Cycle News

Cycle News 2019 Issue 20 May 21

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1119655

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 94 of 137

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 suppos- edly 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 cen- tury (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 2 019 H A R L E Y- D AV I D S O N F X D R 114 FIRST REVIEW P94

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Cycle News - Cycle News 2019 Issue 20 May 21