Harley-Davidson T-Sport
HARLEYDAVIDSON T-Sport
Long-Term Wrap-Up
SPORT-TOURING, MILWAUKEE-STYLE
DO SADDLEBAGS AND A WINDscreen make a motorcycle more open-road ready and, in turn, a sales-floor success? In the case of Harley-Davidson’s new-for-2001 Dyna Super Glide T-Sport, the answers are a resounding yes and, well, the jury’s still out on the second question.
During the past 13 months, we’ve logged almost 15,000 miles on our longterm T-Sport. Replacement for the discontinued Dyna Convertible, the base FXDXT is just about as simple as they come. Paint is plain, with only gas-tank pinstriping for flair. The flat-track-style bar is wide, the seat broad and dished. Both ventional and frame mounted hishwav
footpegs are standard issue. Multi-spoke cast wheels in 18/16-inch diameters hold triple-disc brakes and wear touring-oriented, bias-ply Dunlop D401s.
Engine-wise, the T-Sport is one of the last carbureted Harleys, and will remain so in ’02. Over the duration of the test, we kept changes to the air-cooled, rubber-mounted Twin Cam 88 simple, fitting Screamin’ Eagle 1550cc cylinders and pistons, a jet kit and slip-on mufflers. Turns out, our $1586 was well spent. At test’s end, with nearly 20,000 miles on the clock (we took delivery of our T-Sport with 5100 miles showing), the black-on-black V-Twin made 76 horsepower and 88 foot-pounds of torque, up from 61 bhp and 74 ft.-lbs. stock.
As the many miles attest, our T-Sport was subject to several trips, the longest being CW specials Art Director Keith May’s month-long, 6500-mile journey across the southern On their northern California-to-Alberta, Canada, vacation, Sportbike contributor Jason Black and his wife Amy tallied another 3100 miles.
Quotes from the logbook
David EdwardsOne of my most enjoyable rides last year was from Sturgis, South Dakota, to California via Utah aboard the T-Sport. Maybe Harley’s best-kept secret, it’s the perfect bike for the Great American Tour.
Matthew Miles Dedicated sporttouring rigs needn’t fear the T-Sport, but the Big Twin nevertheless offers a first-rate on-the-road experience.
Mark Hoyerits muffled chuff and indistinct power output makes the stock T-Sport a “blah” experience for me. Thank God for the big-bore kit.
“First impressions? Heavy, cumbersome, a little crude and rough around the edges, lackadaisical power delivery and soft suspension,” logged ex-roadracer Black.
“But all of these things contributed to a package that eventually won us over. Overall, we really became attached to this bike, and didn’t want to give it back!”
When the T-Sport was at the CW offices, it was a popular commuter. The quick-detach, ballistic-nylon luggage swallowed our daily needs, from laptop computers to sack lunches and gym attire. Over time, however, the non-locking bags took a bit of a beating. Two of the four snaps that hold the leather flaps to the bags’ tops broke. Also, we became less trusting of the mounting mechanisms, though we never lost a bag.
Regardless of trip length, no one was entirely happy with the windscreen, or the optional taller version ($135), both of which can be altered for height and rake with a simple twist of a centrally located knob. “Adjusted all over the place, the screen never seemed good for me,” noted 6-foot, 2-inch Feature Editor Mark Hoyer. “It buffeted everywhere.” At least the tinted wind-blocker is easy to swap out, via the removal of four Allen-head screws.
Aside from a burned-out stator and mysteriously melted speedometer face mentioned in an earlier update, we encountered few mechanical ills. So, we caused our own! No one recalls a specific bike-loading or disc-lock incident in which the front brakes may have been damaged, but both rotors were severely out of true at test’s end.
I love my FXDXT. It’s a great, shorttrek touring bike. I’m currently upgrading the engine with Crane cams and ported heads. -David Kaganac, Jacksonville, FL
We replaced them with one-piece stainlesssteel Standards ($398) from Performance Machine (714/523-3000).
To these, we mated SDP918HH pads ($38 per caliper) from Dunlopad (716/681-8806). Problem solved.
Back to our earlier question: Is the TSport selling? Not as well as Harley might like. According to dealers with whom we spoke, buyers of the Milwaukee brand favor Softails for aroundtown running and FLs for long-distance work. If they only knew what they were missing...
SPECIFICATIONS
$14,720
