I am not new to bikes but new to Harley's. I never learned the difference between the bikes. I think I understand the sportster, is the entry level HD built on the old racing bike, the hard tail is the old solid frame from the early years, and the soft tail is the same lines as the HT but with a suspension hidden in it. Is this correct and then where does the Dyna, fat boy and others come in? Thanks in advance.

 

The Dyna is the next step up from the Sportsters. Like the Super Glide. There's several to choose from.

The Fat Boy is in the Softtail family.

Next up is the Touring family, the Trikes, and the CVOs.

Spend some time at www.harley-davidson.com and you'll learn the families and their members.

 

Hardtail VS. Softail.
Hardtail is referred to as a rigid, basically the rear wheel is attached directly to the frame. The suspension is in the seat on many models, such as early Harleys.

"Softail" refers to a motorcycle that has rear shocks or suspension of some kind. The wheel is attached to a swingarm which is attached to the frame. Spring seats can still be used, and often times are, but the primary suspension is in the frame.

Harley models:
Sportster- The smallest bike in Harley Davidson's current lineup. They are known for handling well and having a nice power to weight ratio. They are fast and nimble, and are often owned by riders who also own bigger Harley Davidson motorcycles. Currently, H-D makes two primary Sportsters, an 883 cubic centimeter engine, and a 1200, although the models are broken into sub models such as the Custom, Nightster, Iron, Forty Eight, etc. These are mostly design changes, the engines are the same, accept for the ER1200 which has a little increase in power.

Dynas are the next step up to the H-D line. They feature a completely different engine that is also found in the cruisers and touring models. The transmission is also upgraded over the Sportster.

Softails are considered "cruisers". They have a rear suspension system, and are found in Deluxe, Heritage, Springer, etc. models.

Road King is the first step into the "touring" bike. It features an air suspension and your choice of hard or leather saddlebags, depending on the model. They are designed for longer range riding. Currently, the Road King has a 103 cubic inch motor and six speed transmission, although they are upgradable with the Screamin' Eagle package. Previous years had the 96' motor, which replaced the 88" and the 80" before that.

Ultra Glide is the model that was deigned for long road trips. It has the same engine as the Road King, air suspension, a batwing fairing that houses more complex gauges and a radio, larger storage compartment areas, and a captain's chair style passenger seat.

TriGlide is the trike version of the Harley Davidson touring models. It, as stated, is a trike. Unlike other models, the TriGlide has more storage and a reverse gear.

More common terminology
HydroGlide
Hydraulically actuated front suspension, available from 1949 (I believe) through current models, although newer models do not refer to themselves as HydroGlides, as earlier bikes did).
Springer front end
A mechanically operated front fork that has external, serviceable springs to operate the wheel travel.
Panhead- Harley engine that had flat, round heads that looked similar to frying pans turned upside down. In 1948 the Pan replaced the Knucklehead as the primary engine.
Knucklehead- Harley motors produced until 1948 that featured knuckle shaped rocker boxes.
Metric- Asian motorcycles produced from Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, etc.
Mid controls- foot controls that are located under the rider's legs.
Forward controls- Controls that have been extended forward to give the rider a more laid out feel, sort of like putting your feet up on an ottoman.
Rear controls (XR1200 models only)- controls that tuck the rider's feet behind the legs.

 

It helps to think of them as different "families" of bikes, Sportster family, Dyna family, Softail family, Touring family, and I gues trikes.. Pick a bike model and it falls into one of those families. Then each model is a refinement within that family.

 

Wow, this could be a long post. In short; the sportster started in 1952 as the flat head K. In 1957 the K got OHV's and the sportster name. The "Big Twins" started in '37 with the Knucklehead. Over the years it got upgrades, the Hydro glide, the Duo glide and the Electro glide. Engines were updated, Panhead, Shovelhead, Evo and Twin cam. In 1971 the FX Super glide came out as a custom, a mix of FL and XL. Over the years the FX, FXR, and others evolved into today's FXD line. The softail is new, coming out with the Evo in1984 with the FXST and FLST in 1986. All the models in each line are a mix and match of parts to make each a little different.

 

Try this link! http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/C...p?locale=en_US