Period Road Tests

About these tests

FXRS Super Glide II and Low Glide

1982 to 1984 · 3 tests with figures

• Cycle World, Dec 1981. 0 to 60 mph in 6.9 s. Cycle World called the FXR and FXRS "the smoothest, most comfortable and easy to ride Harleys in history". (Cycle World, Dec 1981)
• Cycle Guide, Dec 1981. The contents page summed it up as what the other cruisers want to be when they grow up. (Cycle Guide, Dec 1981)
• Cycle Guide, Jan 1984. The first Evolution FXRS, with lowered suspension for a shorter seat height. (Cycle Guide, Jan 1984)

Also tested, figures not available here:

• Cycle, Jan 1982. FXRS road test (cover story). No scan is online, so no figures here. (DadsVintageAds, Cycle Jan 1982)
• Cycle World, Sep 1984. Long-term test of a 1984 FXRS, 10,000 miles. No strip figures. About 45 mpg commuting and 50 to 60 mpg on weekend rides. Problems: a dirty alternator connector, a chain worn out by 3,000 miles, and the headlight. (Cycle World, Sep 1984)

Model page: FXRS

FXRT Sport Glide

1983 to 1985 · 3 tests with figures

• Cycle World, Aug 1983. Ridden 6,500 miles across the country with no oil puddles and only two minor faults (a binding rear brake lever spring and a loose coil wire). Lighter than the Honda Aspencade or Yamaha Venture. (Cycle World, Aug 1983)
• Cycle Guide, Mar 1984. Run next to that issue's big turn-key touring comparison. Cycle Guide found it could equal almost any of the heavyweight tourers while being lighter and slimmer. (Cycle Guide, Mar 1984)
• Cycle Guide, Oct 1984. New for 1985: belt final drive and a diaphragm-spring wet clutch. The low top speed was listed as a drawback for riders with "Autobahn fantasies". (Cycle Guide, Oct 1984)

Also tested, figures not available here:

• Cycle, Nov 1983. FXRT Sport Glide road test with a technical look at the new Evolution engine. No scan is online. (DadsVintageAds, Cycle Nov 1983)

Model page: FXRT

FXRDG Disc Glide

1984 · 1 test with figures

• Cycle World, Jun 1984. 0 to 60 mph in 4.2 s. "The FXR line is the Harley sports department." Cycle World later named the FXRDG Best Cruiser in its October 1984 Ten Best. (Cycle World, Jun 1984)

Model page: FXRDG

FXRS Sport Edition, Low Rider Sport and FXRS-SP

1986 to 1990 · 3 tests with figures

• Cycle Guide, Nov/Dec 1985. The long-travel FXRS, listed by Cycle Guide as the FXRS Low Rider Sport. (Cycle Guide, Nov/Dec 1985)
• Cycle Guide, Dec/Jan 1987. This issue is not online. The quarter-mile figure is from Cycle Guide's own test-summary table in the August/September 1987 issue, whose Bike of the Year feature called the FXRS Sport Edition "the best all-around motorcycle from Milwaukee". (Cycle Guide, Aug/Sep 1987)
• Cycle World, Jul 1990. About 2 inches more suspension travel than the FXRS, and twin front discs. (Cycle World, Jul 1990)

Also tested, figures not available here:

• Cycle World, Jun 1987. FXRS Low Rider Sport in a cruiser comparison. Only a short spec box, with no measured figures: claimed 72 bhp at 5,200 rpm, 570 lb, $8,649. Cycle World called it the most well-rounded Harley ever. (Cycle World, Jun 1987)

Model page: FXRS-SP / Sport

FXLR Low Rider Custom

1987 to 1993 · 2 tests with figures

• Cycle World, Jan 1987. "A motorcycle full of contradictions": beautifully finished engine castings, but near-useless mirrors and a thin passenger seat. Worth measured in styling and pride of ownership. (Cycle World, Jan 1987)
• Cycle World, Nov 1992. 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 s. About $3,000 more than the other two, and still the winner: "if money's no object and you've got to have the best of the bunch, it's the Low Rider you'll want." (Cycle World, Nov 1992)

Model page: FXLR

FXRS Convertible

1989 · 1 test with figures

• Cycle World, Sep 1989. 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 s. Cycle World liked the quick-detach windscreen and bags, which let one bike tour or cruise, and criticized the air anti-dive fork. The bike was announced in the May 1989 issue. (Cycle World, Sep 1989)

Model page: FXRS-CONV

CVO FXR2, FXR3 and FXR4

1999 to 2000 · no tests with figures found

Period reviews:

• Cycle World's Big Twin, Apr/May 1999. FXR2 and FXR3 story with riding impressions and interviews with the team that built them. No performance figures. (Cycle World's Big Twin, 1999 (via Hot Bike))
• Motorcycle Online, Oct 13, 1999. "Harley-Davidson FXR4: FXR + EVO = Head Turner", a first look at the 2000 FXR4 (reposted on a forum). No performance figures. (Motorcycle Online, Oct 1999 (repost))

Model page: CVO 1999 to 2000

Modified FXRs

Not found yet

Sources

1. Cycle World, "Harley-Davidson FXRS" road test, December 1981. Link
2. Cycle Guide, "Harley-Davidson FXRS Super Glide II" road test, December 1981 (scan on the Internet Archive). Link
3. DadsVintageAds blog, back-issue listing for Cycle, January 1982 (cover and road test: Harley-Davidson FXRS). Link
4. Cycle Guide, "Harley-Davidson FXRS: the evolution of an institution" road test, January 1984 (scan on the Internet Archive). Link
5. Cycle World, "Long-Term Test: Harley-Davidson FXRS", September 1984. Link
6. Cycle World, "Harley-Davidson FXRT" road test, August 1983. Link
7. DadsVintageAds blog, back-issue listing for Cycle, November 1983 (road test: Harley-Davidson FXRT Sport Glide, plus an Evolution engine tech analysis). Link
8. Cycle Guide, Harley-Davidson FXRT test in the touring issue, March 1984 (scan on the Internet Archive). Link
9. Cycle Guide, "Harley-Davidson FXRT: a long stroke in the mainstream" road test of the 1985 FXRT, October 1984 (scan on the Internet Archive). Link
10. Cycle World, "Harley-Davidson FXRDG" road test, June 1984. Link
11. Cycle World, "Ninth Annual Ten Best Motorcycles of the Year", October 1984. Link
12. Cycle Guide, "Harley-Davidson FXRS Sport Edition: hog heaven" road test of the 1986 model, November/December 1985 (scan on the Internet Archive). Link
13. Cycle Guide, August/September 1987: Bike of the Year feature, and the test-summary table listing the December/January 1987 FXRS Low Rider Sport test (scan on the Internet Archive). Link
14. Cycle World, "Harley-Davidson FXRS Low Rider Sport", June 1987 (part of a cruiser comparison; short spec box). Link
15. Cycle World, "Harley-Davidson FXRS-SP" road test, July 1990. Link
16. Cycle World, "Harley-Davidson Low Rider Custom FXLR" road test, January 1987. Link
17. Cycle World, "Hog Wild in the Gold Country", November 1992 (1993 FXLR Low Rider Custom vs Honda Shadow 1100 and Kawasaki Vulcan 88). Link
18. Cycle World, "Harley-Davidson Goes Topless", May 1989 (news of the FXRS Convertible). Link
19. Cycle World, "Harley-Davidson Convertible" road test, September 1989. Link
20. Brian Blades, FXR2/FXR3 story, Cycle World's Big Twin, April/May 1999, republished by Hot Bike as "Back When the Harley-Davidson FXR Made Its Return". Link
21. Motorcycle Online, "Harley-Davidson FXR4: FXR + EVO = Head Turner", October 13, 1999, as reposted on the CVOHarley.com forum. Link
22. Cycle World, "Haulin' Hogs", December 1991 (an S&S-built 1990 FXR Low Rider and a modified Sportster at the drag strip). Link
23. R.M. Clarke (compiler), Harley-Davidson FXR Series Performance Portfolio 1982-1992, Brooklands Books, 1999. ISBN 978-1-85520-496-6. Reprints of period road tests. Link

Full bibliography and image credits: Sources & Credits. Magazine pages are linked, never copied or hosted here. Spot an error? Tell us.