17/08/2025

Contributing Editor Keshy Dhillon / keshy@piston.my Editorial

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SUNDAY | AUG 17, 2025

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– Dirt, road, track – conquered! Harley-Davidson provides perfect opportunity to test their bikes on all surfaces

Pan America 1250 ST for a couple of flyin g laps on the race circuit. And finally, we went for a spot of off roading with the Pan America 1250 Special around Bay 13, an off-road area nearby the circuit. Let’s start off with the road bikes I started the day with the 2025 Harley Davidson Fat Boy, a poster bike of mine ever since I was young. The Fat Boy cemented itself in pop culture when Arnold Schwarzenegger rode it in Terminator 2: Judgement Day . There are few bikes that scream Harley-Davidson more than a Fat Boy. The new for 2025 model is far from the one Arnold rode. It is more powerful, more stylish and lighter too. With low handlebars, round headlight and a massive 240 rear wheel, the Fat Boy has a real presence on the road. Even though it is quieter now thanks to noise regulations, there is a simple fix through the extensive Harley-Davidson aftermarket catalogue list. It is powered by the latest-generation Milwaukee-Eight 117 Custom, air and oil cooled 45° V-Twin engine that pushes out 104hp and 170Nm of torque via a six speed transmission.

The Fat Boy has always been about style and power, perhaps because it likes to be upright rather than chucked in and out of corners. But that is not a problem considering its good looks. I will have mine in blue please. Moving on to the Breakout If the Fat Boy is a good-looking bike, the Breakout is naturally stylish. With its long wheelbase, classic chopper design, it looks like it came out of one of those motorcycle reality shows on television. The Breakout has always been the go to bike for those who want something with classic good-looks mixed in with some modern features and factory backed reliability. The history of the Breakout is not so black and white though, it’s somewhat grey. The model was dropped by Harley Davidson in the American market but was reintroduced due to strong demand a few years later. Riding the Breakout is a little demanding due to the weight and length of the bike. The forward set controls and han dlebar force you to lean forwards and managing the bike in corners can be daunting at first, but you will

figure it out fairly quickly. And after you do, you realise that it is an easy bike to ride. And comfortable too. With almost no wind protection, you can be forgiven for thinking that the Breakout is more of a boulevard cruiser rather than a touring machine. But I know people who have ridden the Breakout to the north of Thailand and back, so it is very much a capable touring machine. Powering the Breakout is the same 1,923cc, Milwaukee-Eight 117 Custom, air and oil cooled 4°5 V-Twin engine. It pushes out the same amount of power as the Fat Boy which means choos ing between the two is just a matter of rid ing style. Upright and wide, or low and forward slung. Now onto the track Riding around the Sepang International Circuit is one of life’s consecrations. It is an expe rience unlike any other with its

BY KESHY DHILLON

HARLEY-DAVIDSON recently organ ised an exclusive event called Dirt, Ride, Track (DRT). This is where specially invited guests get to try out nearly the entire line-up of latest Harley-Davidsons on different surfaces. We were invited. In fact, the last time Harley-Davidson organised such an adrenalin injected event was back in 2018. It was called Ride, Ride, Slide and it was held in Croatia. There have been smaller events around the region since then, but this is the first time Harley-Davidson has organ ised such a large-scale event in our region post-pandemic. This year’s DRT allowed us to sample almost the entire range of 2025 motorcy cles, but it was impossible to ride them all in just a day. So, we rode the new Fat Boy and Breakout on the roads around the Sepang International Circuit and KLIA.

fast flowing and technical corners and having done so in 1000 horsepower cars, superbikes and even Formula machines, this is

Then we jumped onto the new Harley Davidson

The Breakout is one of the most stylish bikes ever.

The new Milwaukee 8 engine produces more power and torque.

The Harley-Davidson Pan America is surprisingly agile off-road.