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/128008
ket, w hich wa s previously kn own as the heav yweight segment. The Deuce appear s cap able of setting tha t same tone for the next cen tury. At its heart is w hat is already being called the second ge neration of the Twin Cam 88 powerplant. Known as the Twin Cam 88B, the air-cooled, 1450cc V-tw in has su p pla nted its Evolution for efather in a rather u niqu e wa y, p rovid ing the m ost vi bration-fr ee rid e eve r ex pe rienced on a Softail th rou gh the use of an all-new cha in-d riven cou nterbalancing system, which p laces th e balan cers in fro n t of an d behind th e cranks haf t to ca ncel the un want ed harmon ics of the eng ine 's massive pistons and rods . . An a ll-ne w ch assis was n eeded to in co rpo rat e the TC88B' s rath er flu id engine / transmission configu ratio n, and the new design gains 34 percent gre ater rigid ity thanks to the u se of a thick recta ng u la r ba ckbone a nd ma ss iv e s tee l down tubes. It also incorporates a steering head lock that uses the same key as the ignition. The engine and transmission have also been dropped in the chassis and moved forward fora bet ter cen- . ter of gravity and improved handling. The five-speed tra nsmission is all-new, fe aturin g a new di e-ca st case and red esign ed internals to im prove the shift quality, performance and durability. Out. back, th e rear swi ngarm has been widened and the drive b elt narrow ed in order for the Deuce to accommodate a new 17-inch rear tire and cus- ยท t om wheel combo, and new rear su s pension bushings are designed to improve the qua lity of Softail's ride. In the braking department, the Softail will r eceive th e sa me all -new 290mm four-p iston units that were introduced earlier in the year on the Dyna, FL and XL lines. The new binders are designed to offer mo re power and better feel with far less effort. Both th e front and rear wheels feature a new sealed bearing system which is m or e resista nt to water, a nd is d esigned to last 100,000 m iles before needing service. The Deuce's custom touches include a stacked shotgun exhaus t, new fenders a nd fully triple clamps, flat bars a nd ch ro me d "Coke bottle" fro n t for ks. It also features a Harl ey-Davidson first in the form of a new stre tche d fuel tank w ith an integ rated chro me instrument panel. A distinctly styled coil cover and a flush taillight add to the "new millennium custom" looks of the bik e. The Deuce is available in Vivid Black, Aztec Orange Pearl and severa l new 2000 mod el -year col ors: Sinis ter Blu e Pearl, Diamond Ice Pea rl, Lu xury Rich Red , Con cord Purple, Two-Ton e Sinister Blue / Dia mon d Ice, Tw o-Tone Az tec O range / Dia mond Ice a nd Two-Tone Luxury Rich Red /Vivid Black. Suggested retail pricing starts at $15,995 for the 49-state mod el in black, and $16,285 for the California model in black. Also re turning to the Softail line u p, with the same mechanical and technologica l ch anges as th e FXSTD Softail . Deuce, are th e FXST Sof tail Standard, FXSTB Night Tra in , FXSTS Sprin ger, FLSTS He ritage Sp rin ge r, FLSTC Her" itage Softail and FLSTF Fat Boy. for th e 49-state model, and $13,735 for the Ca lifornia mo de l. Ever y Dyna model will also feature th e n e w four-pi ston brake s, sea le d w heel bearings, a revised electrical system and the new secondary drive belt. The FXD Su per Glid e will also receive the XR flat track-style bars that are standard on the FXDX. . Rejoining the FXD and the FXDX ar e the FXDWG Dyn a Wide Glide, FXDSCONV Dyna Convertible and FXDL Dyna Low Rider. XL Just because the Sportster family is the last hold out for the venerable Evoluti on engin e, d on 't think th at H arl eyDavidson was content to leav e its entrylevel line alon e. Headin g the fam il y is a r es ty led XL1200C Sportster 1200 Custom, which featu res a new 4.4-gall on fuel tank wi th a laser-e ngra ve d s tai n less-s teel tr im p anel, an aircraft-st yle filler cap and a . g lass- fire d ta n k m ed alli on. Th e increased fuel capacity allows the Spo rtster 1200 Cu stom rid er to travel 33 percen t fa rth e r tha n b e fo r e , a n d a redesig ned sea t has been added to ge t that rider there in comfort. Th e XL1200S Sports te r 1200 Spo rt returns, with a mod el-specific cha nge in the fo rm of a new , sa tin fini sh, black ceramic-coa ted exhaust system . As for the r est of the Sports ter fa m il y, the whole lineup receives the new four-piston b rake system, and th e XL powertrain has been beefed u p, featuring a new pressed -in crank pin, steel-body lifters and red esigned tappet blocks. In the tranny , second gear has been modified to provide a smoother tran sit ion between first gear and third gear. Besides the XL1200C Sportster 1200 Custom a nd XL1200S 5portster 1200 Sport, th e XL lineup i n cl u d es the XLH883 Sp ortster 883, XLH883 Sportster 883 Hugger, XL883C Sportster 883 Cu stom and XLH Sportster 1200. FL In the touring class, the FL family w ill a t leas t benefi t from many of th e cha nges found on th e rest of th e pl atforms. All FLs feature the ne w four-pi st on brake system a nd u nifo rm exp and ing r otors . N ew h ollow-spoke ca st-alu mi num alloy wheels ar e ligh ter, in ad d ition to p rovi d ing a new styling cue. The reducti on in unsprun g weigh t shou ld aid in acceleration, and the new wheels are designed to be easie r to clean. They t oo fe a tu re H arl e y -Da vid s on' s new sealed bearin g system. . All FLs feat ure a new mai nten an cefree sea led bat tery, providing enhanced (Above) Harley-Davidson put more sport in the FXDX Super Glide Sport for 2000. The award-winning machine rece ives the new brake package and fully adjustable front and rear suspension. (Below) Don't call me lillie: The XL1200C Sportster Custom features a welcome add ition in the form of a new 4.4-gallon fuel tank for extended-range cruising. cranking p ower and longer life. T he seal ed unit no longer requires an overflow tub e. El ectra Glides b en efi t fr om a red esig ned seat for improved long-haul comfort, while both th e Elect ra Glide and Road Glide models p ick up th e ele ctronic speedometer previously used on the Road King. All Road Kings wi ll ha ve n arrower h andleb ars . th is yea r, and the standard Road King will once aga in be availabl e with electro nic fuelinjectio n. The 2000 FL lineup co nsis ts of th e FLHTCUI Ultr a Classic (fuel-i njected ), FLH RCI Road King Classic (fue l-injected ), FLHTCI Electra Glid e Cla ssic (fuelinjected), FLTRI Road Glide (fuel-injected) , FLH RI Road Kin g (fuel-in jected ), FLHTC Electra Glid e, FLTR Road Glide, FLHR Road King and the FLHT Electra CN Glide Standard. DYNA The ground- b reaking FXDX Super Glide Sport continues to head the Dyna family for the year 2000, bu t with even mo re improvemen ts. The n ew FXDX featu res fu lly ad just abl e front and rea r su spension, along wi th a wid er rear tire, narrower secondary d rive belt, a fre eflowing cera mic-coa ted exha us t system and new cast alloy w hee ls wra pp ed in agg ressi ve s po r t-co m po u n d rubbe r . Suggested base retail prices are $13,450 31