Ever since the first experiments with the Sportster 883 and 1200, passing through the splendid creations for the XR1200 and finally arriving at the new proposals for the models powered by the Revolution Max engine, Panamerica and Sportster S 1250, Officine Italiane Zard has always had an eye on the Harley-Davidson world, creating exhaust lines of superior quality and design, and today arriving at a range that also includes design accessories.

The beginning: Zard exhausts for Harley-Davidson Sportster and XR1200.

The idea of combining Italian design and craftsmanship with a typically American spirit has been adopted from the very first years of activity by Officine Italiane Zard, which has created complete kits for the Sportster and XR1200 models compatible with motorbikes made since 2003. Officine Italiane Zard's exhausts for the Sportster range are characterised by clean, muscular lines combined with the complex and sophisticated details of the endpipes. The conical model is in fact distinguished by its three-dimensional design, machined from aluminium billet. The Zard kit for the Harley-Davidson XR1200, on the other hand, has a clear sporty appearance, consisting of hand-welded stainless steel headers and titanium slip-ons. A creation that pleases the eye, the ear and... the wrist!

A new direction: Zard for Harley-Davidson Sportster S 1250 and Panamerica.

With the arrival of the new Revolution Max engine, Harley-Davidson opened a completely new chapter in its history, offering a high-tech engine and, above all, liquid cooling! Officine Italiane Zard was not unprepared for this change of direction and presented two proposals for the unprecedented Panamerica adventure bike and the innovative Sportster S 1250 in 2022. The Zard Top Gun and GT kits are characterised by their radical design, which incorporates a major two-piece carbon-fibre heat shield that overhauls and refines the design of this power cruiser, highlighting its character as a ... drag strip bike! What changes between the GT kit and Zard's Top Gun? Obviously the design! The former is sportier, with oval silencers and carbon end caps, while the latter is more muscle-bike style, with cylindrical silencers adorned with the riveted Zard label.

Not just exhausts: Zard design accessories for the Harley-Davidson Sportster S 1250

Starting from the idea behind the heat shield for the Sportster S 1250, at EICMA 2022 Officine Italiane Zard extended its range of proposals for this bike by presenting a collection of design accessories in carbon fibre, conceived by its own Centro Stile. Front fairing, radiator cover and left side panel that dialogue in design terms with the Zard GT and Top Gun kit heat shields and give the American power cruiser a new, distinct racing character, exalted by the carbon look finish.

A look to the future: Officine Italiane Zard's next innovations for Harley-Davidson motorbikes.

Begun as a gamble, Officine Italiane Zard's adventure in creating exhaust systems and design elements for Harley-Davidson and challenging the American giants of the industry has turned out to be a success and has motivated the Italian atelier from Piedmont to continue designing kits for American motorbikes! Zard's first novelty of 2023 was thus the new range of exhausts for the Euro 5 models of the iconic Softail family. Two systems were available: a double slip-on, to be used with the original headers, and a complete single exit kit, both featuring a sophisticated endcap design in perfect harmony with the custom soul of the Softail models - a symbol of American motorcycling for almost fifty years!