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/126997
Harley-Davidson 's newest Electra Glide, the FLHS Sport. By Electra Glide standards. the FLHS is sporty. Test: Harley-Davidson FLHS Electra Glide Sport Heavy metal fun machine By Jerry Smith It's no secret that the Harley-Davidson Mo tor Company marches to the beat of a different drummer. After all, they practically wrote the tune, having started manufactur- _ ing motorcycles back when Wilbur and Orville were still I getting the knack of thatGiven ' newfangled flying business. Harley's maverick ways, it should come as no surprise that the newest Electra Glide, the FLHS Sport, isn't endowed with pavement-rippling horsepower. nor will it humble many other motorcycles with its cornering abi lity. In fact. it isn 't at all sporty in the conventional sense , at least compared to contemporary sport bikes. But remember, the Motor Company does things its own way. By Electra Glide standards, the FLHS is sporty. The FLHS gets its sportiness by dispensi ng with some of the more elaborate FL-series touring feat ures in favor of a more spartan eq uipment list. In p lace of a handlebar- or frame-mounted fairing, fo r instance, th ere's a simple plexiglass wi ndshie ld, wi th a shape a bout as sophisticated as a ra in-warped barn door. 'Also m issing is the roomy travel ,trun k. In its place beh ind th e passenger seat is a small p latform to which soft luggage or other odds and The 19 88 FLHS has been dispensed of its elaborate FL-series touring features in favor of more spartan equipment. 32 ends may be attached at need.. T he absence of these two items actually lend the FLHS a lean, sporty look compared to its full-dress brothers. Though outward appea rances differ, the heart of the Sport stiII beats to the same rhythm as all the other Big Twins, thanks to its 1340cc Evolution vee-twin engine. Decades of refinement to Harley's trademark . 45-degree twin have resulted in the closest thing to a maintenance-free motorcycle engine yet. Traditional tune-up procedures simply don 't appl y, such as carburetor synchronization (there' s onl y one ), valv e adjustment (co nt ro lled by hydraulic lifters ), cam chain adjustment (than ks to pushrods) and ignition timing (handled by solid-state electronics). Practically all the Evolution engine asks is that you change the oil and filter as needed, keep the air filter clean and screw in a set of fresh spark plugs now and then. T he lazy m echanic's favorit e engine has a lazy personality on the road, one that grows on you as the miles go by. With a scant 5200 rpm red line, sending the Sport's tach need le scurrying into the upper reaches of the rev range is not only u nnecessary. it doesn't do much good. There's a fair amount of muscle up there, but the Evolution engine is far happier in the middle of the powerband, where its brawny torque curve can strut its stuff most effectively. For 1988 the 49-sta te 1340cc engine has a new camshaft profile which H a rl ey claims increases that torque by six percent, as well as increasing horsepower by three percent. California models, however. retain last year 's profile and output to comply with CA RB exhaust emission levels. In either trim, the Sport's engine vibration is contained by Harley's effective rubber mounting. At idle the engine's mighty throb bypasses the mounts almost completely, but above 2200 rpm things settle down considerably unt il only a muted buzz is felt through the grips or floorboards. Even at speeds In the 65-70 m ph ra nge. on ly the professiona lly pi cky wiII find themselves su bjected to enough vibration to trigger their comp lain reflexes. Rest you r foot agains t the shifter or the engine case, though. an d you' ll be reminded immediately th at there's a whole lotta shakin ' go ing on in th e engine bay. The Sport's rubber engine mo untin g o u tshines the bike's suspension co mplia nce, however, leavin g the overall comfort equation somewhat unba lanced. Bot h the front fork and the rear shoc ks have a stiff, un compliant feel, as though the idea were less to soak up the bumps than to pound them flat in passing. On smoo th roads and freeways, the Elec tra Glide Sport does indeed