Harley-Davidson Launches Brand-New Enthusiast Collection

If there has ever been a brand that understands and appreciates its customers, it’s Harley-Davidson. Dyed-in-the-wool doesn’t even begin to describe the dedication that Harley’s customer base feels about The Motor Company. However, that relationship is a two-way street, and this week Harley-Davidson announced its Enthusiast Collection, a new series of special-edition motorcycles that will be released annually to celebrate and commemorate the riders who have helped make the company what it is today. The inaugural series is called the G.I. Enthusiast Collection and consists of a Pan America 1250 Special and a Tri Glide Ultra each with exclusive paint with a military theme.

“The Enthusiast Collection motorcycles are inspired by Harley-Davidson riders and their unique stories,” explained Jochen Zeitz, chairman, president and CEO Harley-Davidson. “Harley-Davidson is proud to launch this program with the G.I. Enthusiast Collection, which honors the legacy of Harley-Davidson riders who have served or actively serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.”

Two US veterans, and longtime Harley-Davidson customers, were singled out to be honored during the launch. Medal of Honor recipient from the Vietnam War and veteran issues activist Gary Wetzel and US Army and Iraq veteran Brian Critton, who also serves veteran’s organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project, will each be awarded G.I. Enthusiast Collection models.

Each of the 2022 G.I. Enthusiast Collection models are painted in a brand-new color exclusive to these two models. “The new Mineral Green Denim Deluxe paint pays homage to the Olive Drab paint used on Harley-Davidson WLA models,” said Brad Richards, Harley-Davidson vice president of design. “This color features a metallic effect resulting in a subtle gold highlight, allowing the color travel to be more dramatic and show off the shape of the surfacing.

“The tank graphic celebrates the iconic white five-point star, which was used during WWII on military vehicles,” Richards added. “The tank graphic also features a stenciled ‘H-D’ and a location of Milwaukee, Wisconsin abbreviated, inspired from the spec tags found on government-issued military equipment. The stenciled approach is a treatment often found on military vehicles as lettering was frequently done in the field. Here we’re calling out the birthplace of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company and the original WLA model.”

First up is the Pan America 1250 that was first released in 2021. This adventure-touring model hit the ground running and has received accolades from the media, while also becoming the number-one-selling model in the category in North America in its first year of existence. Powered by the Revolution Max 1250 V-twin and packed with features and technology, the G.I edition features the aforementioned Mineral Green Denim Deluxe paint, Enthusiast Collection logo on front of fairing, and white star with H-D graphic on both sides of the fuel tank..

Next up, is the Tri Glide Ultra, a touring trike that comes with Tomahawk custom wheels, Boom! Box GTS infotainment system, and is powered by the Twin-Cooled Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine. Other standard features include a trunk and King Tour-Pak luggage carrier as well as Daymaker LED headlight. Special G.I. features include Mineral Green Denim Deluxe paint with special graphics, Enthusiast Collection and Harley-Davidson on rear of Tour-Pak luggage carrier, white star with H-D graphic on tank sides, and white star on trunk door.