If I mention “Harley-Davidson” to a lot of riders, I get a quick reaction. Usually, it’s something polite like “No thank you”, “Not worth it”, or at best, “I’m not interested, but I’ll read it if you think it is.”
Well, I’m not particularly attached to any brand, and I tend to like underdogs and value picks. Harley isn’t an underdog by any means, and they’re expensive as all get out, which are the main two reasons I have not owned one yet. (Note that I didn’t say because they’re old-fashioned, low-tech, heavy, or slow, because those things aren’t always bad if they can be balanced by other stuff, like actual enjoyment in riding, which is highly subjective and hard to quantify.)
Put it this way — even if you’re a person who’s a “Never Harlyer”, there’s probably some bike over which you’d prefer some Harley-Davidson. Every brand has its stars and its dogs.
If you mention Harley-Davidson to most people, they immediately think of older riders on Street Glides or Ultras — huge motorcycles with fairings, speaker systems, extremely loud exhausts, and a generally cliched style that goes with it.
But there’s much more to Harley-Davidson than that, it seems. So I’m going to show here a bunch of Harley-Davidsons I’ve found over the years of looking at them that have made me do a double-take. Maybe they’ll get you to do a double-take, too.
Are you obsessed with motorcycles?
Well, I am. That’s why I created this site — as an outlet. I love learning and sharing what others might find useful. If you like what you read here, and you’re a fraction as obsessed as I am, you might like to know when I’ve published more. (Check the latest for an idea of what you’ll see.)
Harley-Davidson VRSCR Street Rod (2005-2006)
The VRSCR was a part of the short-lived V-Rod lineup that expired in 2017.
If you know much about V-Rods, you’ll know that they are a bit different for Harley-Davidson already. They have a liquid-cooled engine designed by Porsche Engineering that revs up to 10k rpm and makes 115 hp (more, in later years). Wow. A horsepower quote on a Harley? Liquid cooling as a default option? Tell me more.
There is more, too, especially in the VRSCR, which is just one of the various models in the lineup (see my guide to the V-Rods here). Look at that photo: footpegs in the normal position, for a standard/sporty riding position. An inverted fork, with a not too raked out front end (32 degrees). And a 180-profile rear tire — this is before the Night Rod era of 240-profile tires that really complicated handling, as cool as they look.
So the VRSCR really moves. No, it’s not as fast as the bike you’re about to say. But that engine really rumbles, roars, and makes the Street Rod quite a lot of fun to ride.
If you haven’t ridden any V-Rod, by the way, it’s really worth giving it a shot. I had many preconceptions before I got on one. But it was, despite the handling, by far one of the most engaging and fun motorcycles I have ridden.
Sadly, this format of V-Rod didn’t last long. To a few people, they’re special collectables that get snapped up.
Frankly, any V-Rod is worth looking at. As time goes on, people are starting to forget them. But they shouldn’t be forgotten.
Harley-Davidson XR1200R (2011-12)
The Harley-Davidson XR1200R, and its predecessor the XR1200, is another standard/sporty Harley-Davidson that’s built differently from the others.
Both the XR1200 and XR1200R have rear-set controls, twin 292mm disc brakes with 4-piston calipers, and inverted forks. They’re powered by the Sportster engine, but tuned for a bit more power, with performance cams, a performance exhaust, new throttle body, and higher compression ratio. The result is peak power output at a tested 79 hp at the rear wheel — some 30% more than the regular Sportster — despite having similar torque delivery.
With a fork angle of 27.8 degrees, and front and rear suspension travel of 5 and 3.5 inches, give the XR1200 bikes cornering clearance of 39 degrees, which is plenty for a bike of this class.
Long story short, this is kind of a standard sporty motorcycle that’s on the heavy side, with a louder engine. It’s sportier than a Sportster, and I’d wager it’s more reliable — and less demanding in terms of maintenance — than a Ducati Monster.
Sadly, this one never even made it to America. So if you’re in Europe or Australia, enjoy it, for our foreign friends’ sakes.
Harley Davidson Dyna Low Rider S (2016-17)
One thing I always used to think about Harley-Davidsons was that they had forward controls. Forwards are OK sometimes (cars have them!), but they do feel weird. Anyway, it wasn’t until I visited a dealer to try to figure that out that I found out about the Low Rider. The Low Rider still doesn’t have rear set controls like a standard sport bike, but has “mid controls”, which keep your knees at a comfortable roughly 90-degree bend.
The Low Rider has a long story behind it, but basically, it’s one of the bikes that “younger” riders like, along with the Fat Bob (RIP). It has a steeper rake than most Harleys, and the controls mean it’s midway between being sporty and lazy. It feels just right to a lot of people.
The Twin Cam era of the Low Rider — known as the Dyna Low Rider, after the chassis that went with it — is a sought-after classic, even though it’s fairly recent. Prices on them hold steady. This is despite the fact that the more recent Milwaukee-Eight motor makes more power, and the newer chassis is lighter and stronger… the older Dyna Low Rider (identifiable by the twin shocks at the rear) has more “character”. But honestly, I’d probably pay for the more recent one, as it’s cheaper, to boot. In time, it’ll also be sought after. Circle of life.
There are other cruisers with mid controls around stock, but the Low Rider is one of the coolest ones. Heck, I’ll put my stake in the ground. The coolest one!
Harley-Davidson FXSE CVO Pro Street Breakout (2016)
Man, just look at that thing. That’s the thing about some of these Harleys… yeah, they might be expensive, and associated with a brand that doesn’t suit your personality which may be tied to fairings and leathers… but they’re pretty easy on the eye. That’s how they get ya!
The Pro Street Breakout is one of the factory modified models Harley-Davidson has built. It comes with a “Screamin’ Eagle”-tuned version of the Twin Cam motor, producing similar peach torque to the earlier CVO breakout of 112 lb-ft (152 Nm) at 3500 rpm. Some extra sporty features of this model include the inverted fork (a relative rarity on Harleys), twin discs (ditto), and the unique paint job.
Yes, the Breakout has forward controls and an ungainly big rear tire. It’s not difficult to handle, but don’t make the mistake I did of pushing it too hard into a corner, then scraping, then freaking out and running wide. Aargh. I’m just lucky I didn’t hit the fence or slide in the dirt or hit the fence!
If you can avoid that, then it’s really a sight to behold. The lines are all just right. It’s always competing with the XDiavel as being one of the most attractive cruisers around.
The Breakout has always been in the Softail chassis with a hidden rear shock. So the style didn’t dramatically change for the 2018+ version when Harley redid the Softail chassis. But still, I think the CVO Breakouts look best, like the 2016 Pro Street Breakout pictured above, and while that’s not the only “right” opinion, nor is it a controversial one.
Harley-Davidson Sportster S (RH)
The Sportster S is one of those motorcycles that I thought would appeal to me because it’s quite a nice blend of traditionalism with modern touches. On the one hand, you get an engine that’s modern in design and puts enough power to get into a lot of trouble — over 120 hp (90 kW) peak, with a free-revving liquid-cooled design. But on the other hand, there’s no prescribed valve maintenance schedule and the rear drive is via belt, which brings down maintenance a LOT. What’s not to like?
First things first — it’s ground-breaking for Harley-Davidson. The sporty performance, the relatively low weight (it’s lightweight for a Harley, for sure, at 228 kg / 502 lb with fuel and fluids), the high-spec components, and digital display are all excellent. It’s fun to ride, with a riding position and engine power delivery that’s engaging without needing you to go high speeds or even high revs.
The only downside of the Sportster S, I think, is that the thin and high seat means it feels like you’re sitting on the bike, rather than in it, as I have on most of Harley’s other sporty cruisers. But that is just the way my body is.
It might fit you better, or you might not care. If that’s the case, this is an awesome, modern bike from Harley-Davidson to consider.
Here’s my review of the Sportster S.
Harley-Davidson FXDR (2018-2020)
The FXDR is another one of those motorcycles that’s something old, but something sporty. It’s based on the 2018-era re-invigorated modern Softail chassis (note the absence of an obvious rear shock), and powered by a standard Milwaukee-Eight 114 motor, but has a few nods to sportiness including the inverted front fork, twin disc brakes, a lighter-weight aluminium swingarm, and a design that gives it more lean angle than any other Softail model, with 32 degrees to both the left and right.
The rear tyre is a wide-profile 240 mm. The fact that the FXDR is low profile with a wide rear tire made many think this was what replaced the V-Rod. After all, Harley-Davidson did release the FXDR just after sunsetting the V-Rods. But the FXDR also takes inspiration from both drag bikes and flat track racing motorcycles.
I haven’t ridden one of these, but I’ve ridden accounts that tell that it handles better than you think it should with that big rear tyre.
Sadly, Harley doesn’t make the FXDR anymore, despite it being a fairly new model that already found a loyal fanbase. And used prices for these show that they maintain their value, even with modifications.
Harley-Davidson CVO Pan America 1250 (2024)
The Pan America might be the most surprising motorcycle Harley-Davidson has ever put into full production. Not just because it’s an adventure bike — tall suspension, 19/17-inch wheels, long-travel suspension, and all — but because it’s good at being one. Really good. People want to hate it, but they can’t.
At the heart of the Pan America (both base model and CVO) is the same motor — a Revolution Max 1250 engine, a liquid-cooled, DOHC V-twin making around 150 hp (112 kW), revving freely past 9,000 rpm, and bolted directly into the chassis as a stressed member. That alone would have sounded like science fiction from Harley-Davidson not too long ago. Add adaptive ride height (which automatically lowers you as you slow down, making it easy to put your feet down at a standstill), semi-active suspension, cornering ABS, lean-sensitive traction control, and multiple ride modes, and you’ve got a bike that’s firmly in modern ADV territory.
The CVO Pan America version takes things further with unique paint and finishes (including the orange subframe), stock top and side cases from SW Motech, with a whopping 120 litres of capacity. You don’t get a nicer engine or other higher-spec bits as you normally would on CVO models, but the generously-sized cases would be important to many.
Weight is competitive for the class, too — around 299 kg (659 lb) wet including the cases. It’ll cruise highways comfortably, carve twisty roads better than you’d expect from a 19-inch front wheel, and still hold its own on dirt roads and mild off-road terrain.
