by Patrick Rall

The 71st anniversary Sturgis Motorcycle Rally kicked off yesterday and Ford Motor Company used the nation's biggest Harley event to introduce the new 2012 Ford Harley-Davidson F150. 

The vehicle partnership between Ford and Harley-Davidson began in 1999 on the F150. Over the past 12 years, Ford has offered 10 special edition F150 models, 6 Super Duty special edition models and 1 limited edition F450. Combined, that's over 70,000 examples of the Ford/Harley trucks hitting the streets.  The 2012 Ford Harley-Davidson model builds on those previous 70,000 trucks with a high performance engine, a unique look and a high end interior that makes for one great looking range-topping F150.


The 2012 Ford Harley-Davidson F150 begins on the outside with a Super Crew cab and a 5 ½ foot Styleside bed finished in your choice of Tuxedo Black or White Platinum Tri-Coat - a new color choice for the 2012 model year.  Ford then adds a unique bright chrome grille, a sporty lower front fascia and some model-specific badging on the fenders, bedside and tailgate.  New for 2012, the Ford Harley-Davidson F150 wears a wild snakeskin textured flame running along both sides of the truck and a massive set of 22" aluminum wheels, finished in polished silver with black pockets add a new look over the previous HD F150.

On the inside of the 2012 Ford Harley-Davidson F150, Ford began with a premium seating arrangement with front and rear bucket seats all clad in black leather.  The majority of the interior is black with the exception of the snakeskin leather found on the upper portion of the seatbacks, the steering wheel and the center console cover.  This blacked out interior is accented by silver badges on the seatbacks, the center console and additional trim pieces throughout the cabin - offering a classy, luxurious climate.  The 2012 Harley edition F150 also comes with all of the cutting edge AV goodies, run by a large touch screen in the center stack.  This includes satellite radio, MP3, AM/FM and CD modes along with dual zone climate control and in the gauge cluster there is a 4.2" productivity screen that provides all of the popular "truck apps" found on other F150 models.

The 2012 Ford Harley-Davidson F150 is powered by the 6.2L V8 engine that was originally designed by Ford's Special Vehicle Team for the Ford SVT Raptor F150.  This engine makes 411 horsepower and 434lb-ft of torque, making this the most powerful option in the current F Series lineup with the exception of the SVT Raptor that shares the same engine.  The 2012 Ford Harley-Davidson F150 comes standard with rear wheel drive but 4 wheel drive is available as one of the few options, with the power being sent to the drive wheels by a standard 6-speed automatic transmission.  In addition to a Tow/Haul mode that allows the 2012 HD F150 to tow up to 7,500lbs, Ford's SelectShift feature allows the driver to manually select the drive gear with the push of a button.