Harley-Davidson FXE1200 Super Glide
Harley-Davidson Super Glide | |
Manufacturer | |
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Also called | FLH1200 Super Glide, FLH 1200 Super Glide, FXE1200 Super Glide, FXE 1200 Super Glide, FXE1340 Super Glide II, FXE 1340 Super Glide II, FXRS 1340 Super Glide II, FXR1340 Super Glide II, FXR 1340 Super Glide II, FXE1340 Super Glide, FXE 1340 Super Glide, FXR1340 Super Glide (reduced effect), FXR 1340 Super Glide (reduced effect), FXR1340 Super Glide, FXR 1340 Super Glide, 1340 Super Glide, Super Glide Custom 110th Anniversary |
Production | 1974 - 77 |
Engine | Four stroke, 45° V-Twin, OHV, 2 valves per cylinder. |
Compression ratio | 8.0:1 |
Top Speed | 108 mph |
Ignition | Electronic |
Transmission | 4 Speed |
Suspension | Front: Telescopic forks, 89mm wheel travel Rear: Swinging fork. Duplex loop cradle with cast lugs. |
Brakes | Front: Single 298mm disc Rear: Single 248mm disc |
Front Tire | 3.25-19 |
Rear Tire | 5.10-16 |
Weight | 275.0 kg / 606.3 lbs (wet) |
Fuel Capacity | 12.5 Liters / 3.3 US gal |
Manuals | Service Manual |
It could reach a top speed of 108 mph.
Engine[edit | edit source]
The engine was a Air cooled cooled Four stroke, 45° V-Twin, OHV, 2 valves per cylinder.. The engine featured a 8.0:1 compression ratio.
Chassis[edit | edit source]
It came with a 3.25-19 front tire and a 5.10-16 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via Single 298mm disc in the front and a Single 248mm disc in the rear. The front suspension was a Telescopic forks, 89mm wheel travel while the rear was equipped with a Swinging fork. Duplex loop cradle with cast lugs.. The FXE1200 Super Glide was fitted with a 12.5 Liters / 3.3 US gal fuel tank.
Photos[edit | edit source]
Overview[edit | edit source]
Harley Davidson
FXE 1200 Super Glide
There is nothing quite like gunning down the highway at 70 mph on a big
Harley-Davidson vee-twin. Perhaps it is the overwhelming presence of the vast
engine churing around at a lazy 3,250 rpm or perhaps it is the rangy,
built-like-a-truck feel that is so .appealing. Either way, there is something
instantly attractive about a motor cycle that almost seems alive.
It rumbles, it cranks, it clatters and it vibrates - but what motor cycle
retaining any connection with the grass roots of two-wheel travel didn't? Or so
the Harley buffs argument goes. Therein lies the reason why there
is nothing quite like a Harley - other makers have seen fit to bring wider
appeal to their bikes by modern design and refinement. Meanwhile Harley-Davidson
remain staunchly in the traditionalist's camp with their 20-year-old design in
the biggest of their vee-twins, the FXE-1200.
All the same, riding a Harley-Davidson is a unique experience. For a start,
you do not so much ride the bike but sit in it, the saddle being somewhere at
axle height and the controls somewhere about 3 ft above it. And no sooner have
you sunk into that deep saddle than you start scowling and snarling at your
fellow road users. The Harley is that bad, and the other guys had
better know it.
Fantasies, however, last only so long, and all the imagery in the world
cannot cover up the fact that the Harley is rough and, in the case of the
FXE1200, over-priced when looked at realistically.
The twelve-hundred engine is the bigger of the two Harley-Davidson 45 degree
vee-twins and famous for powering the romantic FLH1200 Electra-Glide tourer. The
Super Glide is the cut-and-shut version, a lighter (if 585 lb with a gallon of
fuel can be called light), leaner and more esoteric machine with its western
droop 'bars, 2J-gallon tank, banana seat and abbreviated fenders. There is one
concession to civility, signified by the E suffix in the FXE-1200 model number,
and that is the electric starter, a necessity if you prefer riding to sweating
up a lather by the side of the road. But even the starter motor is in character.
Switching on with the ignition lock hidden between the cylinders and applying
just a small amount of choke, the mechanism grinds into action and the motor
bursts into life with a rumplety-rumplety exhaust note which, thanks to the
latest style exhaust system, is muted very effectively.
The rest of the machine is still pure vintage, however. The result is that
the exhaust system severely reduces the performance as well.
Harley-Davidson claim a maximum power output of around 65 bhp at a leisurely
5,500 rpm, but the actual power fell far short of this iri test and the best we
could extract out of the bike at MIRA was a two-way mean speed of 108 mph, and a
best run of almost 114 mph. Flat-out acceleration, too, is hardly in the
superbike class with a standing quarter-mile time of 15-3 seconds. Not that this
matters too much on the road. For the redeeming feature of the FXE is torque -
mountains of it. Right from the outset the modestly tuned 1,207 cc engine makes
it obvious that it does not need to be rushed to provide the goods. With the
peculiar Bendix carburetor (now replaced by a Japanese Keihin equivalent),
which acts more like an on-off switch at small openings, the reaction to a tweak
of the grip from low revs is instantaneous and monumental.
As a rule, 2,500 rpm was more than enough to maintain a clear road ahead
through the four-speed gearbox and even for modest cruising, as these revs
corresponded to over 50 mph in top gear.
This was just as well, since vibrations start in earnest at 3,200 rpm,
buzzing the instruments frantically, and only marginally smoothing out towards
the rev limit at 6,000 rpm. The happiest cruising speed was at 3,500 rpm, where
the chugging motor had plenty in hand for instant overtaking.
Despite the laid-back feel of the bike, its crudity cannot be overlooked. In
addition to the rough carburation and painful vibration, the transmission is
poor, with only a tough damper on the crankshaft to take up the shocks, and the
suspension is hard. You ride the Harley in a series of bangs and clanks. The
non-unit gearbox has a linkage-operated one-down, three-up lever, and while much
better than the box on the Sportster XL-1000 it still shows its age. Neutral is
easy to find, but the unit is clonky, most gears dropping into place with the
caress of a pile-driver.
In contrast, the dry clutch in a massive alloy casting is perfect. Light in
action, the take-up is so smooth that slipping it at low speed to cover up the
snatching transmission is easy.
By reputation, Harley handling is pretty foul, but we found the steering very
good on the FXE. The low engine and riding position makes the bike very easy to
flick through bends, although the lack of ground clearance, even with the rear
suspension units jacked up to the highest preload, leads to a grinding side
stand and footrests in corners.
Longer than the Sportster, the riding position takes some getting used to,
but with the deeply-padded seat is comfortable, the only real criticism being
the way the hands tend to slip off the downward-angled and smooth grips.
The hard suspension, weak frame and slippery tires lead to the main handling
faults on the FXE-1200. Both front and rear spring travel is short and the lack
of rigidity in the frame can cause the bike to get out of shape easily. Bumpy
corners mean plenty of action for the rider. In the wet the Goodyear tires
indicate forcefully that they were never intended for greasy roads. Pulling away
from stops in the rain is a balancing act between traction of the big 510 x
16-in rear tire and throttle opening.
Although disc brakes are used at the front and rear, they continue the theme
of crudity. Both brakes are powerful enough to lock the wheels, but the calipers
rattle badly, the rear unit tending to grab as well. The controls do not help.
Like the clutch, the reach on the front-brake hand lever is excessive and the
rider needs to lift his foot off the rest to reach the rear brake.
Fed by a massive alternator mounted behind the primary drive on the
crankshaft, the electrical system is modern enough but suffered from silly
faults. The size of the headlamp (5£ in), belies the power of the sealed unit
which throws a healthy spot main and wide dipped beam. But the battery capacity
is too low and plenty of night use meant that the engine failed to spin over on
the button next morning. Also, chafed ignition wires which shorted out
demonstrated the use of the thermal contact breakers, which reconnect the supply
when the fault is corrected.
The indicators are operated by press buttons on either handgrip, a very
unsatisfactory method when you have to manipulate the other controls at the same
time. On the good side, the stentorian horn is fabulous. You not only hear it
but feel it too, it's so powerful.
Only a prop stand is fitted, but it does have a locking mechanism to prevent
the machine rolling away on a slope.
In general use, the FXE-1200 Harley does not show up as well as the
Sportster. Fuel consumption never varied much from the 40 mpg and, indicating a
poor setting-up of the carburetor, the steady speed fuel consumption readings
hardly varied between 30 mph to 70 mph.
Oil leaks from the chaincase and the pushrod tubes contributed mainly to the
heavy oil consumption of 700 miles to the pint. In practice, the oil tank is
replenished from the small dipstick hole on the side as the seat needs to be
unscrewed for access to the main cap, and no tools are supplied.
This does not sound very promising, but the reasons why someone should spend
over £2,000 on such a machine are varied anyway. Perhaps the magic moment when
you charge out of a 50 mph bend, change into top at 2,500 revs, and chug off
into the horizon in a dream is one of them!
Road Test 1976
Make Model | Harley Davidson FXE 1200 Super Glide |
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Year | 1974 - 77 |
Engine Type | Four stroke, 45° V-Twin, OHV, 2 valves per cylinder. |
Displacement | 1207 cc / 73.5 cu-in |
Bore X Stroke | 87.3 x 100.8 mm |
Cooling System | Air cooled |
Compression | 8.0:1 |
Induction | Single 38mm Keihin carburetor |
Ignition | Electronic |
Starting | Electric |
Max Power | 65 hp @ 5500 rpm |
Max Torque | NA |
Transmission | 4 Speed |
Final Drive | Chain |
Gear Ratio | 1st 10-25 / 2nd 6-24 / 3rd 4-21 / 4th 3-42 to 1 |
Front Suspension | Telescopic forks, 89mm wheel travel |
Rear Suspension | Swinging fork. Duplex loop cradle with cast lugs. |
Front Brakes | Single 298mm disc |
Rear Brakes | Single 248mm disc |
Front Tire | 3.25-19 |
Rear Tire | 5.10-16 |
Wet Weight | 275.0 kg / 606.3 lbs |
Fuel Capacity | 12.5 Liters / 3.3 US gal |
Consumption Average | 47 mpg |
Braking 60 - 0 / 100 - 0 | |
Standing ¼ Mile | 15.0 sec / 85.8 mph |
Top Speed | 108 mph |