HARLEY-DAVIDSON Super Glide (1977-1978) Specs, Performance & Photos

The Harley-Davidson Super Glide was a custom motorcycle made by the American manufacturer since 1971. The bike was the first custom machine made by H-D, manufactured with bits and pieces from the FLH Electra Glide and XLH Sportster.

The H-D styling director Willie G. Davidson designed the bike in response to individual owners of Harley machines that changed various components or cut and welded frames to customize the bike to suit its personal style.

To build a bike with a custom look, Willie G. took the frame, rear suspension, drivetrain, and engine components from the FLH Electra Glide and combined them with the front telescopic fork, headlights, and brakes of the XLH Sportster.

The result was called an FX chassis, where FX was short for Factory Experimental. He added a buckhorn handlebar and a boat tail fender similar to the XLH Sportster to complete the bike's look. Unfortunately for Harley-Davidson, the Super Glide was not well received due to its boat tail design until the manufacturer addressed the issue with a less radical boat tail rear end in 1974.

In 1977, the manufacturer released the Harley-Davidson Super Glide, a bike in its seventh consecutive year of production that featured a single revision in 1994. The 1994 revision included a redesigned seat, fuel tank, and rear end, dropping the boat tail design. In addition, the bike also received dual disc brakes.

As for the power figures, the 1977 model packed the same 1,207cc four-stroke V-twin air-cooled engine as its predecessors, boasting 65 hp with a maximum peak force at 5,500 rpm.