Harley-Davidson are renowned for long, low bikes, and against that the Super Glide stands tall and is short to the point of stubbiness. Easy to tell apart from its Super Glide sibling from a distance by the amount of tyre showing beneath the Sportster-derived mudguard and, when seen in the company of other Harleys, by the amount of daylight showing beneath the engine. It is also the Dyna most likely to be incorrectly identified as a Sportster at a glance. It is like nothing else in the range except the T-Sport, which is the same bike with a European-style screen and quickly-detachable nylon bags.

Its styling roots are in the 1971 FX Super Glide and while that could be considered as the days when God's dog was a puppy in any other manufacturers books, it equates to recent history for the Motor Company and makes the entire Dyna range the new kids on the block: I apologies for reminding you of the name of a nineties band that you'd managed to forget, but I shuddered at the memory as I wrote that and I don't see why you should get away with it. Still …

It wasn't the immediate successor to the Shovelhead-powered FXs that inspired its shape, that role was taken by the FXR rubber glide chassis that looked significantly more modern than the 4-speed it replaced; and while the FXR wasn't missed for its lines, its passing was mourned by those who had found a big-twin Harley that handled. When the first of the Dynas, the limited edition Sturgis, reared its head in 1991, it came with an almost leisurely 32-degree rake and was targeted at the custom sector - Harley's stronghold - but as the Dynas slowly replaced the sharper 29-degree FXRs, somebody, somewhere must have spotted a gap appearing in the range because in 1994 a confusingly named Dyna Low Rider Convertible arrived on the scene with a revised Dyna chassis with a 28-degree rake: tighter than the Sportster.

Confusing?

Yes, but only because it meant that in 1994 you could buy an 29-degree FXR-framed Low Rider Custom, a 32-degree Dyna framed Low Rider and now a 28-degree Low Rider Convertible. Someone, somewhere had lost track of the Low Rider's basic premise - demonstrated further by the Convertible's additional 4-inches in the seat height department. But that was then. The die was cast however, and the following year when the Dyna Super Glide came through, it took the 28-degree chassis and started the line of sportier big twins that continue to this day. For the record, the original 4-speed frame of the FX was 30-degrees and arguably offers the perfect line for the swing-arm frame which is why at first sight, at some angles, the 28-degree models look like they've had a mild front end shunt.

But enough of the numbers: it's worth mentioning and explaining the differences between the current Low Rider and the current Super Glides in appearance, and performance.

As the middle of the three sportier models based round the tighter Dyna chassis, the FXDX is endowed with a liveliness of steering beyond that of the stock FXD by dint of its longer, and more adjustable rear shocks, and the cartridge forks that take its front suspension control into another dimension: these items are only used on the FXDX, FXDX-T and the XL1200S. This is a big twin that you can lay down into the bends, and one that demonstrates just how rigid the Dyna chassis is, holding its line where critics would fear to tread. We've all read about the near-legendary handling prowess of the V-Rod, through the good offices of the mainstream press, but I'm here to tell you that the 32-degree lean angles of the silver star-turn are less than those offered by the Dyna Sport, and that doesn't take into account any of the geometry issues that makes the V-Rod under-steer quite noticeably and the DX go precisely where you point it.

Am I having a pop at the V-Rod? No, I am defending the Dyna Sport which was cited as a prime example of a bike that would be tied in knots on corners that the V-Rod took with ease, and which is utter rubbish. Everyone who reads this will be aware that the V-Rod will succeed primarily on its styling merit in the Harley market, then by its engine's performance: that the frame is taut is nice but it can be glossed over as an acceptable compromise. Moreover, its radical geometry is stunning to look at but the world's press seemed to have confused familiar power delivery characteristics delivered at useable road speeds with handling that, while impressive for the geometry, is not going to give the Super Glide Sport a hard time in the twisties. Sure, a stock V-Rod will stomp on a stock FXDX out of the starting trap, but that's all about the engine, but I'd advise V-Rodders not to go picking fights up on any of the mountain passes liberally scattered across the continents.

This isn't a comparitive test, though, so lets get back to the Dyna Sport. We will be following this up with a head-to-head between a V-Rod and a staged FXDX as soon as both bikes are available for the purpose.

So, what have you basically spent your £10,495 on? Moreover, where has the additional £1,000 been spent over the stock FXD.

It seems odd to say it, but the FXDX represents something of a bargain: the aforementioned forks and shocks are well worth having, as is the rev counter and the second disks, which will more than remove the price differential at a stroke. More subjective is the engine finish, and I know there are those out there who love the black engines, but I would rather have the option, at least, of the unfinished engine from the plainer Super Glide There isn't much in it really: lacquer lifts off alloy just as the black finish will degrade, but a session with a tin of Nitromors and a buffing wheel will resolve the problem on a plain motor, someone will tell me how to remove the blacking off the Sport, and I'll pass that on when they do, but it's not a job I'd fancy.

You also get a Badlander style seat that gives a stunning shape but does little to keep a pillion rider happy: it slopes too much and too quickly to the rear, and while that can be resolved by a little backrest, there isn't a backrest small enough for my money to provide a proper solution without compromising the line any more than the addition of a solo bucket seat and matching pillion bucket seat from Harley's own catalogue - or any number of the aftermarket alternatives. But if the seat is uncompromising, it's very much out of step with the rest of a very useable, practical motorcycle.

Changes for 2002 are mainly seen at the rear. The adoption of the custom indicators by all non-touring ranges affected it less than most as it already had them, but they have been moved to their more normal position on the fender struts rather than right at the back by the taillight. Last year's look was inherited from the T-Sport and essential to that model's removable bags, but they look downright odd when there are no bags to avoid. The second big change is to a 150-section rear tyre in place of the 130 of last year. Not a major shift in a world where 200s are commonplace among the customs, and you'd have to have a keen eye to spot it without recourse to reading the legend on the side of the Harley-branded Dunlop. Even less obvious is a reduction of nearly 10mm in the wheelbase and overall length, which looks like a shorter swing-arm and more upright shocks.

I want a Sport with the optional laced wheels, so I can test out the seventeen inch wheel theory - well, either that or just stick a Deuce wheel in the back: if it can add another three to five degrees of confidence-inspiring lean to a Softail, it'll be interesting to see how it makes the most sporting of Dynas feel. Three degrees not worth having - and further apologies for another band best forgotten - you say? Don't you believe it. It's the difference between the XL1200S and the FXDX, and I've never touched an XL1200S down yet in spirited road riding.

To ride, the bike is long legged and lazy in its power delivery, but taut and purposeful in its road manners. In engine terms, as a stocker, it was disappointing in the power it generated but we were spoilt last year with a blast on Boz's 107bhp 1550 T-Sport, a full roadtest on a bagless, staged T-Sport and then, of course, a day out on Big Rock's 1700 Stroker. It was always going to struggle against such hallowed competition, and struggle it did. I honestly can't see anyone in their right mind picking up a Super Glide Sport that hadn't been breathed on - or at least been allowed to breathe - so I'm not going to rubbish its stock performance too much, as while it isn't life-changing in the way of the others, it does the job. Suffice to say that we picked up the Sport at the same time as the XL883R, and I talked Rich into setting the pace on the slower 883. Following it up-hill and down-dale (you must have heard of the Staffordshire Dales: famous for them), it was only in a moment of madness and boredom that I discovered I'd been topping out in fourth gear for the whole journey - and only once had touched the deck with the exhausts while closely tracking the more nimble lightweight, and that was on a bizarre roundabout with cambers going all over the place.

Power is a pre-requisite if you're going to give a bike a "Sport" moniker. It matters not what sort of power it is, as long as it gives a good account of itself when prompted, and while this brings back brief mention of the V-Rod, it brings a context with it. Even out of the crate, unmolested by well-meaning technicians, the FXDX generates torque low down in the rev range, and more torque than the V-Rod - and just about anything else if it comes to it. From the line, short-shifting through the gears, it is only the time taken by gear changes that make it slower than the 'Rod, and in a town environment, respecting speed limits as increasingly demanded by speed cameras, the Super Glide Sport can hold its head up, but then so can the Super Glide itself. With a stage one kit, the engine is freed from its internationally-inspired legal restraint and will be less reliant on short-shifting to make progress because it'll rev more freely. Stick a cam in it, or take it out to 1550, or stroke it and the world is your oyster. By the time you're displacing 1550 you'll be worrying 'Rodders on the straights, and by the time you're running a 1700 stroker they'll be reversing in your mirrors. So tweak the V-Rod? Ah. The V-Rod is so well developed that the percentage increases that can be realised by tuning are much less impressive - not an issue when it chucks out 113bhp already, but don't expect to be able to double the output in a way that is regularly achieved on the Twin Cam.

What is my point? Simply that the Super Glide Sport - and indeed all Big Twins have got power in abundance, but it is an undeveloped power: it is a potential power that is waiting for you to ask what you want of it. There is no point giving a returnee rider a 1700 stroker to play with straight away: they'll hurt themselves. Where the Super Glide Sport differs from most others of its ilk is that when the engine is working closer to its maximum potential, it will be better equipped to deal with the fast-approaching corners. I would venture to suggest that I'd sooner go into a bend more quickly than I should've on a Super Glide Sport than a V-Rod, because I'd be more confident of scrubbing off speed in the bend on a bike better suited to cornering than the 'Rod. I'd be happier still on a Sportster, but unless it was rubber-mounted, or a hand-balanced engine, I wouldn't be going as quickly - or if I was, I would be less likely to see the corner for what it is because of the effects of vibration on my eyeballs.

Ah, vibration.

Where's me soapbox?

Dynas work because their damped engine vibrations feed back through the frame while you're pootling about on them in towns, on country lanes, just chillin'; gently massaging your extremities so's you know you're on a real motorbike. 'Tis wonderful. Vibration can be fun, nice and add to the experience. But when you want to put some miles in, vibes can become tiring; and when you wind the bugger up, they can be downright unpleasant. This is the nemesis of solid mount bikes, and the reason why the Twin Cam motor was fitted with balance shafts before they could bolt it rigidly into the Softail frame. The joy of rubber is best practiced between consenting adults in the privacy of their own home, or specialist clubs. The joy of rubber mounted engines, on the other hand, is very much something that makes you go out in public a lot more, because it makes the bike a lot more useable for distance, and for speed. As the engine revs rise, the distance in time between power pulses shortens and the exceeds the reaction time of the rubber damper, until such time as the rubber doesn't have time to pass on the higher revving, and altogether less pleasant sensations to the frame, and the rider.

You can spot a rubber-mounted motor at tick-over: the whole bike is bucking and writhing, and so is the engine - and the gearbox that, while still separate, is firmly bolted behind it – but not necessarily in the same direction at the same time. A bike so-equipped is not the safest place to put your helmet while you fasten your jacket, 'cos it will be likely to be on the floor when you go back for it - unless the frame is heavy enough to absorb the worst of it: Electras are less prone, Buell's are broncos and the Dynas fit somewhere in between. By contrast, the balanced 88B Softails barely move at all at tick-over - but they become buzzier at speed, and get lumpier again if you take them out to 1550, and I can only guess at the result of the stroker conversion - if it's available for the "B".

All of which is to say that it is not only a capable bike for a broad cross-section of roads and riding styles, but that it is also a competent mile-eater with plenty of encouragement to stay in the saddle when many around are pulling over to stretch their legs.

Its agility belies its weight in every circumstance except when airborne, traversing roller-coaster roads, but the return to earth is a quick reminder that you're aboard something heavy in a way that the Sportster and the Buell don't, but don't let that discourage you from riding it, and riding it hard.

Like all Dynas, it is under-rated by most Harley fans because it isn't the classic shape, and the aesthetic is all-important in the buying decision. I'm the opposite, having first been converted to the Harley cause by the lines of the late 4-speeds, and the Dyna's lines are absolutely the right shape to my subjective eye. The stubbiness of the tight rake and increased ground clearance take it to the edge of instant recognition, but instil within its form a purposeful stance that is at once at home in the modern environment. It will not attract attention or admiring glances in the way that the Softails and tourers will, but it performs a very different role. And just as I have embraced my Buell as the best of traditional power delivery in a chassis that allows the best use of that power, so too do I welcome the FXDX, although it'd be nice if it brought a few more ponies with it.

Would I have one? Depends what I wanted of my single Harley, or what its stablemates would be.

As a practical single bike? Certainly.

To sit alongside a Buell, a Sportster or a Deuce? No - it would replace rather than compliment them.

To sit alongside anything else in the range, yes, and especially in place of the big Jap multi that has always been there to provide wheels when the weather - or more likely the prospect of cleaning the bike when you get back - has prevented you from taking to the road on your shiny custom or your dresser.

In closing, I think this is quite probably the ideal euro Harley: a bike to bring on a new generation of riders for whom the traditional bikes are too compromised. It isn't too bold a statement to suggest it is the ideal motorcycle in any European context. It is a shape and a style that modern riders can easily relate to, but retains the massive range of options way beyond that offered by any other manufacturer, and it is ideally placed to benefit from a world whose eyes have been opened to the possibility of Harley-Davidson as a sporting alternative. Even more than any of that though, it is a truly multi-purpose motorcycle of a kind that used to be commonplace but which have been replaced by increasingly specialist offerings.

Second Opinion:
Words: Rich

Stepping off the 883R, I was in no real mood to give it up. Y'see, me and Andy had just spent a pleasant afternoon getting moving shots of both the 883R and the Dyna Sport on the infamous Cat & Fiddle pass, nothing had passed us, nothing had come close (I think it's worth pointing out that nothing actually tried, Andy) and I was at one with Sportster 'power'.

Swapping keys after a pint in the hostelry that gave the road its name, I honestly felt I was getting the pooey end of the stick: I'd loved how nimble and responsive the 883R had felt, how keen on the brakes and just how much damn fun it was.

Andy was off somewhere East, I needed to go West, so, with a less than tearful 'Seeyerthen!' he buzzed off towards Buxton and I turned the Dyna Super Glide Sport towards Macc. I had ridden Dyna Super Glide Sports before, but it is very, very easy to forget and, let's face it, there are very few places on this planet better to get to know a motorcycle than Derbyshire's Cat & Fiddle.

Ooh, the immediate difference in power! The Dyna Sport surged forwards at a seemingly incredible rate, but braked brilliantly and sliced through the bends almost as nimbly as the 'R'. But it was bigger - much bigger - and despite the relative comfort of the 'R' it was so much more comfortable, but also dominating. The wide bars, thin but ample seat and sheer size of the beast wrenching a wide and fierce grin from my wizened old fizzog.

By the time the pass fizzled out I was back in big twin land. I honestly felt I could take this particular big twin anywhere - a rare occurrence with a 1450cc lump and the gert frame to take it between your legs!

Almost into Macc centre and out onto the new-ish Silk Road bypass. Serious fun. Here the Big Twin really showed its class - buckets of torque to pull you out of the roundabouts, nothing able to keep close, even with the bog stock motor. Brake late into the roundabouts too - why not, you can nowadays - the twin disc set-up at the front, allied with a very responsive rear hauls the machine up under complete control and the justifiably respected Dyna Frame will make sure you keep to the straight and slip through the narrow. But let's not get too carried away, eh? A decent set of front forks, preferably fully adjustable air forks and oh, erm, yeah, a nice set of fully adjustable rear shocks would go down a treat wouldn't they? Yeah they would - and that's why the Sport has them as standard - and don't you just know it!

Most people into sporting motorcycles think that a Sports motorcycle needs, just for starters, a fairing, a highly strung, high revving plant, its arse in the air, a set of rear-sets and a set of stupidly narrow drop handlebars. To them, that says 'Hey thicko, this is a sports motorcycle!'

So where does Harley get off calling a unfaired, wide handlebar-ed, low revving, bolt-upright motorcycle a 'Sport' huh? Eh?

Because, dearies, the Sport is designed to be a performance motorcycle in the real world, that's why. Fairings, rearsets and fork hugging handlebars are great if you are competing in the World Superbike Championships, but they're not so damn good when you're trying to get to the front of the queue and thrap away from nothing from the lights. Not so damn great when your motorcycle finally starts performing at speeds that will get you an immediate ban, and when you're really not sure you want to be going that fast anyway. The Dyna will have been gone anyway by now - see it in the distance? Yup the rider will have settled into a cosy 70mph after an un-hurried take off, after slipping through all the waiting traffic at those lights back there with not a problem at all. And now the Sport is on those open A roads. Catch it and pass it? No? Didn't think so.

Even with its minimal seat the Dyna Super Glide Sport is a big and very comfortable motorcycle, the kind of bike you really can ride all day. Although the feedback from the big vee is ever present, the vibes are not: the rubber-mounted set-up strangely smoothing the experience as the revs rise, not vice-versa.

Another strange thing is that Dynas do not sell particularly well in Britain: a country particularly suited, it must be said, to the Dyna's bundle of plus points. True enough, to many people the Dyna does not say Harley but, just like I used to reckon with my totally plain, single-colour, no distinguishing marked Sporty, if the people looking at it matter, then they'll know what it is straight away anyway. If they don't know what it is without a big sticker, then they don't matter do they.

Back home, I took a fellow - okay, my mate Didz, for a ride on the back. He'd been having real heartache getting his Honda cruiser to perform to his liking - and indeed had recently found out there was little more than sod all he could actually do without removing vast chunks of the entire bike and gradually replacing them with parts from several other ones - which furthermore, may, or may not actually fit.

Now while Didz had always been impressed by the aura and mystique of the Harley marque, he'd never really considered one for himself because it 'wasn't really a practical choice'. The Dyna Sport changed all that. It obviously handled, went well and stopped, had infinite custom and performance options and finally here was a motorcycle that, literally, did everything he would want it to, looked incredible while doing it, wasn't stupidly expensive and as a plus, had Harley-Davidson written on the tank. He ordered one the next day.

Dyna's deserve a break, they are so, so much better than a trick paint job and a "lookatme, I'm nearly a hardtail chop I am", and the Dyna Sport is without doubt one of the best of the range. Personally I would forego the fully black painted engine and minimal seat on the Dyna Sport in preference for the infinitely more comfy seat and polished alloy engine of the SuperGlide. But the Sport, albeit £1000 more, has the forks and the rear springs among a few other groovy bits and bobs which could easily set back a buyer that extra grand. If Harley-Davidson made a Dyna Super Glide Sport with a polished engine and the comfier seat I'd have one tomorrow.

Cannot say fairer than that!

Specifications        

Engine:	Twin Cam 88 Air-cooled 45° V-twin.
Displacement:	1449cc (88ci)
Compression Ratio:	8.8:1
Bore & Stroke:	95.3 x 101.6mm
Torque:	106.0 @ 2900rpm
Fuel System:	Single Keihin Carburettor.
Exhaust System:	Staggered shorty duals
Oil Capacity:	2.8 litres
Fuel Capacity:	18.5 litres (includes reserve)
Primary Drive:	Double-row (duplex) chain
Final Drive:	Kevlar belt
Overall Length:	2310mm
Seat Height:	692mm
Ground clearance:	149.2mm
Rake/Trail:	28 / 104.1mm
Brakes: Front: Rear:	2 x 292 x 5.08mm with 4-pot caliper 292 x 5.84mm with 4-pot caliper
Wheels: Front: Rear:	T19 x 2.50 black/silver cast. T16 x 3.00 black/silver cast.
Tyres: Front: Rear:	100/90-19 57H 150/80 B16 71H
Wheelbase:	1595.0mm
Dry Weight:	300kg
Lean Angles:	34.5° left / 33.5° right
Instruments:	Electronic Speedo with odometer and re-settable trip meter, Tacho, Fuel Guage, Oil pressure light, engine diagnotic light, security system light
Colour Options:	Vivid Black, diamond ice pearl, jade sunglo pearl, white pearl, concord purple pearl, real red pearl.
Price:	£10,495 Prices include usual otr inc. PDI, full tank of fuel, 12-months tax, first service, 12 months membership of Harley Owners Group (HOG) including their European roadside recovery
Test bike kindly supplied by:	Harley-Davidson UK. Oxford Business Park, 6000 Garsington Road, Oxford England OX4 2DQ Tel: 0870 850 1903 (UK)