivered 450 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. Technically it’s still the most powerful F-150 Ford ever offered from the factory, a title shared with the current crop of top-trimmed EcoBoost-powered trucks.
Second Generation: 2005 – 2008
By the end of the Harley F-150’s second-generation run it was available as either a SuperCab or crew cab, turning just the rear wheels (a requirement for the 450-horsepower engine option) or all four with an all-wheel-drive system.
Second Generation: 2005 – 2008 inside
Third Generation: 2009 – 2012
Another new F-150 body style appeared in 2009, and as before, the Harley-Davidson model took a break from the half-ton segment. When it came back for 2010 the supercharger disappeared, leaving the truck to soldier on with a 320-horsepower version of the venerable 5.4-liter V8. Black was joined by a deep shade of maroon called Lava, and the SuperCab model was gone. Now, the only way to get a Harley F-150 was to go for the crew cab.
Third Generation: 2009 – 2012
Ford sold over 70,000 examples of its Harley-Davidson F-150 pickup from 2000 through 2012 – a drop in the bucket compared to total F-Series sales. With the latest model priced uncomfortably close to six figures, it’ll be interesting to see if the new Harley pickup can live up to the legacy of previous generations.
Third Generation: 2009 – 2012
New exterior shades appeared for the Harley-Davidson F-150 package in its closing years, with white and silver joining black. More power returned to the truck with the 6.2-liter V8 borrowed from the then-new F-150 Raptor, making 411 horsepower. Various stripes would come and go, but the bright wheels, flashy exhaust, and Harley-Davidson branding remained until the end.
Third Generation: 2009 – 2012
Interiors were also exceptionally upscale in the later years. Combinations of black and tan brought a bit of life to the typically dark greenhouse.
~And as always…
~Live Free Ride Hard~
~AMERiders
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