Birth of the Factory Cruiser
For 2006, Harley also offers a 35th-Anniversary version of the Super Glide. For an additional $4600, you get passenger accommodations, special badging and a red-white-and-blue paint scheme that harks back to the first rendition of the Super Glide.
When unveiled in 1970 as a '71 model, the FX Super Glide was a revelation. For the first time, a factory had styled a production-line motorcycle to mimic what owners were doing to their own Glides when they got them home. Instead of the bulky, wide style of the touring-oriented Harley 1200s, the new FX lightened up with the uncovered front end of the XL Sportster including its narrower 19-inch wheel, briefer fender, and little headlight. Mated to the big FL touring-style frame, the lighter front end created the impression of a very powerful, dynamic motorcycle. Harley's then-new VP of styling, Willie G. Davidson, also came up with the bike's most distinctive piece, the long seat base and tail section with its recessed taillight, sometimes called the "boattail." Although it proved unpopular and was discontinued, we have heard from many readers who think it should have been revived for the 3500 35th-Anniversary bikes. Some are even making their own versions.
With or without the boattail, the commemorative versions are sure to be much nicer motorcycles than the original. I remember being almost disappointed in 1971 when I discovered that my 350cc Kawasaki twin could easily outrun the big, tough-looking Harley. When I rode one a couple of years later, it occurred to me that if you could somehow harness all the energy that went into making it vibrate and use it to drive the rear wheel, it would be much more fun to ride. Literally everything on the current Super Glide works much better than on the original, though smoothing out the vibration with rubber engine mounts would probably top my list. I kind of like the single muffler of the original, though.
The success of that first Super Glide paved the way for all the Dynas and Softails of today. Though the 2006 Super Glide, like other Dynas, has been completely divorced from the Touring chassis, the 2006 model is obviously the ancestor of the 1971 machine. As additional "custom" models were introduced and saw strong acceptance, the whole cruiser idea took wing and eventually became the bulk of Harley's model line.
Harley wasn't alone in its realization that styling its bikes to follow what American customers were doing to them might have some showroom appeal. That same year, Norton rolled out the Hi-Rider, a variant of its 750 Commando, featuring a very high handlebar and a banana seat that climbed up the short sissybar at the rear. However, while the Harley cruiser looked long, strong and relaxed, the Norton managed to appear short, tall, and awkward-more like a parody of a Schwinn Sting-Ray than a streetwise motorcycle. It probably didn't help that Nortons were regarded as sporting machines and tended to attract buyers who viewed such non-functional changes with disdain. Few Hi-Riders were ever sold, though it stayed in the line for a while. (Maybe it was the name; Harley Low Riders would have done much better.) However, it outlasted another Commando model, the high-piped Scrambler, which was introduced about the same time, but quickly disappeared. Norton itself went under in 1976.
It would be a few years before the Japanese, starting with the Kawasaki 900 LTD of 1976, began to show interest in the "factory custom" (a self-contradiction if there ever was one). By that time, though, the idea was already regarded as "copying Harley," even though Harley had largely taken its styling ideas from customers. After trying on several other terms, the "cruiser" name was universally adopted by the early 1990s.-- Art Friedman
2006 H-D Dyna Super Glide
Designation: FXDI
Suggested base price: $12,195
Standard color: Black
Optional colors: Silver, blue or red, add $285; 35th-Anniversary version, add $4600
Standard warranty: 24 mos., unlimited miles
Engine & Drivetrain
Type: Air-cooled 45-degree tandem V-twin
Valve arrangement: 1 intake, 1 exhaust valve, operated by pushrods with hydraulic adjusters
Displacement, bore x stroke: 1450cc, 95.2 x 101.5mm
Carburetion: EFI
Transmission: Wet clutch, 6 speeds
Final drive: Belt
Chassis
Seat height: 27.6 in.
Wheelbase: 64.2 in.
Wet weight: 665 lbs.
Overall length: 92.8 in.
Rake: 29 degrees
Trail: 4.7 in.
Wheels: Cast alloy, 19 x 2.50 front, 17 x 4.50 rear
Front tire: 100/90-19 Dunlop D401F tubeless
Rear tire: 160/70B16 Dunlop D401 tubeless
Front brake: 4-piston caliper, 11.8-in. discs
Rear brake: 4-piston caliper, 11.5-in. disc
Front suspension: 49mm stanchions, 5.0 in. travel
Rear suspension: 2 dampers, 4.1 in. travel, adjustable for spring preload
Fuel capacity: 4.8 gal.
Electrical & Instrumentation
Charging output: 439 watts
Battery: 12v, 19 AH
Forward lighting: 5.5-in. 55/60-watt reflector-optic headlight, position lights
Taillight: Single bulb
Instruments: Speedometer, fuel gauge, LCD odometer/dual tripmeters; warning lights for high beam, left and turn signals, neutral, oil pressure, low fuel, engine failure
Performance
Fuel mileage: 38 to 47 mpg, 44.6 mpg average
Average range: 214 miles
Quarter-mile acceleration: 13.52 sec., 97.9 mph
60-80 mph acceleration: 7.6 sec.