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You may think it's insignificant. But it's an indicator of who's in charge. Better, more secure technology: engineering. Cheaper, less secure: bean counters.
You may think it's insignificant. But it's an indicator of who's in charge. Better, more secure technology: engineering. Cheaper, less secure: bean counters.
Do do you know why it was changed?
My thinking is it's less user serviceable and expensive when it fails out of warranty. What should cause most HD buyers pause is that the vast majority of them couldn't find all the spark plugs on a new bike. Ignorance like that is expensive.
Harleys have reached the same point music did for me decades ago. What's purported to be "music" these days isn't music to me. I'm not capable of hurting an "artist's" income by boycotting concerts or not buying their CDs because I don't know who they are. Everything changes with time.
I saw a video that showed one of the new keys and I believe it looked like an engraved key like the Audi/VWs in a way, not a traditional key with the normal teeth.
I would bet it is more secure (forgetting the brute force method to overcome the lock) than the barrel key. I have a couple picks for barrel keys and they are so much easier to defeat than a lock with more modern security. I can pick and defeat a barrel key lock in just a couple seconds with that tool.
The barrel lock picks are much easier to use than a traditional tension bar and pick and are available online for very little money.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.