Harley Achieves Cult Classic Success with FXR
Daily Slideshow: Once called the 'Ugly Glide,' the FXR is now a sought-after motorcycle.
Distinctions
“Separating the men from the boys” was the provocative advertising slogan that launched the 1982 FXR Super Glide II. Harley-Davidson's one-sided marketing imperative was simple and challenged a rider's consumer choice at a very fundamental level. The obvious implication was that the imports of the day were lesser machines meant for juveniles — an implication that was somewhat true.
Chosen One
Name calling aside, the Motor Company had a real reason to brag in the early-1980s. The FXR was a new design that is still considered to be the best handling platform that Harley-Davidson has ever produced. The new Softail line-up could challenge this distinction, but it will take decades before another Harley-Davidson earns the almost cult-like status enjoyed by the FXR — if ever.
Photo courtesy of V-Twin Visionary
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All About Looks
The FXR platform was phased out in 1994 but was revived in a limited-run from 1998-2000 as the FXR2, FXR3, and FXR4. Despite its popularity, and the renewed desirability some twenty years later, the FXR had a less-than-auspicious beginning. In an ironic twist, the FXR was criticized as being too 'Japanese-looking' in its design, yet the central motive behind the FXR was to compete with the onslaught of Japanese imports.
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FX Heritage
Because of its excellent handling, the FXR became a strong, and necessary, contender in a saturated motorcycle market. The FXR's secret to success was its frame. Based on the new rubber-mounted 1980 FLT Tour Glide frame, the design followed the same concept as the 1971 FX Super Glide, considered to be the first 'factory-custom' that married the FL touring chassis with an XL frontend.
Photo courtesy of Hot Bike
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Build Orders
The path to the FXR started with a request from Harley-Davidson CEO Vaughn Beals to build a “no-apologies Harley,” one that would handle and be reliable. Under the direction of Steve Pertsch, a small team of engineers who had designed the FLT set out to build what had been described as a “vibration-isolated sportbike,” with 'sport' being a relative term.
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Chassis Program
Internally, the FXR was dubbed an 'engineer's bike.' In a somewhat unprecedented approach, the team of engineers, christened 'Team FXR,' were left to their own devices — unfettered by the Styling Department. While the engineers had free reign, they quickly determined that given their budget and allotted time, the FXR would have to follow the same path of development as the FX Super Glide.
Photo courtesy of V-Twin Visionary
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Early Issues
As a prototype, 'Team FXR' put a Narrow Glide front end on an FLT frame, but there was a problem. As engineer Rit Booth explained, “If you ever want to see an ugly motorcycle, put an XL front end on an FLT. It was really unbelievable!” Described as 'aesthetically-challenged,' the FLT platform was cannibalized for its rubber-mounted powertrain, and swingarm-mounted transmission.
Photo courtesy of Roland Sands Design
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Proving Grounds
Part of the FXR lore is the input of engineer Erik Buell. Notably, it was Buell's electronic chassis testing program that contributed to the FXR being the lightest weight and stiffest frame of any Big Twin. The result was a computer-designed, all-welded frame that had a massive box-section backbone, thicker diameter tubing, and generous gusseting around the steering head.
Photo courtesy of V-Twin Visionary
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Trade Off
Originally nicknamed the 'Ugly Glide,' the FXR soon earned the reputation as a 'rider's motorcycle.' The FXR’s least popular feature was the odd-shaped covers used to hide the battery and oil tank, but the triangulated sections gave the frame its strength. As Mark Tuttle, Chief Engineer of Motorcycles explained about the FXR's handling, “You could run it into a corner and tip it over to oblivion and it just all worked.”
Photo courtesy of V-Twin Visionary
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Touring Package
Among the many variants of the FXR was the touring version or FXRT Sport Glide. Originating from the shelved 'Nova Project,' the Sport Glide featured a frame-mounted fairing, 'clamshell-opening' hard bags. The FXRP police model used the same fairing, but with rectangular 'Defender' hard bags in a tubular steel rack. The FXRP was produced from 1982-1993 and saw the introduction of the Evolution motor to the Motor Company line-up.
Photo courtesy of Big Bear Choppers
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Replacement
By the early-1990s the Dyna chassis was in development. Part of the FXR's success was the lighter stamped-steel parts, but in an era, before robotic welding, the frames were assembled by hand, which was costly. The disliked triangular side covers have now become a signature icon among Harley-Davidson owners. The 'foreign' association is mostly an irrelevant point among a younger generation of riders who seek out old FXRs as an affordable entry to riding Big Twins.
Photo courtesy of V-Twin Visionary
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