Harley-Davidson: A Legendary Ride Through Time

Harley and Lada may seem worlds apart, but they share a common thread – complex model codes and a wide range of products closely related to each other. While our Russian standards employ digital puzzles, like 21093 or 2191, Harley uses letter rebuses. My first ride was on the Harley-Davidson FXDL Dyna Low Rider. The last two letters in the model code are the model’s initials, ‘X’ denotes a front wheel with a diameter of 19 or 21 inches, and ‘F’… there it is, gleaming with the ribs of air cooling – ‘F’ stands for a big V-twin.

My Dyna is a radiant redhead, not too tall, with sturdy “legs” and an array of shiny ornaments. In Russia, there are five more modifications available, but they mostly differ in terms of style. For example, the Dyna Wide Glide struts its stuff with a chopper-like extended front wheel and tall handlebars, while the Fat Boy closely resembles the heavier Softail line of motorcycles.

As for the Low Rider version, it lives up to its name; even I, at 188 cm, transform into a not-so-tall rider – the soft seat hovers just 66 cm above the ground. With the help of a tool, you can adjust the handlebars or remove the rear section of the seat for a more comfortable position. However, Harley-Davidson’s fairly high footpegs still force taller riders to perch somewhat uncomfortably.

I see my reflection in the chromed fuel tank cap, in the headlamp housing, and the upper fork brace. The only thing I can’t find is where to insert the ignition key. It turns out, the lock’s cylinder is on the left, snugly positioned between the cylinders at a 45° angle.

The Twin Cam 103 is Harley’s most modern engine, just four years old. However, even this advanced Harley engine is bottom-mounted and air-cooled. It’s fully aluminum with a pair of camshafts, and the digital index “103” represents the displacement in cubic inches, which translates to 1690 cc in familiar cubic centimeters.

I bring the Dyna to life with the key, press the starter button. Bububuh-bubuh – the cacophonous exhaust note reminds me of Subaru’s flat-four “boxer” engines, and there’s too much mechanical noise around the cylinders. Harley enthusiasts complain: “Back when we had a single gear-driven camshaft, the noise was just right, but with the chain drive, it turned into a barely noticeable rustle.” They also criticize the engine’s mounting via rubber isolators instead of rigid mounts as in the past. In my opinion, there are still too many vibrations, and I wouldn’t call them positive. Moreover, as the revs climb, mechanical disturbances don’t fade into the background. The stock exhaust system on the Dyna doesn’t deliver that “classic” stirring Harley-Davidson motorcycle sound, but then, aren’t they bought for their sound and style? And they are bought quite well: in the United States, the company holds slightly over half of the 300,000-plus motorcycle market with engine displacements over 600 cc.

There are no groundbreaking engineering solutions here. Like the old Zhiguli cars, Harley-Davidson motorcycles have changed very little over the decades. The Dyna’s foundation is a tubular steel frame and a conventional, non-inverted telescopic fork. Harley motorcycles from Milwaukee were the same thirty or forty years ago, so there’s no need to be surprised that the handling is somewhat loose in corners. Let’s consider it part of the image; remove a bit of that roughness from Harley, and it ceases to be iconic. We’re used to criticizing marketers for turning modern cars into a monotonous gray mass, and here, we have engineering conservatism. Everyone can feel like Captain America or some other rebel from the sixties.

A little more, and I’ll start causing some trouble too! Well, how long do I have to wait for the green light?

This Twin Cam engine is a hot item. Its powerful cylinders generously envelop the lower part of your body with hot air, and the oil tank located under the seat will cook you to a “well done” state. Now I’m actually grateful there’s no wind protection on the Dyna; it helps me cool down faster.

The comfortable city cruising speed conveniently aligns with the legal limit for motorcycles in Russia – 90 km/h. But after an hour, my back still starts to ache, and after two hours, right at the end of the second fuel tank, I switched from the Dyna to the Harley-Davidson FLSTF Softail Fat Boy.

This is what Arnold Schwarzenegger rode in the second Terminator movie. For me, the Fat Boy, also known as “Tolstyak” (The Chubby One), is the quintessential Harley-Davidson motorcycle, as I’m far from the chromed chopper subculture. This bike doesn’t shine excessively, and it doesn’t make you look like a caricature. Its chubby tires (the “L” in the index denotes a 16-inch front wheel and footboard platforms), beautiful wheels with “bullet” holes along the outer contour. I step closer and feel like a rookie in training. Straighten your back, feet shoulder-width apart! This riding position demands good physical condition from the rider, so it would be wise to hit the gym before and after purchasing a Softail.

The first Softail was introduced in 1984 and became a symbol of the company’s recovery from a financial crisis, albeit not without the help of protective tariffs for imported motorcycles (yes, these tools of “tariff regulation” are widely practiced in the USA). Back then, an Evolution series engine, which is still considered the company’s most reliable engine to this day, was rigidly mounted in a steel frame.

Now it houses the same Twin Cam 103 engine as the Dyna, but with balance shafts, and it’s bolted to the frame rigidly. This is the right configuration: the vibration frequency and amplitude are now more comfortable. The Sportster sounds richer, more dramatic than the Dyna. The deep rumble at 2000 rpm transforms into the crackling of hot coals at four thousand. But it’s not a cozy fireplace; it’s a signal fire; this is how the Sportster makes its presence known. The sound here outpaces the dynamics – this hefty motorcycle (315 kg dry weight) accelerates gradually. Those big logs make you want to rev it up again and again, not just when accelerating but when decelerating too. The weak front disc seems like an auxiliary feature; the main responsibility for deceleration, though not very strong, falls on the rear brake, operated by a broad pedal, similar to a car’s brake pedal.

Initially, I couldn’t seem to find neutral on this bike. Transmission selectiveness is a weak point for all Harleys, but the Fat Boy takes the cake in this regard. By the way, the six-speed gearbox feels unnecessarily “stretched”; even in fifth gear, the Softail barely accelerates, and on the sixth, it can just about maintain a cruising speed on a straight road.

Surprisingly, the Softail handles better than the Dyna, and you can thank the thicker front fork legs for that. Plus, the Fat Boy as a whole feels more solid and rigid. The clever rear suspension – a pair of horizontal shock absorbers hidden within the swingarm to give the bike an appearance reminiscent of hardtail machines from the first half of the last century – doesn’t do much to soften sharp bumps. With its mimicry of motorcycles from the early 20th century, it might be a bit over the top. By the way, this hidden suspension is the easiest way to distinguish Softail motorcycles from the Dyna lineup.

The distinctive feature of the Sportster series, on the other hand, is its more modest dimensions. The Harley-Davidson XL 1200T Superlow is one of the entry tickets to the world of Harley, priced at 708,000 rubles (compared to 900,000 for the Low Rider and over a million for the Fat Boy). The simplest Sportster costs around 550,000 rubles. On the flip side, for about half a million, you could find a used Softail that’s three or four years old – that’s the route I’d recommend. Compared to its bigger siblings, this little guy doesn’t look very serious.

Its power plant is unique: it’s the Evolution series engine with a capacity of 1200 cc and a five-speed gearbox. However, it’s not the legendary Evo Big Twin engine that Harley enthusiasts revere, created in 1984, but rather a version that emerged two years later, the Evo Sportster. This engine sounds drier and harsher than today’s Twin Cam engines and, at idle, resembles the uneven clattering of hooves on cobblestone streets.

The performance is anything but brisk, even though the Sportster family includes smaller engines with 883 cc. The relatively lightweight (260 kg) Superlow handles easily and accurately, but in the case of Harley motorcycles, I’m not sure that’s an obvious advantage. After heavy machines, you no longer feel like you’re holding something substantial in your hands. The high-frequency vibration on the footpegs is also bothersome, as if someone is drilling holes in them all the time. Perhaps other Sportster models would be more interesting, but the Superlow didn’t capture my enthusiasm.

Another beast entirely – the legendary “Electra” – Harley-Davidson FLHTK Electra Glide Ultra Limited! The letters “H” and “T” in the index stand for “Highway Touring,” and this is a heavy touring motorcycle. It weighs almost 400 kg, and I was even scared to put it on its stand. In front of me is an automotive instrument panel, complete with a 6.5-inch multimedia screen. There’s a soft, wide seat, large mirrors, and a powerful windscreen. The engine here is significantly muffled, but the audio system sounds bright and loud. You can listen to music or news even with a closed full-face helmet at highway speeds.

And how great it was that the rain met me on the Electra! I close the side deflectors, slightly bend down behind the windshield, and stay dry! I had to bend down even without the rain; otherwise, the wind hits you in the back of the head so hard that it shakes the picture in your eyes. I must be too tall.

How unusual it is to tip such a structure into a turn! The Electra Glide leans as if it were a huge cargo ship in a storm, making it clear that this mode is not standard. The steering response is akin to that of heavy off-road SUVs. And like them, the motorcycle is not averse to setting the steering system into resonance. Initially, I thought it was my imagination. It wasn’t until I was in Belarus, on a wide highway, in a barely noticeable curve, that the motorcycle started wobbling, swinging the handlebars from side to side. Then it happened again, and to avoid any trouble, I slowed down. Pilots, and even motorists, call this phenomenon “shimmy.” In the motorcycle world, the term “wobble” is more popular, derived from the English word “wobble,” meaning “to sway or oscillate.” To reduce it, steering dampers are used, but the Electra Glide lacks them. However, there’s a specific term for this – the Harley Wobble, and it’s actively discussed on the Internet. Problems usually occurred at speeds higher than the allowed limit, so the company easily dismissed accusations. That is until the “wobble” began to affect the police versions of the Electra Glide, and one of the accidents it provoked led to the death of an officer. The frame was stiffened, the attachment of the fork and swingarm was revised, but handling issues persisted, even in the most recent Electra Glide with thick front fork legs. I’d prefer to admire this motorcycle from the sidelines – it truly looks awesome.

Surprisingly, touring models are the most popular in the world. If you’re determined to go on a long journey on a Harley, then there’s an option. It’s the FLHRSE6 CVO Road King, priced at a staggering 1,769,000 rubles (the Electra Glide is 200,000 rubles cheaper). I don’t think the Road King is worth that much as a masterpiece of motorcycle engineering, but it does ride better. The letters “CVO” stand for Custom Vehicle Operations. Harley-Davidson’s in-house tuning department, in its approach, is reminiscent of AMG: the engine is the top priority! It’s the same Twin Cam, but with an increased displacement to 1.8 liters. The power, though, is still not impressive, just 101 hp, but the torque is a whopping 158 Nm. This is the only Harley among those I’ve ridden on this journey that truly excites during acceleration. While the Electra Glide is a leisurely motorcycle, and overtaking on narrow roads should be calculated like in a regular car, the CVO Road King accelerates like a car with a good, powerful engine. And it roars just as loudly as those V8s from Affalterbach.

For me, what matters most is decent handling. Of course, there’s no sharpness here, but there are also no frightening wobbles. The only thing the CVO creators missed is setting up the suspension for smoother travel. It feels like there are no shock absorbers in the rear: either irregularities immediately make themselves felt, or they aren’t absorbed at all. When planning your trip route, pay special attention to the road conditions.

They also forgot to securely attach the left case: when it fell for the third time, it was decided to move the box to the support vehicle.

This one heats up, that one doesn’t turn, the third one has poor brakes… If not for the engineers, then Harley-Davidson’s marketers must be taking lessons! How did they manage to make such a specific product not just mass-market but also cultish? Is it all about American patriotism, where people eagerly buy American cars and motorcycles? For example, I still find charm in elderly sedans like the Ford Crown Victoria or Chevrolet Impala. They also handle and brake mediocrely. But motorcycles with such flaws don’t warm my heart for some reason. Perhaps it’s because I lack the life experience necessary for Harleys – I never disassembled an Izh, I wasn’t a Jawa enthusiast… I was very young at the time!

It’s a shame that our journey didn’t include an atypical Harley-Davidson V-Rod motorcycle. It was introduced in 2001 and became something like the “Vos’merka” for AvtoVAZ in the mid-80s. Just like with the Togliatti novelty, Porsche engineers helped create the V-Rod: they developed and refined the Revolution engine. It’s also a V-twin, but with liquid cooling, overhead camshafts, and a 60-degree cylinder angle.

Maybe the V-Rod is the Harley-Davidson for me?

Photo: Harley-Davidson

This is a translation. You can read an original artickle here: Первое «ездовое» знакомство Владимира Мельникова с Харлеями, причем почти со всеми и сразу