A red 1985 Harley-Davidson FXRT with its fairing and saddlebags, parked on a beach at dusk under a pink sky.

FXR Archive

Everything FXR, all in one place.

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The Legendary FXR

Harley built it the hard way. Erik Buell and the engineering team chased the wobble out of the frame, and Harley held the launch until it handled right, even though the company badly needed the sales (Hot Bike, "The Saga of the FXR"). The result was the best-handling Big Twin of its day. It could run all day on the highway and still make a back road fun. It was also expensive and hard to build, which is why the cheaper Dyna replaced it. Riders have missed it ever since.

Why it still matters. More than 30 years after the last regular FXR left the line, people are still riding them hard and building them up. Today's club-style bikes owe a lot to the FXR, and builders still make frames and parts for it. When Harley launched its custom CVO line in 1999, the bike it chose to bring back was the FXR.

This archive is here so the FXR is remembered. It gathers its history, models, tech and culture in one place, with sources linked throughout.

1982 to 1994
Regular production run
1999 to 2000
Brought back as the first CVOs
Still riding
A builder and parts scene that never quit

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Explore the archive

01HistoryHow a small post-AMF team built Harley's best-handling Big Twin, year by year from 1982 to 1994.02ModelsEvery FXR family model, from the Super Glide II to the FXLR, with years, features and specs.03CVO 1999 to 2000The FXR2, FXR3 and FXR4: the short factory custom run that brought the FXR back.04TechSpecs, Shovelhead and Evolution engines, the rubber-mount frame, and how to read a VIN.Illustrated 1980s-style magazine cover titled Road Test05Road Tests and ReviewsPeriod magazine tests from 1982 to 2000, plus today's most-watched FXR videos and look-back articles.06CultureFilms, TV, music videos, magazines and books, plus the famous bikes that are not FXRs.Motorcycles parked in a row outside a roadside bar at dusk07SceneA neutral directory of FXR builders and parts makers, plus FXR shows, jams and communities.Phone Dyno graph with orange horsepower and white torque curves08Phone DynoEstimate rear-wheel horsepower and torque with a phone. How it works, sample results and the beta.09StoriesLonger reads about FXRs and the people who ride them, starting with Big Red, a 1985 FXRT back from the barn.

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Stories and features

All stories →
A red 1985 Harley-Davidson FXRT with gold pinstripes, fairing and hard saddlebags parked on concrete by a fenceSTORYBig Red Rides AgainHow a 40-year-old 1985 FXRT came back from the barn as a rider, not a racer, with an 89-inch stroker and dyno results.OPINIONTwin Cam Swap… Is It Still an FXR?A strong opinion, lightly held. Just kidding, it's not light at all.OPINIONYes, Twin Cam Swaps Count!The rebuttal. Purists, please put down the torque wrench.GUIDEKnown IssuesSeventeen common FXR problems by model year, with symptoms, causes, fixes and sources.

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