GYPSY M/C HOUSTON
Harley-Davidson Alphabet
(from American Rider, January-February, 1995)
by Clement Salvadori
©1995 Clement Salvadori. Used with permission.
Harley-Davidson Alphabet
(from American Rider, January-February, 1995)
by Clement Salvadori
©1995 Clement Salvadori. Used with permission.
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A great many people over the years have become suitably confused by
Harley-Davidson's model designations. And rightfully so. The alpha-designations
merely exist, the letters seemingly drawn out of thin air. Today, even though we have only two basic engine designs to deal with, the Sportster X and big twin F, the number of letters for one model would do credit to a bowl of soup. For example, the 1995 model line included the FLHTCI and the FXSTSB-mouthfuls both. Let us analyze these. First, the FLHTCI bagger. The F stands for the medium compression 74-inch OHV engine introduced in 1941; the L stood for the slightly more powerful "Special Sport Solo" version. The H was tacked on in 1955, indicating the "Super Sport Solo." In 1978 the 80-inch engine was introduced as an option, and by 1981 the F model designation meant an 80-incher. The T was added in 1983 to indicate that this was a touring machine with bags and batwing fairing, and the C also came in that year to show that this model had "classic" looks and a higher price tag. The I is the first use of that letter, and is alphabetical proof that this model is fuel-injected rather than carbureted. Got all that? Now the FXSTSB. The F has been demonstrated. The X shows that this big twin had the lighter, Sportster-type front end inaugurated in 1971. The ST (in this case those letters have to stand together) stands for the Softail chassis design, introduced in 1984. The second S is the Springer front end, intro-ed in 1988. The B is for the new 1995 model, the Bad Boy. Confused? And rightfully so. While all these letters might not make much sense to the average Harley enthusiast, they help a lot in the parts department - especially when prefaced by a year, such as an 1984 FXRT. Often the first alpha-designation a Harley enthusiast interested in Harley history hears is about someone's JD model, indicating the 74-inch V-twin introduced in 1921, but the lettering goes back long before that. Up to 1908, there was only one Harley model per year, a battery-fired single cylinder, so any further designation than the year was superfluous: i.e., an 1907 Harley. But in 1909, the factory offered four singles, with either 26- or 28-inch wheels (wheels were measured from the outer edge of the tire back then), and either battery or magneto ignition. These were referred to as the Model 5 (fifth year of production, which, for Harley-Davidson purposes, began in 1904) with battery and 28s, the Model 5-A with mag and 28s, 5-B with battery and 26s and 5-C, mag/26. The abortive twin was called the 5-D. In 1910, the single-cylinder racer was called the 6-E. In 1912, things got real complicated with both chain and belt drive being offered, and a clutching mechanism designated by an X; all wheels were the 28-inch variety. The basic single was the Model 8, the mag-fired twin with "freewheel control" and chain drive was called the Model X-8-E. In 1914, we see the first use of the F letter, a 61-inch magneto twin with two-speed gearbox. In 1915, the J model appeared, the twin with three-speed transmission and battery ignition. That was also the year of the first K model, a racing twin. In 1916, the year designation was changed from year of production to calendar year, so it was not 12-F, but 16-F. Eight models were available that year: the F, J, E, R and T twins, and C, B and S singles. Already Harley was complicating things, as the E of 1910 was a racing single, while the E of 1916 was a one-speed twin. The heck with this; let us start with the alphabet and go right through to see how many letters have been used, and how many times. When you see a /, that means the letter(s) was secondary (FL), tertiary (FLH), etc. To try to keep this under control, I will start with the models that were in the 1920 line, and ignore what went on before that date.
All the learned readers can now berate me for my inaccuracies and omissions, such as racing models, sidecars, package trucks, etc. I also left out most of the Aermacchi model designations, or this would have been far more complicated than necessary. Nor did I include all alphabets in all models; there are just too many. 
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