Both F-150s have a special ground-effects package and custom 22-inch forged wheels wrapped in Pirellis, and a plush black and Dusted Copper leather interior with captain's chairs up front and a 60/40 bench in the rear. There are Harley-Davidson Bar & Shield medallions on the seats, center console, and dash, and on the outside of the truck lest you forget what you are driving or with whom Ford has a long-term partnership. And where medallions can't be affixed, H-D logos are displayed.
Ride comfort is second to none in the world of performance pickups; this special-edition model is loaded with all the creature comforts and frills. That comfort extends into the handling. Despite the low-profile 22s, the performance suspension is tuned remarkably well for city and highway driving. The Harley-Davidson SuperCrew 2WD is responsive in tight corners and quick dips and has tremendous braking ability. The downside for the performance package? The tow rating drops to 5300 pounds.
As we noted early on, this truck has power. The dealer-installed Saleen package ($6575) brings a twin-screw supercharger, dual stage water-to-air intercooler, larger fuel injectors, cold-air intake, and cat-back exhaust to the aid of the Ford 5.4-liter, taking power from an unremarkable 300 horsepower to a titillating 450 along with a similar gain in torque.
The Saleen supercharger takes a few moments to roll into full boost. But when the tell-tale whine settles in you can feel the surge. It's strong from about 3500 rpm to the engine's redline. The Powerflash Saleen tranny mod gives the otherwise laconic four-speed automatic nice, crisp shifts, too.
However, those crispy shifts don't make up for the extra gears this truck really needs. Ford should've dropped in a six-speed to give the H-D F-150 the driving rush of the old Lightning-and not limited top speed to 94 mph. That said, this is still one F-150 SuperCrew that'd be a bad-ass ride for hauling your 105th Anniversary Package V-Rod to Sturgis. That's where you'll find us.