4 Of The Best Harley-Davidson Dyna Motorcycles Ever Made

It's pretty much impossible to find an American motorcycle brand that's been around as long or is quite as beloved as Harley-Davidson. Charting back to the early 1900s, Harley-Davidson is one of the longest-tenured continuous manufacturers of motorcycles in American history. And yes, history like that encourages a certain level of brand loyalty.

More than 120 years of constant production have also conjured no end of iconic builds spread over various lineups. Among them, many Harley heads might be quick to list the manufacturer's Dyna line among the most memorable, with H-D keeping them in production between 1991 and 2017. If you're not familiar with Harley-Davidson's beloved Dyna lineup, the bikes were first conceptualized by H-D icon Willie G. Davidson, who bestowed upon the builds a unique frame design featuring a twin-shock rear suspension system and performance capabilities that landed somewhere between sporty cruisers and touring bikes. 

Bridging that gap led to some of the more unforgettable models to grace the storied H-D lineup. And even if several of its nameplates carried over into the Softail line that replaced the Dynas, some Harley diehards have yet to get over the end of the, ahem, Dyna-sty. Harley-Davidson had time to release lots of Dynas into the world. While every Harley fan alive no doubt has opinions about which Dynas are the best, we went ahead and selected a few that we think are fit to lead the pack.   

As the origin story for Harley-Davidson's Dyna goes, Willie G. Davidson — himself a descendant of H-D founder Arthur Davidson and eventual co-owner of the company — actually sketched out the first of the line on a paper bag at a bar on his way home from the famed bike rally held annually in Sturgis, South Dakota. As Davidson tells it, he envisioned the Dyna line after being inspired by the almost Wild West attitude he saw among many of the customized bikes ridden by Sturgis attendees and sought to design a bike that matched their spirit.

Fittingly, that bike was named the Sturgis and first hit the streets in 1981. The Sturgis made its debut as a Dyna in 1991, becoming the first bike of the line and launching what ultimately did become a full-on dynasty. When Willie G. Davidson's reimagined Dyna Sturgis hit the streets, there really wasn't a bike quite like it anywhere, with Willie G. notably giving it some distinctive blacked-out features that were far from the norm in the motorcycle world of the day, as well as adding some stylized "Sturgis" lettering to go along with the H-D logo on the bike's fuselage.

He also gave the build some eye-catching flashes of chrome, a front fork that low-key nods at Harley-Davidson's chopper style, and a new engine mount, eschewing the FXR's three for the now standard two. The Sturgis could easily qualify as a low-key trailblazing bike, and it was a limited edition build to boot, with Harley-Davidson producing just over 1500 of them in 1991.  

Since its 2008 debut, the Fat Bob has been a legit "love it or hate it" sort of build in the esteemed Harley-Davidson lineup. As for the haters, some H-D purists have dinged the Fat Boy because its aggressively muscular build and oversized tires are a far cry from the traditional Harley cruiser mold. Ditto for the build's equally divisive dual headlight design, which some longtime H-D riders simply could not abide by. The Fat Boy defenders, meanwhile, would likely note that such divergences are the very reason they love the build.

Those 2008 Fat Bobs were indeed of the Dyna persuasion, and while there are those who can't get behind the bike's more radical design features, it was popular enough that Harley-Davidson bosses kept it in production long after they stopped making Dyna, transitioning the model into the Softail lineup when it replaced the Dynas in the 2018 model year. That would seem to confirm that the bike has more to offer riders than just aesthetics and even Fat Bob dissenters might agree the bike's 1584cc, four-stroke Twin Cam 96 V-Twin engine and its 92 lb-ft of torque is worthy of the Harley-Davidson name.

Love it or hate it, the Fat Bob's bulky frame, chubby tires, drag-style handlebars, and glorious chrome "Tommy Gun" exhaust give the bike as distinctively imposing a look as it barrels down the road as any Harley past or present. For all those reasons, and more, we continue to believe the Fat Bob to be one of the more egregiously overlooked bikes in the greater Dyna lineup.   

If aesthetic appeal is your primary selling point for a motorcycle, allow us to introduce the Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide Sport, which was available with blacked-out engine and exhaust features and boasted a model-specific font in the H-D branding on the fuselage. There were, of course, other color options available for the Super Glide Sport, but the black-on-black look makes this one of the sleekest and, dare we say, sexiest bikes in the entire Dyna line.

As it was, the Dyna Super Glide Sport did not spend a ton of time in that lineup, with Harley-Davidson only producing it between the 1999 model year and 2005. Those were, arguably, peak Dyna years, however, and the Super Glide Sport suitably fronted peak Dyna style. It was hardly a slouch in the power department either when it debuted, living up to that "Sport" billing via a 1450cc Twin Cam 88 V-Twin engine that delivered 68 horsepower and 81 lb-ft of torque. Respectable as those numbers are, the bike also boasted a top speed of 115 mph, which is solid enough for a cruiser.

Adding to the bike's curb appeal is the sports-style mounting of the speedometer and tachometer on the handlebars, which makes it easy to see how close you might be to top speed. Coupled with adjustable front forks, adjustable monoshock rear suspension, and a distinctive rear fender gap that allowed for a taller suspension and wider rear tire, all of which made the Super Glide Sport a beautiful, sporty beast boasting top-notch performance and maneuverability.

You really cannot talk about the best Dynas without talking about the Low Rider S. This performance-focused version of the Low Rider build could easily be considered the crown jewel of the Dyna line, essentially collecting all the best aspects of Dyna bikes into one sleek, powerful, and customizable package. The Low Rider S is also the shortest-tenured bike we're featuring, with Harley-Davidson only producing them in the 2016 and 2017 model years.

Given its position as one of the last of the line, a case could be made that Harley-Davidson did indeed save the best for last, delivering unto the Dyna-loving masses a blacked-out beast of a bike boasting a 110 cu-in 1801cc Screamin' Eagle Twin Cam powerplant that pushed the ponies up to 90hp along with an impressive 115 lb-ft of torque. Yes, the numbers scream "performance machine," with the bike also boasting a reported top speed of 115 miles per hour. Likewise, its almost complete lack of bells and whistles ensures that when you're riding a Low Rider S, the ride is all you're focused on. 

Given the bike's power and performance chops, it's hard to imagine being able to focus on anything but wheels on the asphalt and the stretch of road ahead. Apart from power, the Dyna Low Rider S also has a solid reputation for delivering a comfortable ride to boot. Just FYI — that combination of power, performance, and comfort helped the Dyna Low Rider S earn Best Cruiser of 2017 honors from Cycle World, and it remains, arguably, the best Low Rider H-D ever made.