FIRST REVIEW
Who wants a sporty Harley? It's a question that's
been asked since time immemorial, or at least since
the 1950s. The original Sporty Harley, the Sportster,
was supposedly considered a precursor to the
modern superbike. Its continued presence in Harley's
lineup is a testament to its success. In the late 70's,
ol' Willie G tried to get in touch with the Sportster's
roots, while tapping into a trend with the Cafe
Racer. It was a total flop, but—like most flops—has a
dedicated cult fan base to this day. The Super Glide
Sport was a modest success at the turn of the century
(again, spawning a cadre of dedicated fanboys),
while the VRSCR Street Rod (not to be confused with
the current Street Rod) was a VRod spinoff that went
absolutely nowhere. Some would say the tumultuous
couple decades of Harley's ownership of Buell says
much the same thing: It's a niche within a niche.
Which brings us to the FXDR 114. It looks like a
stripped-down custom, popular the last decade or so.
It cuts a profile like a cut-down Fat Bob: more bobbed,
one less headlight, pipes tucked in more. But, despite
starting with the bigger version of H-D's Milwaukee
Eight motor (bored and stroked out for seven more
cubic inches over the base model), and despite being a
cruiser (ish), the bike was designed for performance.
A HARLEY WITH
A TAIL SECTION?
A SOFTTAIL OPTIMIZED
FOR PERFORMANCE
Story and Photos by Billy Bartels
HARLEY-DAVIDSON
FXDR
2019
CYCLE NEWS CRUISER BUYERS GUIDE
