Y2K Flashback on a 2000 FXSTD Softail Deuce

Cool Deuce

On the eve of a new millennium, the Motor Company released one of their most elegant designs to date. Unconcerned about an imminent Y2K technological collapse, the Softail Deuce was a cool-looking production motorcycle with a long and low profile. Produced until 2007, the twenty-first century Deuce 'chopper' is still a favorite today.

Stretched Genes

A close cousin to the Softail Standard, the operative word for Deuce styling was 'stretched.' Willie G. Davidson is particularly proud of the Deuce and he prophetically stated “This bike represents a new look for Harley-Davidson. I think you’ll see that look carried through to other models in the future.” Nothing could have been closer to the truth. Deuce genes are evident in the Rocker and the Breakout.

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Solid Modification

The Deuce received the variant Twin Cam 88B engine. Unlike the rubber-mounted Dyna and Touring platforms, Softail motors were solidly-mounted to the frame. The main reason was the looks. The rubber mounts spoiled the Softail's lines and the transmission interfered with the seat post. The Motor Company's engineers solved the issue by modifying the 88B engine block to accept twin chain-driven balance shafts, making it possible to rigid-mount the Twin Cam.

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Stiff Ride

Exclusive styling touches were the norm on the Deuce. Tucked behind a set of Screamin' Eagle mufflers is a fluted-edge solid seventeen-inch aluminum wheel wrapped in a 160-Series Dunlop tire. If there was a fault to be found with the Deuce it would be the rear suspension. Like all Softails of the era, the tucked-away shocks had a short travel, and made for a stiff ride.

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Unique Design

The gas tank is the Deuce's signature feature. The one-piece tank is different than any other Harley-Davidson tank. The stretched appearance begins with a two-inch longer backbone on which the longer, thinner teardrop tank sits. Designed especially for the Deuce, the instrument console runs the full length of the tank with its rounded edges and no visible mounting hardware.

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Perfect Details

With the Deuce as a trend-setter. From the stacked shotgun exhaust to the flush taillight, Styling Department head Louie Netz and Willie G. Davidson sweated over the details. Netz explained in a 2000 interview with Cycle World, “We worked long and hard to get all the proportions and lines just right. We fussed with some of the littlest things over and over, like the rear-fender braces. We just kept playing with the radius on those pieces until we got them absolutely perfect.”

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Superb Cruiser

The Deuce looked like a factory-custom with show bike touches, but it was a production line motorcycle. Hailed as a cutting-edge custom, the Deuce was also a performer. Cycle World test-riders stated that “This high-style, ultra-cool custom cruiser has superb handling capabilities, with agile cornering and excellent stability.” Despite the Y2K prediction, the world did not melt down at the end of 1999. But two decades later, the Deuce is still melting a few hearts.

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