2024 Harley-Davidson Hydra-Glide Revival Is a Retro Tribute to an Upcoming Tom Hardy Movie

 It's something that happened in 2024 as well, more specifically at the end of last week, when this year's retro treat was announced by the Milwaukee-based company.

What is an Icons Harley-Davidson? For about four years now the bike maker has tried to bring back the bling, appeal, and incredible styling of some of its legacy models by giving the existing lineup a makeover meant to take the onlooker back to that golden age of motorcycling.

This desire manifested itself last year, for instance, with the release of an Electra Glide Highway King inspired by the 1968 FLH. And before that we had some more exciting machines, including the mighty Low Rider El Diablo.

Now that the main product release for the year is out of the way, Harley-Davidson had enough time to focus on 2024's Icon motorcycle. And here it is, in the form of something called the Hydra-Glide Revival.

Just like the bikes before it, this special two-wheeler boasts a unique paint job and special graphics, applied over pieces of hardware that are not exactly their stock selves. There are a couple of reasons behind the way the motorcycle was designed.

The first one has to do with a couple of historic Harley-Davidson models, more specifically the E and F. Or, more to the point, not the bikes themselves, but the fact that starting from 1949 the two started using the Hydra-Glide telescopic front suspension - which means 2024 marks the technology's 75th anniversary.

The second reason is the release of a movie called The Bikeriders (trailer below the text). Having premiered in the summer of last year at the 50th Telluride Film Festival, the movie is now heading to American cinemas, which it will reach in June.

The Bikeriders tells the story of a midwestern motorcycle club and its evolution over a decade in the middle of the last century. It stars Tom Hardy, Austin Butler, and Michael Shannon, among others, and it promises to be a real treat for fans of two-wheeled machines.

So, both the 1950s E and F Harleys and The Bikeriders inspired Harley to design the Hydra-Glide Revival, and it appears to have come out the other end of the customization process in a pretty decent shape.

The two-wheeler bets a lot on its looks, and for the impact to be great the bike maker went for a Redline Red paint, offset by a Birch White panel on fuel tank sides. That's the same paint job it deployed on the bikes it made in the mid-1950s.

But the paint job alone is not all there is to this motorcycle. Chrome V badges and scripts inspired by the ones from decades ago can be seen on the fuel tank, but also on the front fender skirt. The same material, chrome, has been abundantly used on the fenders, engine guard, fork covers, and even the engine.

Even the instrument graphics have been designed in such a way as to match the speedometer on 1950s bikes, and there's a special two-tone windshield up front: it is detachable, rises 21 inches (53 cm) high when installed, and comes with a lower portion painted to match the rest of the bodywork.

To make sure no one mistakes this bike for something else, Harley included in the build a serialized Hydra-Glide Revival insert on the handlebar riser cap and the Icons Motorcycle Collection graphic on the rear fender.

The visual upgrades are not the only changes made to the Hydra-Glide. The Softail frame of the motorcycle holds in its embrace a counter-balanced Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-Twin, but not in its stock configuration.

The engine has been modified with a Screamin' Eagle High-Flow air cleaner (hidden behind a chrome cover), and it is ready to receive any Screamin' Eagle Stage Upgrade kits the riders would want to use.

The bike is held upright with the help of a mono-shock rear suspension, while the standard ABS helps with stopping power. The wheels fitted front and rear are of the laced variety, and have been selected on purpose for their vintage look.

The same vintage feeling is what one gets when looking at the solo leather seat with its chrome rail, the leather and vinyl saddlebags, or the black leather tank strap that proudly shows studs and a concho.

Just like the three other Harley-Davidson Icons motorcycles before it, the Hydra-Glide Revival will be made in very limited numbers – the bike maker will produce just 1,750 of them, selling each one for $24,999.

The ride is already listed by Harley, so if you're interested in it, you should hurry. If you plan to give it a closer look before going for it, though, you should know the 2024 Harley-Davidson Hydra-Glide Revival is displayed at the Daytona International Speedway for the Daytona Bike Week until March 9.