2007–2013 · Cruiser · Buyer's Guide
Custom Iron, Standard Soul
The Super Glide Custom sits in Harley's Dyna family as the one you swing a leg over and immediately understand. Mid-mounted foot controls put your feet under you instead of out in front, so it rides like a standard wearing chopper clothes. The rubber-mounted 1584 cc 45° V-twin makes 92 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm and 75 hp, delivered through a 6-speed box and a belt. Steel double-cradle frame, 64.2 in wheelbase, 26.6 in seat. It scores a perfect 10 for chopper style, and the 9.5 aftermarket rating tells you the rest: this is a canvas as much as a motorcycle.
Ride it and the low seat plus 677 lb of mass settles into a long, planted line at highway speed, where it earns its 9.0 stability score. It ages the way simple air-cooled machines do, which is to say slowly and honestly, and the 8.0 build quality holds up under the three-glance test. The honest caveat: there is no ABS, no traction control, no cruise control, and the fork is fixed with no adjustment at all. The rear shocks take preload and that's your lot. Buy it for what it is, not for what a spec sheet promises.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 75 hp (56 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 92 lb-ft (125 Nm) @ 3,000 rpm |
| Displacement | 1584 cc |
| Engine | 45° V-twin |
| Cooling | Air-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Belt |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 300 mm |
| Front tire | 100/90-19 |
| Rear tire | 160/70-17 |
| Wheelbase | 64.2 in (1631 mm) |
| Seat height | 26.6 in (676 mm) |
| Wet weight | 677 lb (307 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 5.1 gal (19.3 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
First thing you notice is where your boots land. Feet under the hips, back upright, hands on a bar that falls into a natural reach, and suddenly this thing feels less like a lounge chair and more like a motorcycle you can move around on. The engine idles with that deep, uneven 45° pulse coming up through the tank and the pegs, then smooths out once the rubber mounts do their work above idle. Sound is a real part of the package here, an 8.0 for a reason, and it's the kind that follows you off the bike and into the parking lot conversation. At 60 mph the vibration is a background hum rather than an intrusion. The 5.1 gal tank sits right where your knees want it. Everything you touch feels solid and deliberate, no rattles, no cheap plastic under your fingers.
None of this comes from my own miles on the bike. It's what has accumulated over years of standing around at gas stops and club nights, listening to owners, and reading the messages riders send me about the ones they live with. The pattern is steady: the motor and the way the bike carries speed through a corner get the praise, and the complaints all land on comfort.
Riders come back to the engine first. They describe it as smooth and rich down low, loping along at a cruise with almost no buzz reaching them. The chassis draws the same steady approval. Owners say it stays settled when they pick up the pace, with enough clearance underneath to keep moving. A smaller group talks about the look and how willingly the bike takes personal work.
Every gripe is a comfort gripe, and each comes from a narrower group. Some report the suspension running out of travel over sharp hits and passing them straight to the rider. Others say the peg position sets their hips at an angle that wears on them once the ride stretches out. A few mention the push of the wind at highway speed.
Recall: Jiffy stand spring anchor weld failure
On certain 2009 model-year Dyna Super Glide Customs manufactured between July 24 and August 28, 2008, the jiffy stand spring anchor may have a defective weld. This can prevent the stand from retracting fully, increasing the risk of a crash. NHTSA campaign 08V659000.
Recall: Fuel tank vent tube weld defect (fire risk)
On certain MY2009 FXDC (and sibling Dyna) motorcycles, the fuel tank vent tube assembly (part no. 27389-04A) may have a defective ultrasonic weld on the anti-slosh valve. If the valve separates and the bike is tipped over, it may leak fuel; fuel leakage near an ignition source could result in a fire. NHTSA campaign 08V625000.
Where this Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide Custom FXDC pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Dyna Super Glide Custom FXDC is actually built for.
If the ride to the rally matters as much as the rally, this fits. The sound, the stance, and the 10.0 chopper style deliver the statement, and it holds a steady line on the long interstate slog in.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
Small towns and unhurried back roads suit it well. Mid-controls keep you upright and engaged, and the 5.1 gal tank covers the distance between the places you actually want to stop.
Made for Acadia National Park · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
Stable at speed, but there's no cruise control, no luggage, no wind protection, and no ABS. You'd be building a tourer out of it rather than buying one.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide Custom FXDC. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
