Racing is one of the most popular video entertainments and it feels different when the motorcycle you are riding looks real, even just virtually. Seeing your favourite Harley bike for sale at Zecycles is frustrating if you don’t have money to buy but what if you can actually drive it virtually through a video game? The experience will be both realistic and fantastic.
Ubisoft, the publisher of Crew 2 knows that video games about racing can be more popular if it is associated with the real motorcycles so they decided to partner with Harley-Davidson for optimum marketing.
When Ubisoft released The Crew in December of 2014, it was met by a warm public reception and more than promising sales. Like many other video games and films, this made it pretty much a foregone conclusion that a sequel would follow. Multiple expansion packs were released but the company took its time with releasing the official sequel, seemingly wanting to iron out some of the problems related to the first game’s technical issues with online play. So, after several years, the next title in the franchise hit stores on June 29, 2018, and The Crew 2 features an even deeper bench of motorcycles.
In addition to boats, monster trucks, pickup trucks, SUV’s, planes, and a whole lot of different cars, Crew 2 also features a massive number of motorcycles from a diverse range of manufacturers. Players can choose from KTMs, Yamahas, Hondas, Ducatis, Indian Motorcycles, and of course, Harley-Davidson’s IRON 883 and Street Glide—all of which have been digitally recreated in stunning detail. Plus it is expected additional models will be available in-game or for purchase.
Released on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this summer, Crew 2 not only features more than 9,000km2 of scaled-down US landscape, but it also lets you drive cars, pilot planes, skipper powerboats and – crucially – ride Harley® bikes. But it’s not just the ride that caught our eye; it’s the level of customization available and the amount of work put into creating authentic digital motorcycles.
The Crew 2 works in an online environment – you drive or ride with and against real people. You’ll be able to create a ‘crew’ of up to eight players or join several crews, with people all over the world. Existing friends, family or chapter members, fellow riders you met at a rally, or even just someone you’ve made friends with playing the game – you can arrange to meet in this virtual world, decide where to go and what to do, and then just do it.
Because the franchise is set in an open-world universe where players can literally explore America from coast to coast, there are few bikes that come to mind that are better suited for the task of touring the good ‘ol US of A than a big Harley cruiser. The Street Glide’s performance may feel just a tad lacklustre after (virtually) piloting an Audi TT-RS Coupe, Mercedes-AMG C 63 Touring Car, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, or any of the other insane supercars featured in the upcoming title, but it’s good to see motorcycle not be left out in the driving simulator world.
A chance to (virtually) test drive one of Harley-Davidson’s most popular motorcycles
The Iron 883 is one of Harley-Davidson’s most popular motorcycles worldwide, with its characteristic blacked-out, stripped-down style. Like with all of our licensed vehicles, re-creating the Iron 883 took meticulous work from the design team to make sure the in-game version of the bike is 100% faithful to the original. Ubisoft had a very tight relationship with the Harley-Davidson team from the get-go; they shared the bike’s technical specs with the company and stayed in touch throughout the whole modelling process.
Checking out official Harley-Davidson parts for customization
One of Harley-Davidson’s core specificities is customisation, and it was crucial to do it justice. First, they created a large selection of official custom parts from the Harley-Davidson catalogue and worked very closely with the manufacturer’s team to get them right. Players will be able to take their pick from the original model’s exhausts, seats, and rims, not to mention all of the 2017 Iron 883 official paint colours. So they will get a good idea of things they could add to the bike in real life!
It’s the ideal ride for navigating traffic
The Iron 883 is swift and easy to handle, which makes it a very versatile ride. Ubisoft translated this to the bike’s in-game physics by tuning more than 200 parameters and conducting tests in all kinds of locations and weather conditions. As a result, it gives players an edge when negotiating urban environments and taking on our most daring street racing challenges.
The best way to take a road trip across America
When you say Harley-Davidson, the first thing that comes to mind for a lot of people is the classic American road trip on iconic cruisers. Although the Iron 883’s style is clearly not that old-school, it’s definitely powerful enough to take you on a long journey. Unisoft obviously had to make sure that was part of the bike’s characteristics in The Crew 2 so that players can use it to cross our gigantic open-world version of the United States – that’s basically every rider’s dream!
Of course after all is said and done, The Crew is just a game but if you want to drive a real Iron 883, you can get one from Zecycles for just under $6,000. Zecycles has a lot of inventories not only Harley-Davidson but also other motorcycle models available in the United States.
Playing a Crew 2, however, would certainly help you familiarise not only the Iron 883 but also other bikes that you wish to choose virtually during the course of each game. With this ongoing Coronavirus pandemic problem, staying indoor is highly suggested and there is no other way to enjoy your motorcycle riding habit when you can’t go out other than playing a racing video game.