Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders

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Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders
System(s): Sega Model 3 Step 2.0
Publisher: Sega Enterprises, Ltd. (JP), Sega Enterprises USA (US), Sega Amusements Europe (EU)
Developer: Sega AM1
Licensor: Harley-Davidson
Genre: Action, Driving
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code JP 1997-12 ¥? ? US 1998-04 $? ? UK 199x £? ?

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Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders (ハーレーダビッドソン&L.A.ライダーズ) is a Sega Model 3 Step 2.0 arcade motorcycle driving game developed by Sega AM1 and manufactured by Sega. It can be seen as the spiritual successor to AM1's previous motorcycle game Cool Riders. Licensed by and starring vehicles from renowned American motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson, it was first released in Japan in December 1997, and was later brought to the United States the following month. Sega Logistics Service announced it would end service on the machines on March 31, 2017.

Cabinets

Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders was manufactured in two cabinet designs, each featuring a pair of realistic handlebar controllers for steering and acceleration, and seating players on a faux motorcycle body decorated in the company's signature Harley-Davidson Orange.

Standard

The standard cabinet features a small, static motorcycle seat and average-sized handlebars, all mounted in front of a 25" monitor.

Deluxe

The deluxe cabinet was designed in the tradition of Sega's trademark full-body arcade experiences. While Sega's name had almost always been associated with arcade games, one of the accomplishments which contributed the most to their successes today was their realistic, attention-grabbing deluxe cabinets - most notably, 1985's Hang-On received widespread critical acclaim for its "ride-on" cabinets. The company would continue to experiment in all genres of full-body arcade games, but none would see as strong a legacy as its motorcycle games.

As the motorcycle is one of few vehicles both fast-moving enough to provide for interesting gameplay and scenarios, and small enough to utilize in a full-moving cabinet in both an affordable and space-considerate way, many of Sega's deluxe motorcycle cabinets are considered the very best of their type. As such, Sega had acquired a considerable amount of experience in exciting full-body motorcycle games, and it was only a matter of time before the game maker would cross paths with one of the single-largest names in the motorcycle industry - Harley-Davidson.

Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders deluxe version stands as one of Sega's more developed full-body motorcycle games, featuring advanced hydraulics to simulate motion and acceleration, housed neatly inside a notably realistic motorcycle body (one larger than the standard cabinet, and more accurately representing an actual motorcycle.) The motorcycle itself is seated before a large 50-inch projection monitor, and players steer and accelerate with the the attached full-size handlebars. Up to four cabinets can be connected for multiplayer games.

Gameplay

In Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders, the player rides one of five Harley-Davidson models through three, four, or five stages, with the number of stages determined by the machine's settings. The objective is to complete a series of checkpoints around Los Angeles under a time limit. The CPU randomly determines the checkpoint location and course route. The player also has to collect many hidden items, such as "tokens" that resemble the Harley-Davidson logo, in order to earn bonus points. Tokens are worth 1,000 to 100,000 points, with more valuable tokens being hidden in obscure areas. Occasionally, the player will find special colored tokens floating around, which award 5 or 10 seconds of bonus time.

During gameplay, the player has the ability to choose from three different camera angles, select several different music pieces (some of which were recycled from other AM1-developed games such as Dynamite Baseball and Sega Ski Super G), and honk the bike with the start button. Like in any motorcycle racing game, the player can use Automatic or Manual Transmission. With Manual Transmission the player has to shift gears via his/her left hand-grip.

Motorcycles

Each motorcycle (and its corresponding rider) features a different ending and failure animations. Depending on the player's progress through the game, the announcer will shout either "Don't worry!" or "Try again!"

	FLSTF Fat Boy
	Default song: Beyond the Horizon
	A silver FLSTF Fat Boy driven by Rick, a blonde-haired man from Wisconsin (where Harley-Davidson originated) who wears a black leather jacket and black jeans.
	FL Panhead 1948
	Default song: Cowboys on the Freeway
	A yellow FL Panhead 1948 driven by Scott, a cowboy from Texas who wears a western-style natural leather jacket and light blue shirt. His motorcycle is the slowest of all available characters.
	FXDWG Dyna Wide Glide
	Default song: Boss the Roadmaster
	A blue FXDWG Dyna Wide Glide driven by Dave, an overweight motorcycle gang member from South Dakota, who wears a denim vest, bandana, and aviator sunglasses. The FXDWG and its rider are featured in virtually all the game's official artwork and promotional material.
	XL 1200S Sportster 1200 Sport
	Default song: L.A. Blue Sky
	A red XL 1200S Sportster 1200 Sport driven by Anne, a blonde-haired woman from Florida who wears a black vest bearing the Sportster logo. Her motorcycle is one of the best of all available characters, boasting excellent handling and acceleration.
	FXRP
	Default song: Head for the Wild World
	A white FXRP police motorcycle driven by Suzy, a brown-haired police officer. Her motorcycle is the fastest of all available characters, and replaces the standard horn with a toggleable police siren.

History

A Dreamcast port of Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders was once planned and appears to have developed to a point that review copies were sent to the gaming press, but ultimately went unreleased.

Production credits

Main article: Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders/Production credits.

Digital manuals

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  US manual (standard)

Magazine articles

Main article: Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders/Promotional material.

Physical scans

Model 3, US (standard)
Manual

Model 3, US (deluxe)
Manual

Model 3, JP (standard)

Model 3, JP (deluxe)

Photo gallery

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  Twin cabinet

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  Deluxe cabinet