If you're like us, you don't have much use for a four-wheeled vehicle unless you can haul a motorcycle in it, and preferably more than one at a time. That's why we're a bit disappointed with the Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson Edition.
Mind you, it's a very nice truck-maybe even too nice, what with the obligatory leather, chrome and billet. Owing to a relationship that began in 1999, the Harley-Davidson name adorns both sides of the bed and the speedometer face, and the bar-and-shield logo graces the fenders, tailgate, seats, rubber bed matt and the centers of the 22-inch forged-aluminum wheels.
So visually, it's a stunner. And it works well, too. Motive power comes from Ford's biggest, most powerful-and, at 12.4 miles per gallon, thirstiest-gasoline engine, the 300-bhp/365-lb.-ft. 5.6-liter Triton V-8 with variable camshaft timing and a throaty-sounding slash-cut chrome exhaust. It's available as a 4x2 or 4x4, the latter with a two-speed transfer case that lets the driver select AWD or 4H. The four-speed automatic transmission gives the further option of turning the overdrive on/off.
Creature comforts abound. Leather captain's chairs, leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel, power driver's seat and door locks, cruise control, AM/FM/CD stereo and driver/ passenger air bags are all standard. Our test truck was further equipped with power mirrors, moon roof and sliding rear window, heated front seats, a superb-sounding audiophile six-CD changer and a handy back-up warning beeper. Gotta protect your investment, right?
And what an investment it is! Base price on the vehicle is $38,285, and our test truck's options took it to a staggering $42,765.
Is it worth it? If you're a dyed-in-the-wool Harley guy, you wouldn't have anything else. But for us to spend that much money on a truck, it would have to be better at hauling motorcycles.
For example, while the bed is outfitted with very nice polished tie-down hooks, there are only four of them-one in each corner. That's fine for hauling one bike, but to carry two you'll have to run the tie-down straps through both bikes' front wheels-a dodgy proposition that often results in bike and/or bed damage. One more hook front and center would resolve that issue.
Loading a bike is further complicated by the height of the bed, higher even than on a standard F-150 thanks to those massive wheels. If you want to transport a long, low cruiser like a Harley, you'll need an extra-long folding ramp and a step stool. Is it just us, or is it ironic that Harley guys want lowered bikes and raised pickups? Lowering this truck would not only make it easier to load bikes, but also reduce the excessive stock wheel-well clearances.
Like most pickups with an extra row of seats and four doors, this F-150's 6.5-foot bed is too short for the tailgate to close behind any bike with a wheelbase longer than about 56 inches, which includes virtually every Harley. And there's this: Our tester was a 2006 two-door Super Cab model; the 2007 version features a four-door Super Crew cab that renders the bed another foot shorter! Fortunately, there's an optional trailer-towing package, a more realistic way of transporting a motorcycle with the F-150.
They say: "Follows the quintessential Harley formula of black leather and chrome."
We say: "How about the quintessential Ford formula of fitting a bike in back?"
Tech Spec
Price as tested: $42,765
Engine type: l-c 90-degree V-8
Valve train: SOHC, 24v
Displacement: 5409cc
Transmission: 4-speed automatic OD, 4WD
Horsepower: 300 bhp @ 5000 rpm
Torque: 365 lb.-ft. @ 3750 rpm
Suspension: Double wishbone independent/ non-independent live leaf springs
Brakes: 4-wheel discs with ABS
Tires: P275/45 R22 Pirelli Scorpion Zero
Wheelbase: 144.5 in.
Fuel capacity: 35.7 gal.
Dry Weight: 5681 lbs.
Displacement: 5409cc
Contact: www.ford.com