Dyna Super Glide Sport...

[Limper]

This bike really appeals to me but I have very limited Harley Davidson experience. Been looking at H-Ds for a couple years. Had a chance to take a short ride on a Road King a few years ago and really liked it for comfort and attitude but, coming from a sportbike background, I'm not sure I'm ready to make a leap to a bike that size and weight. I live in California and being able to lane split is a real advantage for me. I would also like to let my inner child have a turn at the reins now and then and the Super Glide Sport seems like it would be a good choice for mild wild. My dilema is that I only have room in my budget and garage for two bikes. I'm thinking the Sport would be the do it all road bike and a DR or KLR would handle offroad camping and fishing trips.

Asking those who have had experience with the Sport:

1. Is it as versatile as it appears, per specs?
2. Do the pegs drag in corners before the fun begins?
3. Are there advantages to '04-'05 bikes as opposed to earlier models, besides fuel injection?
4. Is this bike a keeper or simply a one or two year step to a Road King or
Ultra Glide?

[rocker59]

1. Yes they're versatile.

2. Yes, coming from a sportbike background, you'll be beveling the pegs.

3. They're all pretty nice. The earlier ones had adjustable forks.

4. I'd say the bike is a keeper and not necessarily a gateway to a E-glide.

They weren't big sellers. Finding one that hasn't had forward controls and apes added might be a problem.

[CowboyKevin]

I hear they are tough to find since they were made for such a short time. I was reading in some magazine within the last month or two that they were one of the top used bike values. It is a big twin so you can keep it forever. No need to trade up or anything.

[AllanC]

I had a 1999 FXDX for three years. I don't recall having any trouble with the carbs. Plenty of power, if not really torquey. I don't really grind the pegs, but I don't think you would have any stabilty issues. The bike is heavy, but it seemed pretty well balanced. The stock seat sucked, but there was a good Corbin alternative. Pretty good brakes for a Harley. If you put on a shield and the rigidly mounted leather cases, it is as good as a Road King on the street at a fraction of the price. Didn't handle or perform nearly as well as the R1150R I traded it for, but overall, if you gotta have a Harley, this is a pretty good one. I was surprised, five years after I bought mine, that it was selling used for exactly what I paid for it.

[Spider-eyes]

I looked at one pretty seriously at the local HD dealership last year. My last bike was a Sporty, years ago, and enjoyed wrenching and modifying it.

The Harley people hated the FXDX - even though it was on their showroom floor. I liked the (kinda) adjustable suspension, better clearance and brakes of the FXDX. The HD sales types dissed the bike, saying, "It was made for the European market and not a real American bike," and "It just isn't really accepted by the Harley community."

Actually, the FXDX was what I was looking for but the salesman's harping on the "European Market" reminded me of the short but glorious ride I had in '84 on an R-90S.

I was denied a ride on the dealer's FXDX due to "our insurance liability." A half hour later, I was at the local BMW dealership looking at an R1150R. "Take it for a spin, if you like," said the BMW guy.

The FXDX had no provisions for heated grips, vest plug-in, nor recharger connection. The FXDX had those God-awful forward controls and a ton of chrome shit that the dealer would not remove for credit. But I really liked the FXDX's looks. Really.

In the end, I chose the R1150R. The Roadster was designed as a two-up vehicle. It has a huge load capacity. It is often used in Europe as a "family vehicle" as we would use a Civic. You can't buy much chrome for the Roadster but you can buy a bunch of real-world useable stuff for it. I feel like I've moved up to a Porsche from an MG-A. I finally have enough to pay for whatever bike I want and I decided to move up to BMW.

That said, I am currently looking for an older HD classic to restore. Harleys are really nice hobby bikes.

[smilin' johnny]

It's a really nice bike. Real shocks on a Harley are quite a concept. If you're considering a bagger in the future, might want to look for a Dyna T-sport. Has the bags on it, but with the good parts of the straight dyna sport.

I've had and ridden HD's, and there really is nothing like them. If you've got the bug, nothing else will do. I'm just biding my time 'til I go back.

[eoR]

I miss my 2000 FXDX. No it wasn't a sport bike, but I had allot of fun on it. I would still have it if it had been more comfortable for me.

When they discontinued the model in 2005, the demand for used FXDX's and the prices they commanded surged a bit, but it seems to have returned to "normal" levels now...meaning that there aren't allot of them out there, but they are still hard to sell and don't bring much compared to other H-D models.

It was not a well-liked model...a shame since I believe it was the best bike that Harley made. It was a cruiser you could actually RIDE. The suspension was good, the brakes worked, the engine was blacked out, and with some rejetting or ECM reflashing and after market exhaust it was capable of running pretty well. A Harley dealer once told me that the FXDX was a riders' bike. I agree.

The seating position is odd... the drag bars with minimal pullback force your upper body into a sporty forward lean, but the footpegs [while not forward] aren't really far enough back to comfortably accommodate for the upper body's forward cant. The resulting stress on my lower back and the "humpback" effect on my upper back made it a 100-150 mile bike for me....and that wasn't enough.

I've seen people do some horrendous things to FXDX's trying to make them more comfortable or bling them out out.... ape hangers, forward controls, chrome, etc. When you do that, it's no longer a Sport.

I also owned a Dyna Superglide and two Electra Glide Classics. I settled on a Road King as the best compromise between the weight and bland comfort of the Electra Glides and the sportier Dynas. The Road King certainly doesn't have the Anti-Harley Harley feel of the FXDX but it is a bike I can tour on and it handles well enough to keep me entertained on the back roads. I'm fortunate enough to have another bike for sportier riding.

I have absolutely no doubt that if you think you would like a Superglide Sport, you will. However, I also think that after you put a couple thousand miles on it, you will likely want something a little more comfortable or long haul capable unless you have something else in the stable with those characteristics.

I do miss the FXDX, though....

[Fireball]

I love my '02...it fits me like a glove. Just under 100K, I've ridden it cross country 5 times. I do all my own work - it couldn't be easier and most of the special tools can be fabbed from scrap. It's never left me stranded and I'll never get rid of it...

[scapegoat]

One way I like to look at riding my Dyna is that fact I can outride its abilities and intended usage, this thrills me, grinding the pipes,pegs etc. The other side is buying a bike that I couldent, and most cant ride to even near its full potential and feeling like an idiot trying. The dyna isnt a R1 or a bagger,It wont make you wanna but a bagger or goldwing eventually. To me its like riding a tractor powered, near 0 maintence good all around object. Theres nothing more gratifing than smoking some dork on a ricer that thinks he`s the cats meow and your on a 650lb pig in your NATGATT. Since the twin cams in 99 not alot has changed really, however the 07s are 6 speed 96 CI not 88. Also I think they corrected the cam chain tensioner guide issue.

[coffee_brake5]

Here's what my '03 FXDX can do!

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/cremepuf...804197054836/0

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/cremepuf...804197073797/1

And check this out, too: http://www.tiny.cc/l8ACr
These were taken at Deal's Gap.
Don't buy it to re-sell it at cost. Buy it because it's the most performance-oriented Harley you can buy. The last year was, I think, 2004. This is no Road King; it is no pig, it can lane split. Nothing else HD makes handles so well, and there's no Dyna with double disc brakes made now.
Also consider one of the FXDP Dyna Police models. Same great brakes, little more lean angle, and butt-ugly but very large bags with engine guards built in! And they're going cheap, too!

My dealership here in GA is very cool with allowing test rides to licensed riders. Maybe things have changed: My Harley is a finely made, low-maintenance machine, and leather, half helmets, and a bad attitude/drug habit/holier-than-thou outlook are not necessarily a part of owning one.

[rocker59]

the way you'll usually find an FXDX:


the way they should be:

[twinrider]

Originally Posted by eoR

I
The seating position is odd... the drag bars with minimal pullback force your upper body into a sporty forward lean, but the footpegs [while not forward] aren't really far enough back to comfortably accommodate for the upper body's forward cant. The resulting stress on my lower back and the "humpback" effect on my upper back made it a 100-150 mile bike for me....and that wasn't enough.
I do miss the FXDX, though....

I know what you mean about the position having ridden a friend's FXD. There is a solution though. Add the FXDXT's touring seat and some handlebars that pull back a little closer to the rider and the awkward position is eliminated. I rode an FXDXT set up like this and it was brilliant.

[cbig]

I have an FXD with the added parts that make it a FXDX minus the front double disks..

-I can regularly do double the posted speed limit on a curve with ease before scraping something. Pegs on left, pipe on right. THe way to eliminate the right side problem is a 2 in 1 exaust. Works wonders!
-Seat and bars will make all the difference
-The FXDX can be whatever you want it to be- so for me it saves me money by not having to buy another bike when I get tired of the layout on mine. Strip it down = cruiser Put the bags back on, detatchable winshield = passable ,some guys put on the little cafe' fairing .. All this stuff is in boxes so at a whim I change it and find some new aspect of the bike to enjoy.
-Maintenance - This is my second Harley product. (36k on the clock) My first was a Buell M2 Cyclone. I put 43k on the Buell before I traded it for the KTM950. Not a lick of trouble either bike other than a battery! Can't say that about my KTM or any of my previous Jap bikes..People bitchin' and snivilin' about Harley stuff don't know what they are talking about. It's so easy to work on its almost comical... like the older VW engines..
-Parts are everywhere. Literally. Before a Sunday ride I once crunched the intake manifold gasket putting my carb back in. Found one at Autozone! Beat that!
-Harleys vibrate at low speed, but they don't buzz like a Jap bike or a KTM. This buzz bugs me, makes my hands numb. Harleys don't.

I love my KTM, my DRZ400, but there's just something subliminal about riding your Harley through a place like Yellowstone or the mountains northeast of it on that Harley...You be come one at peace with the bike, throbbing away, doing its thing. Can't be explained, you try it and either get it or don't.

Good luck

Ps- you might check out nightrider.com and v-twinforum.com

[cbig]

that photo was front page material!
are all ARkansas roads so nice?

[Limper]

Thanks for all the reponses! Eor, I appreciate your comments warning me about the seaing position. I had heard from others that a seat replacement is in order and it looks like finding the right handlebar replacement is also key. I like the "standard" bars that come with it so would look for something similar with more pullback.

I just like the total package. I like the clean, basic lines, always have. Don't care for a ton of chrome. Just a solid engine in a good frame with decent suspension. Not too cruiser. Not UJM.

I know its not going to be fast, but in a way I'm tired of fast. Been there done that. You miss too much and risk too much.

Now to convince the wife that a Harley is just right and that no tattoos are in the planning...