Harley-Davidson For 1983
Harley-Davidson for 1983
Evolution in action. That’s what could be seen at Harley’s new model show in Milwaukee. A V-Four wasn’t shown there. There wasn’t a street legal XR750 flat tracker. The big Twins hadn’t grown to 1500cc. In comparison with some other motorcycle companies, which sometimes seem to belong to the engine-of-the-week club, the Harley show might seem anticlimatic. While there is some truth to that impression, it’s neither fair nor totally accurate. What was in evidence in Milwaukee was the continued change of the Harley V-Twins as the company strives to bring its performance into the motorcycle mainstream without diluting those qualities that make them Harley-Davidsons.
When confronted with the 1 1 bike Harley-Davidson range, the non-Harley expert is left with the impression of alphabet soup. Just two engines and all those letters! FLH, FLHT, FXRS, FXWG, XLX, XLS . . . how do you distinguish between all these different but similar looking models?
The first clue is the first letter of the model designation. The F implies an 80 cubic inch V-Twin, and the X is used for the smaller, unit construction 61 cubic inch engine. After that, the important thing is which of four frames the model uses.
The FLH Electra Glide is the classic Harley-Davidson dresser. It uses a lug construction frame with the engine mounted rigidly, and has followed an evolutionary line of development that dates back at least to the 1930’s. For 1983 the chain final drive has been replaced by a Gates Polychain belt but otherwise the FLH is unchanged.
The XLH is the Sportster. The 61 cubic inch V-Twin is rigidly housed in a frame welded from tubes and steel stampings. This frame was introduced for the 1982 model year, and dramatically improved the way the bike handled. This year the news is engine improvements. Horsepower is up by more than 10 percent due to a compression increase (allowed by a new, vacuum-advance ignition) and a less restrictive exhaust system (allowed by the Federal noise laws). Additional changes are a new, larger 3.3 gal. gas tank, and a new seat.
The XLS bears the Roadster name. Mechanically identical to the Sportster, the Roadster offers mainly styling differences, many of them new for this year. The tank capacity and look have changed with the addition of a 3.8 gal. Fat Bob gas tank. The tachometer has moved from in front of the handlebars to atop the tank console. Previous Roadsters were fitted with 2 inch extended front forks, but the 1983 model comes with forks in the standard Sportster length for improved handling. The Roadster, like the Sportster, has a new seat for the new model year.
The XLX-61, a new model for 1983, is the nameless Harley. If the Roadster is a dressed up Sportster, the XLX is a Sportster with every non-essential piece removed. This reduces the dry weight to 486 lb., and gives the XLX a stark, tough look of its own.
The original FX series is represented by three motorcycles this year. The Super Glide started it all in 1971 when the factory duplicated the work of many custom builders and grafted the Sportster front end onto the big V-Twin engine and frame from the Electra Glide. Hence the designation: F for the big VTwin, X for the Sportster heritage, and E for electric start.
The other two models of the FX series are the FXSB Low Rider and the FXWG Wide Glide. The Low Rider is a Super Glide with trim changes and slightly longer front forks. For 1983, the Low Rider is only offered with Gates Polychain belts for both primary and final drive. Previously, a separate Low Rider model named the Sturgis came with the belts, but now that the belts are proven, all Low Riders will come with them. The Sturgis designation has been dropped. The Wide Glide is another Super Glide relation, and comes as close to being a factory chopper as any motorcycle ever has. The 80 cubic inch engine and Electra Glide frame are used as on the other FX models, but are mated with long front forks widely spaced on their triple clamps and a 21 in. front tire. The foot pegs and controls are located in the highway position, and a larger (5 gal.), twin cap fuel tank is fitted. The 1983 model features new paint colors, and the previously offered black gas tank with red and orange flames is available only on special order.
Sportsters Get More Power, Dressers Get New Options and Harley-Davidson Rolls Into Another Year.
The FLT Tour Glide was first released in 1980, and was the beginning of Harley’s entry into modern motorcycling. A welded frame of tubes and stampings replaced the lugged frame construction used on other models, and a rubber engine mounting scheme similar to Norton’s Isolastic mounting was adopted. The frame succeeded in combining light handling and stability simultaneously, and the rubber engine mounts reduced engine vibration from the 80 cubic inch V-Twin to a non-issue at highway speeds. Changes to the Tour Glide for 1983 definitely fall into the evolutionary category. Modifications to the seat and suspension have been made to drop the seat height by 1.5 in. while improving the seat shape.
Hariey-Davidson has a long history and loyal customers, and these virtues sometimes require a careful balancing of tradition and new design. The new for 1983 FLHT Electra Glide is a product of this balancing act. After the Tour Glide was released, Harley discovered that some Electra Glide owners liked the idea of the reduced vibration of the rubber mounted engine, but didn’t like the bulkiness of the frame mounted fairing of the Tour Glide, or the styling that went with it. The new Electra Glide is Harley’s attempt to reconcile the benefits of the Tour Glide design with the preferences of its customers. It is a Tour Glide chassis in an Electra Glide outfit, and might be better called the Electra Glide II to distinguish it from the still available FLH Belt Drive Electra Glide. The FLHT uses the Tour Glide frame but substitutes the Electra Glide handlebar mounted fairing and lights. The five-speed transmission and the enclosed chain operating in an oil bath are retained from the Tour Glide, as are the rubber engine mounts.
The final Harley frame configuration is used on the FXR and FXRS Super Glide Ils. The original Super Glide was based on the FLH frame and engine; the Super Glide II is more loosely based on the Tour Glide. Because the Tour Glide has unusual steering geometry that places the forks behind the steering head and looks unusual when not covered by a fairing, the factory elected to design an all new frame preserving the Tour Glide rubber engine mounts while possessing more visual appeal. The new frame managed to make the Super Glide II in either the base FXR or the higher trim FXRS model a very good handler. The rubber engine mounts filter out vibration to the extent that the Super Glide II feels smoother than a number of four cylinder machines. Since the design was new for 1982 and no problems have turned up requiring immediate solution, the two Super Glide Ils remain unchanged for 1983.
That seems to sum up the Hariey-Davidson design philosophy—fix what needs fixing, preserve your strengths, and minimize your weaknesses but certainly don’t make changes for the sake of change. This philosophy may be forced on them by their size and lack of financial resources, but Harley has followed it to produce motorcycles like the Tour Glide and Super Glide II that can compete on their own merits, and don’t need any special allowances because they’re Harleys or made in America. And the evolution of the Harley V-Twins hasn’t stopped with this model release. Programs are underway to improve engine performance of all models, and to do things such as reducing the amount of effort the front brake requires. BS\
