HD Designator Letters

[Chuck]

Sometimes I get confused with the designation letters, of Harleys, and have to refer to this link.
http://www.carvaluesplus.com/motorcycle_models_.htm

[stevo]

ya link wont work for me....

A quick way is that if it has an X then the front wheel is larger than the front....

First letter
F= big twin
X= sporty
V= V-rod

second letter

FX= larger front wheel
FL= same size front

3rd letter
D=Dyna
ST = softail
H = heavy, tourer

examples
FXD = Dyna
FXDX = Dyna sport
FXDXT = Dyna sport tourer with the screen and bags

FXST = softail standard
FLSTF = softail, fatboy

FLHT = f&*ken large heavy tourer
FLHR = roadking


extra letters denote extras

eg. FLHTUCI = F&*KN large heavy tourer ultra classic injection



now I'll try ya link again ... and see if I just wasted my time

[stevo]

yup....ain't that the way...now it works

Theirs is a bit more comprehensive than my little quicky... a handy link too


and I had my FLHTCUI round the wrong way ........

guess I was thinking of yoU C&(*
instead of C(see) yoU

[Chuck]

"now I'll try ya link again ... and see if I just wasted my time"


I got a laugh out of that, your right, that's the way it goes. I bet Bert could relate to that.

[GOTWA]

Interesting note here. I just finished reading a book my brother in law lent me, forgot to write down the author's name but he was the former editor of Cycle magazine and wrote professional periodicals for the MoCo at one time. The book covers what the "experts" considered the most significant models (for one reason or another) Harley ever made. The book was written with, among others, Willie G. and Arlen Ness as consultants.

Two of the bikes they covered were the XLCR and the XLCH. The author said the whole C=Competition and CH=Competition Hot is a falsity. According to him, some local marketing guy or something coined the term "Competition" because it was a more stripped down and performance oriented machine. Apperantly, dealers were telling the MoCo that their buyers were just stripping stuff off their bikes (imagine that) and they wanted them to produce a factory model without all the wiz-bangs. But the MoCo was hesitant. Most of the pressure was coming from California so they made the dealers their promise to buy a minimum of 100 of the new model bikes. They agreed and Harley gave it the designator "C" for California.

But after the "Competition" thing was coined, and then the "Hot" part added, it has persisted to the point of almost becomming reality.

They also covered the first year '71 Dyna and he said the X in FX came from the fact they borrowed the front ends and various other parts from the Sportster. Just a little sand in the face for the FX guys that may give you flack.

They also had an S model back in the forties that was small bike with a two-stroke. Sort of the initial stab at would later become the Sportster (very similar tank). It had nobby tires and looked righteous to me. It failed so they shelved the idea until of course '57.

[potatox2]

The decoding you did works often but not always! Recent years have complicated stuff:
FLD: Dyna-based convertible tourer
FXCW/FXCWC: Sotftail Rocker, not a dyna.
FXS: Sodtail Blackline
FLD: Softail Slim.

[cantolina]

Hafta remember that was posted in 2005....it was dead-on accurate at the time.....