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44-514: Until the 1970s, all Harley-Davidson bigtwin FL models came with a front wheel that had the same size as the rear wheel, 5.00-16, and with large fender and wide fork to match, often combined with fairing, bags and additional chrome accessories as ″full dresser″. Customers often slimmed down the factory FL to create a ″ bobber ″ or even ″ chopper ″, removing the fender, the sheet metal and big head light, even adding slim 3.00-21 front wheels from other makes, or

88-550: A 'bob-job'. Harley-Davidson Servi-Car The Harley-Davidson Servi-Car is a three-wheeled utility motorcycle that was manufactured by Harley-Davidson from 1932 to 1973. The Servi-Car was designed during the Great Depression when Harley-Davidson was desperate to expand its product base to increase sales. Targeted at the automotive service industry, the vehicle was designed for assisting at roadside breakdowns and delivering cars to customers. For this reason, it

132-410: A continuation of the original Class C inspiration. Bob-jobs reflected the aesthetic tastes of their owners, and were home-built, there being no commercially produced road-going bob-job available until the late 1990s. The style has also influenced motorcycle manufacturers, such as Harley-Davidson and Honda . In the late 1990s, the term bob-job became shortened in popular parlance to 'bobber', and

176-530: A modified frame, in which the seat tube was lowered and the wheelbase shortened, resulting in a lower, shorter machine, with a sweeping diagonal line between the steering head and rear axle. In 1933 the AMA introduced Class C racing, which stipulated only catalogued racing motorcycles could be used in sanctioned competition, with points gained towards the National Championship. Class C racers such as

220-465: A must on choppers with their long extended sissy-bars. Springer forks are popular on both bikes, but often mounted with a higher rake in the chopper's triple-tree, to move the front wheel forward. Instead of glossy flake-paintings and chrome parts used for many choppers, a bobber more often comes as a Ratbike in flat paint and/or some rusty parts, though this is more of a modern trend as motorcycles are built to resemble vintage motorcycles that had received

264-550: A rear, and large fenders to match. The FLSTC Heritage Softail Classic, with covered front forks and retro styling, was in production by 1988. Other Softails with big forks followed, including the 1990 introduction of the FLSTF Fat Boy and the 1993-only FLSTN "Cow Glide". The base FLST Heritage Special was discontinued in 1991. The FLSTN was continued after 1993 without the bovine motif as the Nostalgia model until 1996, it

308-462: A smaller gas tank, raised handlebars, and exhaust pipes which turned upwards at the rear. Such modifications became the standard for bob-jobs, which grew in popularity, whether as show bikes or ordinary road bikes. The bob-job evolved through the 1950s and 60s in several directions; some were strictly for the popular motorcycle and hot rod show circuit, some had a distinctive 'club bike' style, some reflected drag racing practice, and some were simply

352-581: A standardized intermediate-sized box that was manufactured for Harley-Davidson by the Chas. Abresch Co. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin . A gold, red, and black water transfer decal from this company was affixed to the top inside of the box lid. This box continued to be installed until 1966, after which it was replaced by a fiberglass box; all preceding boxes were made from steel. The Servi-Car used variations of Harley-Davidson's 45 cubic inch flathead. From 1932 to 36,

396-438: A traditional bobber's style is the original form of the bike. Some parts could be swapped, such as turning around a stock Harley FL front fender and running it on the rear of the motorcycle, but in general stock parts were modified (trimming a fender shorter) or removed. Instead of the large diameter front wheels of choppers, bobbers usually come with a size similar to the rear rim. Builders mostly use spring saddles, which isn't

440-463: A ‘bob-job’ (hence the moniker 'Bobber'), that is, had extraneous parts removed for simplicity and weight-reduction. Thus, bobbers are fairly easy to create from stock motorcycles, as it is an exercise in subtraction for the sake of performance. Choppers, on the other hand, often sport features that actually decrease the safety, handling, and braking ability of the machine. Choppers are more about overall style than overall performance. The driving force of

484-401: Is a more stylistically and technically extreme evolution of the bob-job, which emerged after the highly elaborate, heavily chromed bob-jobs which appeared in the late 1940s and 1950s. Bobbers are typically built around unmodified frames, while choppers use either highly modified or custom-made frames. Chopper frames are often cut and welded into shape. A bobber is a motorcycle that has undergone

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528-565: Is marketed as a convertible model, with removable saddlebags and windscreen allowing the user to easily convert the bike for touring use. Bobber (motorcycle) A bobber , originally called a bob-job from the 1930s through 1990s, is a style of custom motorcycle . The typical construction includes removing the front fender, shortening the rear fender , which is "bobbed" (as in bob-tail ), and stripping excess bodywork as well as all superfluous parts to reduce weight. The bob-job evolved from an earlier type of American custom motorcycle,

572-866: The Indian Daytona Scout and Harley-Davidson WLDR and WR were the inspiration of the 'bob-job'; these stripped-down racers had no front fender, an abbreviated rear, and no excess weight. Road riders directly copied the look of the racers for better performance and a measure of style. The first bob-jobs appeared in the mid-1930s, and tended to reflect their somber competition origins, with plain paint jobs and no extra chrome or decoration. Immediately after World War II , bob-jobs, in parallel with hot rods , were subject to increasingly decorative modifications, including extra chrome plating , metal flake paint jobs, pin striping , and colored upholstery . As early as 1946, Kenneth Howard (' Von Dutch ') began modifying his Indian Scout bob-job with wild paint jobs,

616-593: The Servi-Car was discontinued in 1973. This model features a unique frame and a 103 cid engine exclusive to the trike. Harley-Davidson introduced the Softail chassis in 1984. The original Softails used the bare FXWG wide telescopic fork and slim 21-inch front wheel, but the FLST Heritage Softail introduced in 1986 came with a similar size but covered FL-style telescopic fork, fat 16-inch wheels front

660-521: The springer-type leading-link forks used on the R-series and W-series solo motorcycles. From 1958 on, the Servi-Car's neck stem length and inner diameter were changed to fit Hydra-Glide front forks . Early production Servi-Cars have a drum brake on the front wheel and another drum brake inside the rear axle housing, decelerating both rear wheels. In 1937, the braking system was upgraded to have

704-471: The 'Cut Down', which appeared in the late 1920s, and which was based on the Harley-Davidson 'J' series v-twin. The cut-down was created to modernize the appearance and improve the performance of the aging J-series Harley-Davidson. By removing the front fender, shortening the rear, and removing all excess accessories, the motorcycle was significantly lightened. The cut-down was also characterized by

748-473: The 80 cu in (1,300 cc) engine, and a frame-mounted fairing. In order that the FLT frame, which was larger and heavier than the large and heavy FLH frame, would handle acceptably, the front forks were given radical steering geometry which had them mounted behind the steering head, with the frame behind the steering head being recessed to allow adequate steering lock. The FLHT was introduced in 1983. This

792-550: The EL in 61 cu in (1,000 cc) form. The FL shared its frame with the EL and with the U and UL, which used a 74 cubic inch flathead engine. The FL replaced the UH and ULH, which used the same frame with 80 cu in (1,300 cc) flathead engines. Only few Knucklehead FLs were built, as due to the war, Harley had to focus on military versions, mainly the WLA based on

836-756: The FL models, were switched from the Evolution engine to the counterbalanced Twin Cam 88B engine specially developed for the rigid engine mounting in this frame. The FLSTN designation returned in 2005 with the Softail Deluxe. Harley-Davidson introduced the FLD Dyna Switchback in 2012. Designed to be reminiscent of the late 1950s Duo Glide models, the Switchback is the first Dyna platform motorcycle from Harley-Davidson to use an FL front end, and

880-537: The FLH Electra Glide that featured commemorative paint and tank and fender decals was produced. The unit production was in such low volume numbers - only 44 - as to make it one of the rarest of the company's motorcycles. An 80 cu in (1,300 cc) engine was made optional on the Electra Glide in 1978, however, the FL designation was not changed. By 1981, the 80 cubic inch engine

924-544: The OHV EL and FL models as Harley-Davidson's large-frame motorcycles. In 1949, a year after receiving the "Panhead" engine, the FL was given a new front suspension featuring hydraulically damped telescopic forks, replacing the leading link spring suspension of the time. These forks were standard on all big twin models for 1949, including the E, EL, F, and FL. Harley-Davidson offered the spring suspension units on these models and recommended their use on sidecar combinations, because

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968-636: The Road King Classic, a 6 US gallons (23 L; 5.0 imp gal) fuel tank, and a 2-1-2 exhaust. The changes result in greater load carrying capacity, better handling, a smoother engine, longer range and less exhaust heat transmitted to the rider and passenger. Also released in the FL Touring range for the 2009 model year was the FLHTCUTG Tri Glide Ultra Classic, the first three-wheeled Harley-Davidson since

1012-542: The Servi-Car in 1964, making it the first civilian Harley with an electric starter, one year before the debut of the Electra Glide . When the Servi-Car was introduced in 1932, it used the same transmission as the R solo model. This was replaced the next year by a constant-mesh transmission with three speeds and a reverse gear. The Servi-Car was designed in the early part of the Great Depression for

1056-408: The Servi-Car used the engine from the solo R model . It was changed in 1937 to the engine used in the W model, which differed mainly in having a recirculating oil system instead of the constant-loss system of the R. The "W" flathead engine continued until the end of production in 1973, despite the "W" solo series being replaced by the "K" series in 1952. An electric starter became available on

1100-450: The Servi-Car was also popular as a utility vehicle for small businesses and mobile vendors. It proved to be particularly popular with police departments, some of which still used Servi-Cars into the 1990s. The models offered in 1932, the first year of production, were: In 1933, the GDT, with large box and tow bar, was added to the line. In 1942, the small and large boxes were replaced with

1144-415: The conditions of its day, in which roads might be crude and unpaved. It has a rigid rear axle with a differential . The rear axle has a track of 42 inches (1,100 mm). A prototype of the Servi-Car with rear suspension was tested but found to be unstable. The production model's axle is mounted directly to the frame with no suspension at all. Until 1957, the front forks of the Servi-Car were

1188-593: The four-speed solid-engine-mount FLH was modified to accept rubber mounting and the Evolution engine. The FLH was discontinued in 1986; all Touring models thereafter used the FLT/FLHT frame. The FLT Tour Glide, which introduced the current Touring frame, was dropped from the lineup in 1996. A smaller version of the frame-mounted Tour fairing would return with the FLTR Road Glide in 1998. The Evolution engine

1232-570: The instruments were moved from the fuel tank into the fairing. The FL frame was the basis for the 1971 FX Super Glide . The FX mated the FL frame with the forks of the XL Sportster, with buckhorn handlebars and a large fiberglass tailpiece completing the Super Glide specification. The FL was given a front disc brake in 1972. The three-speed plus reverse gearbox was discontinued in 1977. A 1977 Harley-Davidson Confederate Edition of

1276-594: The simple WL flathead. HD even had to develop a BMW-like boxer model, the XA. After the war, Harley was challenged by imports of British motorcycles brands. The FL continued relatively unchanged until 1948, when it and the EL were given redesigned " Panhead " engines of the same capacities as before. These engines had several improvements over the earlier "Knuckleheads", including self-adjusting hydraulic lifters and aluminum cylinder heads to reduce weight and improve cooling. The U and UL flathead twins were discontinued in 1948, leaving

1320-441: The standard hydraulic forks do not have suitable trail . During these front suspensions' debut model year of 1949, Harley-Davidson referred to them as "hydraulic front ends". Harley-Davidson's marketing department promoted the new suspension systems by renaming the big twin models "Hydra Glide" for the 1950 model year. This was Harley-Davidson's first departure from its policy of using simple letters to identify its models. This name

1364-421: The style saw a resurgence in popularity in the custom motorcycle scene. The bobber continues to be favored today; although hybrid styles have emerged, such as the "bobber chopper", and "retro-bobber". Such bobbers exemplify the continuing evolution of the style, and its enduring popularity. The term ' chopper ' did not appear in print until the mid-1960s, over 30 years after the bob-job was invented. The chopper

Harley-Davidson FL - Misplaced Pages Continue

1408-529: The traditional styling ″Heritage″ variants of the Softail series, while FX is used on sportier models or the chopper-like Softails with rather thin front wheels. The F and FL were introduced to the Harley-Davidson model line in 1941, as large capacity versions of the Model E/EL introduced in 1936. It used a 74 cu in (1,210 cc) version of the " Knucklehead " OHV engine that powered

1452-544: The whole fork of the smaller Harley-Davidson Sportster XL models that were introduced in 1957. In 1971, the Harley-Davidson FX ″Super Glide″ was introduced as a ″factory chopper″, combining the FL frame and drive train with the smaller XL front end, basically creating the third, intermediate model range FX that sold and sells well. Since then, the FL prefix indicates that the traditional 16-inch front wheel and big fenders are used on ″Dresser″ Touring series or

1496-444: Was also the last year of the 61 cu in (1,000 cc) EL, making the FL the last remaining large-frame model. Although the 1903 founding is now the basis for "Anniversary Models", Harley-Davidson's 50th Golden Anniversary was celebrated in 1954 with special paints and badges on the front fender. The first year of production was 1904. A more highly tuned engine with high-compression heads, higher-lift cams, and polished ports,

1540-635: Was an Electra Glide based on the FLT Tour Glide frame, but using the Electra Glide "batwing" fairing instead of the Tour Glide frame-mounted fairing. The police version of the FLHT is the FLHTP. Except for the base FLH, all 1984 FLs were equipped with the new rubber-mounted Evolution engine and a five-speed transmission. All "Shovelhead" engines were discontinued by the 1985 model year. In that year,

1584-494: Was applied to the small-frame bikes first; the K-series having received rear suspension in 1952. The third and final change given to the name of the basic FL model would occur in 1965, the final year of the "Panhead" engines. These last Panheads were the first "Big Twin" Harley-Davidson engines to be equipped with electric starters; the Servi-Car having received electric start the year before. This innovation for Harley-Davidson

1628-496: Was available with a tow bar at the front and a large 60 Ah battery. (The tow bar was used to tow the Servicar from the rear of a car, not vice-versa). It allowed one person to transfer a car from one location to another and drive themselves back; after driving the car to its destination, the delivery driver would unhitch the Servi-Car and ride it back to the garage. In addition to its intended use for car delivery and retrieval,

1672-561: Was changed twice in the history of the basic large-framed E and F series models, each time signaling an improvement in the bike's technology. In addition, the Glide ending was added to the names of other models based on the FL and FX formats. In 1952, the Hydra-Glide's transmission's standard hand-shift/foot-clutch arrangement was supplemented by an optional foot-shift/hand-clutch setup. The original layout remained an option until 1978. 1952

1716-425: Was greeted with the new model name of Electra Glide. In 1966, the " Panhead " gave way to the " Shovelhead ," gaining a ten percent increase in power in the process. A fork-mounted fairing became available on Electra Glides in 1969. This became unofficially known as the "batwing" fairing. Although the batwing fairing was an easily removable option on early Electra Glides, it was not removable on later machines, as

1760-531: Was offered with the FLH version of 1955. The FLH designation has continued up to the present. The FL model was given a new frame in 1958. This frame included a rear swingarm suspended by a pair of coil-over-shock suspension units. In honor of this fully suspended chassis, the FL's model name was changed from Hydra-Glide to Duo-Glide. Unlike advancements such as the overhead valve engine, aluminum heads, and telescopic-fork front suspension, this improvement in technology

1804-553: Was reintroduced as the FLHS Electra Glide Sport again in 1989 through 1993, the FLHS Electra Glide Sport was eventually replaced by the FLHR Road King in 1994, which continues to the present day. For the 2009 model year, Harley-Davidson redesigned the entire touring range. The changes included a new frame, new swingarm, a completely revised engine-mounting system, 17-inch front wheels for all models except

Harley-Davidson FL - Misplaced Pages Continue

1848-483: Was replaced by the Twin Cam 88 engine on all large-framed Harley-Davidson motorcycles in 1999. The Twin Cam engine was enlarged from 88 cu.in. to 96  cu.in. in 2007. An unfaired version of the FLH Electra Glide, known as the FLHS Electra Glide Sport, was available from 1977 to 1984. the early versions had two into one cigar mufflers then were replaced by staggered same side duals. An unfaired FLH Electra Glide

1892-622: Was replaced by the FLSTS Heritage Springer IN 1997. The Heritage Springer was produced through 2003, with the FLSTSC Springer Classic introduced in 2005. The Heritage Springer and Springer Classic are designated as an FL despite using Springer forks instead of the large FL telescopic forks. The first FL model, introduced in 1941, had the then-standard springer fork, with the telescopic Hydraglide taking over from 1949 onwards. In 2000, all Softails, including

1936-408: Was the standard offering; the 74 cu in (1,210 cc) engine being discontinued. The low-compression FL engine was discontinued in 1979, as was the option for hand-shift/foot-clutch transmission controls. The FLT Tour Glide was introduced in 1979 as a 1980 model. Sold alongside the existing FLH Electra Glide, the FLT had a larger frame with rubber engine mounts, a five-speed transmission,

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