Nearly two weeks ago Harley-Davidson began a custom revolution by taking the best of the 'old' Dyna and Softail frames and combining them in a "New" Softail frame for the 2018 model year. And more than a few people are freaking out about it. #RIPDyna and this hilarious Youtube Video is just the tip of the iceberg.
At first I could understand, even agreed with those crying "blasphemy" to a certain extent. After all, 'better the devil you know than the one you don't.'
There's a reason it's called a 'comfort zone'! It's what we know, we're comfortable with, and any deviation from that brings a whole host of things that we don't know. That unknown can be pretty scary.
When you look at it though, change is a part of our daily lives. Our bodies change, weather changes, popular music, movies and television change, and on and on. Everything changes. And when we avoid this fact of life, things can get pretty bad pretty fast.
Did I tell you I'm a Ford Girl? Ever since my teens when my best
friend's dad was a Master Mechanic for a local Ford dealership. They even started the same year as my favorite motorcycle company (1903)!! I used to think Henry Ford could do no wrong (when he was alive, of course).
But when I read the history of Ford I saw that he didn't really want to change the Model T, at all. Henry was quite content to sit on the success, even when others were coming up with electric start and hydraulic brakes. If it weren't for his son Edsel and the Model A, Ford Motor Company might just have been a blip on history's radar.
I mean really, could you imagine driving to work in a Model T with a top speed of 45mph today? How about doing your work on an old Mac computer? And your cell phone - is it the same big brick as they used to be when they first came out?
We as humans need certain things to change in order for us to grow and evolve. Otherwise we get stuck in the same patterns, going in circles, doing the same thing day in and day out.
Of course we should also honor those certain things that need to remain the same. So then it becomes a balancing act between sameness and change, something Harley seems to have achieved with the new Softail frame.
In designing the new Softail frame, the powers that be looked to the
1950 FL while also keeping pace with the technologies of today. Add in more agility, increased lean angels, more torque and a smoooooth ride and we're talking about a major achievement.
But I wasn't completely sold until I test rode the new FLFBS Fat Boy (with a 114ci Milwaukee-Eight engine!). Other than having to shift, it really felt as if I was riding on a magic flying carpet - it was that effortless and powerful thanks to the motor. And then the handling through the corners - a tiny bit better than my '04 Dyna Super Glide, but with a lot less vibration.
Keeping things the same while going through change - when we get it right, we're in tune with the universe. Embrace the change AND hold on to the old ways allows us to be free and live a wonderful life.
Therefore I personally invite you out to FX Caprara Harley-Davidson for our Fall Open House, September 22-24 (of course you can stop in anytime- we are open seven days a week) for you to experience these new "Freedom Machines." Not close to us? Check out this link to find a dealership close to you.
Until then, you gotta just keep moving forward in order to balance on two wheels. Ride safe & have fun!!
Even though I'm not a French physician writing in quatrains, I think I may have predicted the future last week when I blogged, "So, unless you're in an interview with the MoCo., let the Low Rider be in a Softail frame. It's adorable." But did I really perceive the coming of the new Softail frame through my crystal ball? (Yes, that is my crystal ball!) Let's review:
- The Dyna model family as we know it began with the Super Glide, when Harley combined the Sportster with the larger big
twin models of the day, waaaaay back in 1971. That was 45 years ago.
- Nearly 35 years ago the Softail family was born from the brain of Bill Davis, who sold his patents, prototype and tooling to Harley, who produced the first FXST Softail in 1984.
- For decades people have said that even though a new model year had been announced, the only real difference from one year to the next was engine displacement and/or paint.
- Traditionally, the newest motor goes in the Touring lineup first, then it makes it down the rest of the family tree the following year. That happened with the Twin-Cam 96ci, 103ci & 110ci motors. But when it came to the new Milwaukee-Eight, it was
too big to fit into the traditional Dyna & Softail frames.
- Earlier this year Harley announced they were moving the manufacturing of the Softail line from York, PA (where the Touring & Trike lines are produced) to the Kansas City plant, birth place of the Dyna, Sporster & Street bikes.
- It wouldn't be cost effective to continue to make four motors - the Milwaukee-Eight, Twin Cam, Evolution (Sportster), and Revolution X (Street). Harley has always been good at balancing the books as well as their bikes- that's one of the reasons they've been in business for 115 years (not many companies can say that).
So yes, I'm a Witch (told you that crystal ball is mine!), but I really didn't use a anything to foresee the change coming. Anyone who knows the pattern of a successful company knows that they will continue to innovate and push the envelope.
I am proud to keep my 2004 Dyna Super Glide as well as excited to witness this moment in history. I might even possibly add to my collection with a new Heritage Classic 115th Anniversary edition.
