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How to read this list
Harley-Davidson’s histories document model dates, features and lineage, but they do not score these motorcycles against one another. The entries below are therefore a curated selection, not a company-approved ranking. Touring comfort is not a fair measure of a flat-track racer, just as a racing record cannot tell you how a touring motorcycle changed everyday riding.
The list includes related versions when each marks a meaningful change in design or role. Dates identify the introduction or model year given in Harley-Davidson’s histories; they should not be read as a claim that every example from a model family was identical.
20 landmark Harley-Davidson motorcycles
1. WR racing motorcycle (1946)
Harley-Davidson’s timeline dates the introduction of its 45-cubic-inch flathead WR racing motorcycle to 1946 and describes it as one of the best racing motorcycles ever built. Its place here rests on that documented competition role and the importance of racing in the company’s history, rather than on direct comparison with road bikes. Harley-Davidson’s motorcycle history timeline.
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2. FL with the Knucklehead-era 1200cc V-twin (1941)
The FL designation dates to a 1941 version of Harley-Davidson’s 1200cc overhead-valve V-twin, according to the company’s Electra Glide history. That early FL is an important link in the Big Twin touring lineage that later produced the Hydra Glide, Duo Glide and Electra Glide. Harley-Davidson’s Electra Glide history.
3. Hydra Glide (1949)
In 1949, Harley-Davidson introduced a telescopic hydraulic front fork and named the resulting model the Hydra Glide. The change gave the Big Twin a defining chassis milestone and established a name that remains a landmark in the company’s touring history. Harley-Davidson’s Electra Glide history.
4. Sportster XL (1957)
Introduced in 1957, the XL brought increased displacement and overhead valves to the K-model foundation. Early examples are commonly called Ironheads. The Sportster would become a remarkably adaptable family, spanning road models, custom culture and racing rather than settling into one role. Harley-Davidson’s Sportster history.
5. Duo Glide (1958)
The Duo Glide added rear suspension to the Big Twin. That change made it a pivotal step between earlier rigid-frame machines and the more fully suspended touring motorcycles that followed. Harley-Davidson’s history describes the rear suspension as transforming the Big Twin. Harley-Davidson’s Electra Glide history.
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6. Sportster XLCH (1958)
The XLCH was an off-road-friendly Sportster associated with TT and scrambles racing. Its peanut tank and staggered dual exhaust became recognizable features, while its competition-oriented character showed how the Sportster platform could serve a different purpose from a conventional road model. Harley-Davidson’s Sportster history.
7. Electra Glide (1965)
The 1965 Electra Glide brought electric starting to Harley-Davidson’s civilian touring lineage, alongside a windshield and fiberglass saddlebags. Its starter was a practical change with a memorable sales pitch: the 1965 brochure, reproduced by Harley-Davidson, said, “We’ve taken a few of the kicks away, but none we thought you would miss.” The line refers to the electric starter; the brochure does not attribute it to an individual. Electra Glide history; 1965 brochure quotation reproduced in that history.
8. Electra Glide with Batwing fairing (1969–1971)
The Batwing fairing first appeared as an accessory in 1969 and became standard by 1971, according to Harley-Davidson’s Electra Glide history. This evolution helped establish the touring-bike silhouette many riders associate with the model. The dates refer to the fairing’s accessory availability and its later standard fitment, not a separate motorcycle generation. Harley-Davidson’s Electra Glide history.
9. XLCR Café Racer (1976)
The XLCR was a radical Sportster redesign, a striking departure within a family better known for its adaptable, traditional forms. It earns a place for showing how far the Sportster name could be stretched beyond its core road-bike identity. Harley-Davidson’s Sportster history.
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10. XR-750 (1970 season)
Sportster-derived and purpose-built for racing, the XR-750 became one of Harley-Davidson’s most consequential competition motorcycles, with a major flat-track and Grand National Championship legacy. It belongs on this list for its racing influence, not because a track racer can be judged by the same standards as a road-going Sportster. Harley-Davidson’s Sportster history.
11. FLT Tour Glide (1980)
Harley-Davidson highlights the FLT Tour Glide’s five-speed transmission, new frame and frame-mounted fairing. Together, those features marked a distinct touring design approach: the fairing was attached to the frame rather than the handlebars. Harley-Davidson’s Electra Glide history.
12. Electra Glide Classic (1986)
The Electra Glide Classic added a sound system and fairing-mounted gauges, features that reflected a growing emphasis on equipment and long-distance convenience in the touring line. Its significance is as a marker of how the touring motorcycle’s cockpit and amenities developed. Harley-Davidson’s Electra Glide history.
13. Dyna Super Glide
The Dyna Super Glide represents the Dyna family’s place in Harley-Davidson’s model lineage. The company’s history traces the line’s Super Glide roots and documents its later development, making it an important bridge in the brand’s cruiser story. Harley-Davidson’s Dyna history.
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14. FXDX Super Glide Sport (2000)
The 2000 FXDX Super Glide Sport is a notable Dyna variant identified in Harley-Davidson’s history. It gives the Super Glide name a distinct entry in this selection while underscoring that the line evolved through multiple versions rather than one fixed specification. Harley-Davidson’s Dyna history.
15. Fat Boy (1990)
The Fat Boy’s lineage begins with its 1990 debut. It became one of Harley-Davidson’s recognizable cruiser names, and the company’s 2025 Gray Ghost page explicitly connects that edition to the original model’s introduction. The 2025 motorcycle is a later edition, not the same bike as the 1990 original. Harley-Davidson’s model history; 2025 Fat Boy Gray Ghost page.
16. FLHR Road King (1994)
Introduced to the Touring line in 1994, the Road King drew visual links to the 1965 Electra Glide and 1958 Duo Glide. That blend of newer touring lineage and earlier styling helps explain why it became a distinctive expression of the family. Harley-Davidson’s Electra Glide history.
17. Touring models with Project Rushmore upgrades (2014)
Project Rushmore brought a substantial set of updates to selected 2014 touring models: reduced weight, infotainment, one-touch saddlebags, revised aerodynamics and Twin-Cooled engines on specific models. Because the changes applied to particular motorcycles rather than every touring model, the significance is best understood as a family-level modernization, not a single uniform specification. Harley-Davidson’s Electra Glide history.
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18. Sportster-powered streamliner ridden by Cal Rayborn (1970)
Harley-Davidson says Cal Rayborn rode a Sportster-powered streamliner to a world-record speed of just over 265 mph at Bonneville in 1970. This was a specialized streamliner, not a production Sportster or a measure of ordinary road-bike speed. The achievement illustrates the reach of the Sportster engine in a dedicated record-setting machine. Harley-Davidson’s Sportster history.
19. Sportster S (2021)
The Sportster S arrived with the Revolution Max 1250T and marked a significant departure from the traditional Sportster design. Its place here reflects the importance of a major change in the nameplate’s direction, not an assertion that it rides or performs like earlier Sportsters. Harley-Davidson’s Sportster history.
20. Modern Electra Glide and Touring lineage
The Electra Glide name represents a continuing touring lineage shaped by successive changes in starting, suspension, fairings, instrumentation and equipment. Its significance is cumulative: from the 1965 electric-start milestone to later touring updates, it offers one of the clearest ways to see Harley-Davidson’s touring motorcycles evolve. Harley-Davidson’s Electra Glide history.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What makes these motorcycles matter
Sportster: one platform, several identities
The Sportster’s story cannot be reduced to a single road-bike formula. The XL established the line, the XLCH leaned toward off-road competition, the XLCR pursued a café-racer form and the XR-750 built a formidable racing legacy. The Sportster-powered streamliner adds a separate record-setting chapter, while the 2021 Sportster S shows how substantially the name can change over time. Harley-Davidson’s Sportster history.
Touring: changes in chassis and convenience
The touring lineage is shaped by practical engineering as much as styling. The Hydra Glide introduced a telescopic hydraulic fork; the Duo Glide added rear suspension; the Electra Glide brought electric starting; and the FLT Tour Glide introduced a frame-mounted fairing with a new frame and five-speed transmission. Later examples added equipment and refinements, including the Classic’s sound system and fairing-mounted gauges and the selected Project Rushmore models’ updates. Harley-Davidson’s Electra Glide history.
Why there is no single winner
A racing motorcycle’s importance is measured through competition and engineering purpose; a touring motorcycle’s can lie in comfort, equipment and lineage; a cruiser may be remembered for cultural recognition and design. Harley-Davidson’s published histories document these stories but do not provide a shared scoring system or comparable independent sales, reliability or performance data for all twenty entries. The most defensible conclusion is that “best” depends on what a rider values—and on which chapter of Harley-Davidson history matters most to them.
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