2014 · Cruiser · Buyer's Guide
Chrome Bones, Custom Soul
The Super Glide Custom is the factory-custom end of the Dyna line: a 1690 cc air-cooled 45° V-twin sitting in a rubber-mounted frame, making 96 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm with 77 hp arriving higher up. Belt final drive, six speeds, a 64.0 in (1626 mm) wheelbase and a 28.0 in (711 mm) seat give it the long, low stance this class lives on. What separates it from the rest of the family is how little it commits you to anything. Chrome, pullback bars, mid-mount controls, and a parts supply deep enough that it scores 9.5 for aftermarket potential.
This is a bike built to be kept, not traded. The 45° twin is the whole personality, the finish holds up to close inspection (8.0 for build quality), and the shape reads as pure chopper (9.0) without looking overworked. It suits the rider who wants presence, a soundtrack, and a machine they will slowly make their own over years. The honest caveat: there is no traction control, no ride modes, no cruise control, ABS is an option rather than standard, the fork offers no adjustment at all, and at 670 lb (304 kg) wet, tight parking lots ask something of you.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 77 hp (57 kW) @ 5,250 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 96 lb-ft (130 Nm) @ 3,000 rpm |
| Displacement | 1690 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 | 160/70B17 |
| Wheelbase | 64.0 in (1626 mm) |
| Seat height | 28.0 in (711 mm) |
| Wet weight | 670 lb (304 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 5.0 gal (18.9 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Safety
Thumb the starter and the whole bike leans on its mounts for a second before settling into that loping idle. The 8.5 I gave engine sound is earned at walking pace, where you feel each firing pulse through the seat and the grips. Roll away and the rubber mounting does its job: the shake smooths out into a steady pulse instead of a buzz, and by highway speed your hands and mirrors are calm. The pullback bars put your wrists in a natural place, the mid-mount pegs keep your knees from splaying, and the 28.0 in (711 mm) seat means both boots reach the ground flat at a light. Belt drive keeps the driveline quiet, so what you hear is the engine. Long-legged and settled once you are rolling, with 8.5 for high-speed stability, it feels planted rather than busy.
None of this is from my own seat time. It's the sum of a lot of conversations: riders at events, owners talking at club evenings, and the notes people send me once they've put a real season on a bike. What comes back on the Super Glide Custom is consistent, on both sides of the ledger.
Torque is what owners name first. They describe a motor that moves the bike with barely any throttle and keeps pulling at speed, so cruising stays easy and highway passing rarely means working the gearbox. Handling lands as the surprise. Riders who expected a heavy cruiser to feel like one report responsive steering and a settled chassis instead, and call it genuinely fun through traffic and open bends. Chrome gets mentioned too, along with the classic tank shape, usually in the context of the attention the bike collects.
Heat comes up as often as anything. Owners describe the air-cooled twin turning uncomfortable when they're stuck at lights or crawling through town on a warm day, and staying that way well after they get moving again. Lean angle is the other repeat note: hard parts touch down once corners tighten, and most riders treat it as part of the deal with a bike shaped this low. Vibration closes the list. At sustained highway speed a buzz works into the bars and pegs, and owners frame it as fatigue over a long day rather than a fault.
Potential Overheating and Power Loss Under Heavy Load
Some owners report that the engine may overheat and experience intermittent power loss when subjected to heavy loads or extreme heat, such as during uphill climbs in high ambient temperatures. This may be related to the air-cooled design.
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 your calendar runs on Sturgis and Daytona, this one speaks the language: right sound, right stance, and a parts supply that lets you build a bike nobody else in the lot has.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
For unhurried days on old highways it fits well. The torque suits a relaxed pace, though the 5.0 gal (18.9 L) tank and bare-bones equipment mean you plan stops rather than push through.
Made for Acadia National Park · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
It holds a highway line beautifully, but there is no fairing, no cruise control, and no luggage from the factory. Loaded two-up over big passes in summer heat is not where it does its best work.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2007–2013
Custom Iron, Standard Soul
Compare to the previous model →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.
