10 Legendary Harleys That Defined An Era

In 1915, the internal-combustion engine was still in its early development overall, but H-D was already producing a V-Twin engine for the 11F model. In a first, this bike boasted a full electrical system and a three-speed, sliding-gear transmission. This means it had spark plugs and a tail light/brake light, and it got up to 65 MPH, and even a tad faster under ideal conditions. It also produced 11 horsepower, up from six ponies and 50 MPH, which represents a significant increase in performance over the previous year.

All 1915 models would come with the proven “step starter” feature that, at the time, the factory couldn’t imagine improving upon. The headlight could be electric, but most opted for the acetylene torch, like a miner’s lamp, which put out a bright light, but it was hot and required water and calcium carbide to produce the gas. This bike showed the riding public that long-distance reliability was now within reach with features like an automatic oil pump, mechanical speedometer, and lower seat height for a bit of extra comfort.

1915 Harley-Davidson 11F Performance Specifications

1936 EL Knucklehead

A true performance leader and foundation for all Big Twins that followed

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The 1936 H-D EL Knucklehead was the belle of the ball when she was new, and even today she’ll turn a few heads. A muscular, all-up-front build replaced the old frame-tank designs with something that looks much closer to a modern motorcycle design. The teardrop fuel tank would establish a look that continues to grace many of its current Big Twin models.

A floating seat rode on a central, spring-loaded seat-mast assembly, which was quite comfortable for the time and absorbed bumps quite well. This was The MoCo’s first mass-produced overhead-valve engine, and it’s the unique rocker-box cover that gives the engine its name. It also established the single-cam design that would shape Big Twin engine design and external valvetrain geometry up until the Twin Cam came on the scene.

1936 EL Knucklehead Performance Specifications

1942 WLA “Liberator”

Built for WWII soldiers, the WLA became a symbol of freedom on two wheels

“Harley Davidson WLA 750cc (1942)” by SG2012, Attribution 2.0 Generic, on Wikipedia Commons

America’s part in the World War II liberation of Europe took many forms, and Harley-Davidson played its part with the WLA, nicknamed the “Liberator” while in theater. Some 90,000 WLAs were produced for the military in WWII with about a third of them sold to the Russian army and nearly all the rest were sold to the U.S. military. Soldiers rode these rugged military bikes, and once returned home, many kept on riding. This is the bike that saw the beginning of what would become the U.S. one-percenter culture explosion after the end of the war. An era that gave us the original apehanger handlebars, which were first used by military riders to prevent decapitation from wires strung across the roads by the enemy.

Large windscreens and lower-leg guards provided excellent protection when under way, and it rocked saddlebags to boot. Bikes like this one were the inspiration for the long-lived Heritage Softail family. Power was modest, and it came from a flathead/side-valve engine that was easy to service and repair. I’ve personally seen a head gasket changed in the parking lot of a biker bar in less than an hour, so it was dead-simple to wrench on, and at 5-to-1 compression, it was easy to kickstart. Oil-bath air cleaner,which used engine oil as a scrubber, eliminated the need for a special filter.

1942 WLA “Liberator” Performance Specifications

Engine	Flathead/ side-valve
Displacement	737 cc (45 cubic-inches)
Max Power	25 HP @ 4,500 RPM
Max Torque	N/A
Transmission	3-speed, hand-shift/ foot-clutch
Claimed Fuel Economy	35 MPG

1948 Panhead

The Panhead ushered in smoother, more reliable cruising, making it a postwar favorite

“Harley Davidson Panhead 1948” by Tristan Nitot, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 on Flickr

The WLA may have been what the boys rode over there, but when they got back home, it was the new Panhead family that they would buy, and the ’48 models were the ones to kick things off properly. As far as the overall design, it picked up right where the Knuckleheads left off and continued to develop along the same line. Internal oil passages reduced potential leak points, and hydraulic lifters kept tappet-racket low with no need for constant adjustment to keep things quiet and in tune. While not really much more powerful than the “Knuck,” it was more reliable and somewhat easier to wrench on with fewer oil leaks.

1948 Panhead Performance Specifications

Engine	V-Twin, Panhead, air-cooled
Displacement	1,208 cc (74 cubic-inch)
Max Power	50 HP
Max Torque	N/A
Transmission	4-speed, hand-shift
Top Speed	90 MPH

1957 XL Sportster

Blending power with agility and creating an American performance icon

The Brits have always been heavy-hitters in the motorcycle world, even on our side of the pond, and their mid-size models gained considerable traction. The 1957 Sportster was H-D’s attempt to compete on a more equal footing. Based on the K Model that got its start in 1952 with a flathead powerplant, the XL “eXperimental modeL” would take over in ’57 and launch a legacy. Built with iron heads over iron jugs and with the Shovelhead-shaped aluminum rocker-box covers, the ’57 XL engine was leaps and bounds ahead of the flatties it replaced with its overhead valves and improved reliability.

Though compact like the modern Sporties, the quintessential Sportster look had yet to be defined, so the early models looked more like someone left a Big Twin bike in the dryer too long. It established the post-unit design that housed the transmission within a common casting with the engine cases, making for easy installation and vehicle alignment. A narrow frame and front end would be defining features of this family, combining speed and agility to create a performance icon.

1957 XL Sportster Performance Specifications

Engine	V-Twin, air-cooled
Displacement	883 cc (55 cubic-inch)
Max Power	40 HP @ 5,500 RPM
Max Torque	N/A
Transmission	4-speed, hand clutch/ right-foot shift
Top Speed	100 MPH

1965 Electra Glide

It made touring accessible to more riders and cemented Harley’s long-haul reputation

“1965 Harley-Davidson FL Electra-Glide” by Thomas Quine, CC BY 2.0 on Flickr

Kickstarters made great backup plans, especially if your battery or charging system were faulty, but push-button starters were what the people really wanted to use, and the ’65 Electra Glide, for the first time, brought the button-kicker to the masses. The “Glide” part of the moniker referred to the hydraulic suspension at both ends that delivered comfort in the long run, especially with the floating seat that mitigated any shocks that made it past the juice stems at both ends.

A Panhead powered it with its iconic rocker-box covers that resembled cake pans and made dandy ashtrays back in the day when you had loose parts lying around the shop. Front ends were made beefy with beercan fork skirts and headlight nacelles, which was a look that continues to this day in the Heritage Softail and Road King models.

1965 Electra Glide Performance Specifications

Engine	Panhead, air-cooled
Displacement	1,207 cc (74 cubic-inches)
Max Power	60 HP @ 5,200 RPM
Max Torque	70 LB-FT @ 4,000 RPM
Transmission	4-speed
Top Speed	99 MPH

1971 FX Super Glide

Sportster style with Big Twin muscle, it kicked off the chopper-inspired era from the factory floor

“Harley-Davidson Museum April 2024 26 (1971 FX Super Glide–OHV V-Twin)” by Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikipedia Commons

The ’71 FX Super Glide was Harley-Davidson’s first factory custom model designed by none other than Willie G. Davidson in response to the custom culture of the time. It rocked a full-size frame, not a Sportster skeleton, and a narrow front end, and had the Factory eXperimental (FX) model designation. It was meant to be a showroom chopper with many of the features used on home-job customs. Power came from the Shovelhead engine, so-named because of the spade-shaped cutout in the rocker-box covers, with more power than ever in an H-D V-twin engine.

1971 FX Super Glide Performance Specifications

Engine	Shovelhead V-Twin, air-cooled
Displacement	1,207 cc
Max Power	65 HP @ 5,500 RPM
Max Torque	N/A
Transmission	4-speed, hand clutch, foot shift
Top Speed	108 MPH

1980 FLT Tour Glide

The redesign that went on to define touring bikes for generations to come

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(1982 model shown)

The 1980 FLT Tour Glide saw the then-proven Shovelhead paired with a touring package that met modern standards as far as pilot protection and secure dry storage were concerned. This redesign would go on to define the touring bikes for generations to come, and would barely stand out in a pack of modern touring machines.

This frame-mount fairing is a direct ancestor of the currently popular Sharknose structure that adorn the Road Glide family, and it provided protection that was unmatched by windshield alone. The new-for-the-day rubber-mount system suspended the engine and isolated much of the vibration before the pilot could feel it, making it a smoother ride for long-distance travel. Stock, color-matched bags and Tour-Pak completed the touring package with added comfort for the passenger in the extra-wide backrest.

1980 FLT Tour Glide Performance Specifications

Engine	Shovelhead V-Twin, air-cooled
Displacement	1,340 cc
Max Power	70 HP @ 5,800 RPM
Max Torque	69 LB-FT @ 3,000 RPM
Transmission	5-speed, hand clutch, foot shift
Top Speed	~100 MPH

1990 Fat Boy

The Fat Boy redefined the factory cruiser and cemented Harley’s pop culture legacy in the 1990s

“1990 FLSTF Fat Boy–OHV V-Twin” by Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikipedia Commons

The Fat Boy jumped into pop-culture history when Arnold Schwarzenegger stole one and jumped it down into a drainage sluice in a particularly gripping action sequence in the movie Terminator 2. It was built around the first-generation Softail frame that had a faux-rigid rear end and beefy front end to emulate the look of the Knucks and early Pans while delivering a modern riding experience through hydraulic suspension fore and aft.

For a while, this was the quintessential Boulevard Bruiser, and it was sought after as a platform for custom builders. It was powered by the then-relatively-new Evolution Big Twin engine that brought a level of refinement unseen by the factory up till that point. The Evo engine was a game changer after the old-school tech of the Shovelhead with its reliability and power to spare.

1990 Fat Boy Performance Specifications

Engine	Evolution Big Twin,
Displacement	1,337 cc
Max Power	67 HP @ 6,000 RPM
Max Torque	71.5 LB-FT @ 2,350 RPM
Transmission	5-speed, hand clutch/ foot shift
Top Speed	~112 MPH

2009 Street Glide

The stripped-down touring bagger that spawned a movement

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Baggers have been the most popular style of American motorcycle for a minute now, and we could argue the ’09 Street Glide played no small part with its stripped-down tourbike mien. It came built around a new, robotically-welded frame, so no more oven-brazing or hand welding, and was all the more comfortable for it with fewer parts and a lighter construction.

A Mustang-style seat gave it a solo look while providing some support for a passenger, but only for short trips. Power came from a Twin Cam 96 with more torque than the Evo, and thrilling performance in spite of the heavy frame and bodywork. The Street Glide became Harley’s best-selling model for years.

2009 Street Glide Performance Specifications

Engine	Twin Cam 96®
Displacement	1,584 cc
Max Power	N/A
Max Torque	92.6 LB-FT @ 3,500 RPM
Transmission	6-Speed Cruise Drive®
Top Speed	~110 MPH