Harley-Davidson advanced its 100-new-bike agenda in 2019 with the new FXDR 114 that turned the nearly-new Softail into a drag race-inspired stoplight burner. The factory went outside the envelope for design inspiration, with some interesting results that head in an unexpected direction, to say the least. A 114 cubic-inch engine delivers the goods to made the FXDR the most powerful production Softail up for grabs, so you can be assured that it's by no means an all-show/no-go machine. Plus, an effort to shed some weight to improve handling- and ride-quality, and that translates into even better acceleration to make this a rather sporty, non-Sportster ride.

2019 - 2020 Harley-Davidson FXDR 114

Specifications
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  • Model: 2019 - 2020 Harley-Davidson FXDR 114
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  • Engine/Motor: Milwaukee-Eight 114
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Harley-Davidson FXDR 114 Design

- LED lighting - Drag-bike-influenced styling - LCD display - Progressive rear design

The FXDR 114 is definitely an odd bird, a Frankenstein creation that starts out normally enough, albeit with a custom look due to the cut-down fender, inverted forks, and liberal blackout treatment. A mini speedscreen tops the headlight to serve both as a brow and a trim piece that contains and protects the electronic instrument panel that features a 2.14-inch LCD scree and indicator lights to take care of business.

Bar-style whisker lights serve as the front winkers to finish the forward lighting, and that minimalist approach carries into the hand control area as Harley ditches the full-size handlebar in favor of low-profile clip-ons to keep things tidy up top. I don't know about you, but I think this bike absolutely screams for bar-end mirrors, probably even in the inverted position.

A 4.4-gallon teardrop fuel tank maintains the low-profile look and leaves plenty of room to tuck in when you really want to get jiggy with it. So far, the factory has more or less colored inside the lines, but all that changes at the tail end.

First off let me say, I'm not a fan. I don't know if the engineers were going for an aircraft cockpit look, or were just looking for some way of terminating the subframe early to justify the hugger-style rear fender, but I ain't feelin' it. I do like the look of the hugger over that wide rear tire, to be honest, my objection lies entirely with the sheet metal that makes up the tail itself.

More light bars ride on the hugger along with the license plate holder to finish out the gear in the rear in a manner most unusual and progressive for the MoCo that has, for so many years, banked on a retro-heavy design philosophy. Even the two-into-one exhaust adds a modern, almost Euro-tastic flair to the look that makes it clear; H-D is definitely targeting a new type of Harley rider.

At least the model designator seems to have a basis in history. The “FX” part reflects the fact that the bike is built around the narrow frame and front end, and as for the “D,” the FXD was the old Super Glide, but FXR and Dyna frames have been put out to pasture, so it looks like the new Softail line gets to make its own version. As for the “R,” I'm going to guess it's for race, even if the racing is likely from one stoplight to the next.

Harley-Davidson FXDR 114 Chassis

- Traditional yoke swingarm - 43 percent less weight in the swingarm - Increased traction and stability - Standard ABS

A big part of what makes the FXDR look so different, other than the tail-end sheet metal, of course, is the swingarm; namely, the fact that it has one in the traditional yoke layout rather than the usual triangular cage that articulates the Softail's rear wheel. In another major change, the swingarm is made up of lightweight cast aluminum instead of steel to drop a total of 10.2 pounds of unsprung weight and improve suspension response. In short, less weight means the shock has less energy to manage with a concurrent increase in traction and stability, so even though it looks a little odd, it actually increases the performance of a frame that was only recently revamped to increase the overall agility and rideability of the Softail line.

Oh and that funny tail section? It's aluminum tubing as well, so as a whole, that odd rear end cuts out another seven pounds of steel, and fenders at both ends come made of composite material that is lighter than the usual sheet-metal bits. Make no mistake, it's still quite a chunk of mass at 668-pounds wet, but there's no doubt that the factory's efforts to drop some heft will register on your heinie-dyno.

The wheelbase is stretched out a bit longer than usual for a Softail model, mainly due to the 34-degree rake that pushes the 19-inch front wheel out to put the contact patches 68.4-inches apart with 4.7 inches of trail. Yeah, these numbers clearly point to a ride that is stable in the straights, but the lean angles also indicate a certain amount of litheness in the corners with a claimed 32.6-degrees to the right side, and 32.8-degrees to the left. Elbow-dragging country? Hardly. But, probably more lean angle than most cruiser riders will ever willingly pull.

ABS is standard equipment across the spectrum with dual, four-piston calipers up front to provide the bulk of the stopping power. It isn't the fancy lean-sensitive ABS like the CVO models are rocking this year, but I imagine it won't take long for that tech to trickle down. The only adjustment to the suspension is found at the rear shock in the form of a hand-knob that allows for quick spring-preload adjustment without the benefit of tools.

To round out the rolling chassis, the factory opted for a solid-disc, 18-inch rear rim to mount the wide, 240/40 tire opposite the 120/70 that leads the way on a 19-inch rim that runs with five double-spokes.

Frame:

Mild steel, tubular frame; rectangular section backbone; stamped, cast, and forged junctions; MIG welded; high strength aluminum, tubular rear support; forged mounting points; TIG welded

Swingarm:

One-piece cast aluminum

Front Forks/Travel:

Single cartridge 43 mm inverted with aluminum fork triple clamps; triple rate spring/ 5.1 in. (130 mm)

Rear Shocks/Travel:

Hidden, free piston, coil-over monoshock; 43 mm stroke; toolless hydraulic preload adjustment/ 3.4 in. (86 mm)

Rake (steering head):

34°

Fork Angle:

34.75°

Trail:

4.7 in. (120 mm)

Lean Angle (per J1168) Right/Left:

32.6°/32.8°

Brakes, Front:

Dual 11.8 in. x .2 in. (300 mm x 5.1 mm), 4-piston fixed caliper, black, Split 7-spoke floating rotors

Brakes, Rear:

11.5 in. x .23 in. (292 mm x 5.8 mm), 2-piston floating caliper, black, Split 7-spoke floating rotors

Anti-Lock Braking System:

Standard

Wheel, Front:

19 in. x 3 in. (483 mm x 76 mm) Gloss/Satin Black, Split 5-Spoke, Ace Cast Aluminum with laser etched graphics

Wheel, Rear:

18 in. x 8 in. (457 mm x 203 mm) Gloss/Satin Black, Solid Disc, Ace Cast Aluminum with laser etched graphics

Tires:

Michelin® Scorcher® “11”

Tire, Front:

120/70ZR-19 60W

Tire, Rear:

240/40R-18 79V


Harley-Davidson FXDR 114 Drivetrain

- Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-Twin engine - 119 ft. lb. @ 3,500 rpm - Strong holeshot performance - Low-stress highway cruising

As cool as the rest of the bike is, the beating heart is still the real showpiece here. The Milwaukee-Eight 114 packs in the inches with, you guessed it, 114 cubic-inches (1,868 cc) tucked away within the massive jugs. A pair of four-valve heads cap the 102 mm bores, and as usual, the engine runs an undersquare/longstroke layout with a 114 mm stroke and 10.5-to-1 compression ratio. That's right, you can forget about running the cheapest pump swill you can find; it's nothing less than road champagne for this ride.

There is nothing in the way of fandanglery as far as the engine-control system is concerned; like the corner-sensitive ABS, the traction control, and backtorque-mitigation systems are still being tested on the trike models and have yet to make it onto any two-wheelers, but I expect it to do so sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, the FXDR has a fairly vanilla engine control system that uses a single throttle body to feed the beast. Since the factory (wisely) decided to return to the single-cam system, the right side of the case and the nosecone area have also returned to historical norms along with the pushrod geometry, so performance considerations aside, it's a better looking engine than the late Twin-Cam mill.

As for the performance, the factory claims a total of 119 pound-feet of torque that tops out at 3,500 rpm to deliver in the holeshots, and provide low-stress cruising at highway/interstate speeds via the six-speed transmixxer that sends power to the rear wheel by a quiet and low-maintenance, carbon-reinforced belt.

Engine:

Milwaukee-Eight® 114, Pushrod-operated, overhead valves with hydraulic, self-adjusting lifters; four valves per cylinder

Bore x Stroke:

4.016 in. x 4.5 in. (102 mm x 114 mm)

Displacement:

114 cu. in. (1868 cc)

Compression Ratio:

10.5:1

Engine Torque (per J1349) (North America):

119 ft. lb. (162 Nm) @ 3,500 rpm

Fuel System:

Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)

Air Cleaner:

Upswept intake with synthetic media, washable exposed element

Exhaust:

2-into-1; catalyst in header

Lubrication System:

Pressurized, dry-sump with oil cooler

Primary Drive:

Chain, 34/46 ratio

Final Drive:

Belt, 32/66 ratio

Clutch:

Mechanical, 10 plate wet, assist & conventional

Transmission:

6-Speed Cruise Drive®


Harley-Davidson FXDR 114 Pricing

Your taste in color directly affects the asking price for the FXDR 114. As usual, the Vivid Black model is at the bottom of the totem pole with its $21,349 sticker, but for another four Benjamins you can get it in Black Denim, Industrial Gray Denim, Rawhide Denim (my fave), Bonneville Salt Denim, and Wicked Red Denim. ABS is standard, as is the security system, but California buyers can expect a $200 hit for emissions equipment.

Standard Equipment:

ABS, Security System

Warranty:

24 months (unlimited mileage)

Colors:

Vivid Black, Black Denim, Industrial Gray Denim, Wicked Red Denim, Bonneville Salt Denim, Rawhide Denim

Price:

Vivid Black: $21,349, Color: $21,749


Harley-Davidson FXDR 114 Competitor

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What to do? Harley has pushed beyond the current design limitations of its main domestic competitor, Indian Motorcycle, so I had to go pretty far afield to find a good-enough match and I think Ducati nails it with its cruise-tastic XDiavel.

Ducati XDiavel

A bold, raked-out front end leads the way with a bob-tail subframe that peters out to nothing over the rear wheel in much the same way as the FXDR. While it's true that the XDiavel has some very sportbike-like inclinations, the position of the foot controls fall out in the forward position, and that forces a shift in attitude right along with the adjustment to your riding posture.

Even more than the Softail, Ducati's entry looks like an engine that happens to have a bike wrapped around it due to the Trellis frame and stressed-engine setup. Still, the looks appeal to a similar buyer as the FXDR, I reckon. Ducati's Teststretta engine churns out 93 pound-feet of torque, and that falls well short of the Mil-8 plant in the Harley, but the Italian ride weighs in almost 200 pounds lighter, so the available torque has less mass/inertia to overcome.

Cornering ABS, Riding Modes, and Traction Control features push the XDiavel past Harley in the tech department even though the MoCo is developing its own tech along those lines. Price won't be a big selling point here. The XDiavel rolls for $20,495 so it's just a skosh under the FXDR 114, but that's not enough to entice someone that's straddling the fence.

Read our full review of the Ducati XDiavel.

He Said

“Not sure what I expected, but the FXDR seems to try to deliver a look similar to the ill-fated V-Rod family, and we all know how that worked out. That said, I do appreciate the increased attention to performance along with the newfound courage at the drawing board, and even though I ain't feelin' it, I'll bet there are plenty out there who are.”

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “This bike has features inspired from the Harley NHRA team with the snazzy new intake and forward-sweep exhaust giving it a deep, throaty rumble that is unique among the Softails. The chassis gives hints of the Breakout frame, but only a hint since it's been worked to really improve handling, especially in turns. It looks like a drag bike and its certainly built with performance in mind. I'm not sure I'm really feeling it at this price point. I wonder, really, how it might stack up against a Yamaha VMAX.”

Harley-Davidson FXDR 114 Specifications

Engine & Drivetrain:

Engine:

Milwaukee-Eight® 114, Pushrod-operated, overhead valves with hydraulic, self-adjusting lifters; four valves per cylinder

Bore x Stroke:

4.016 in. x 4.5 in. (102 mm x 114 mm)

Displacement:

114 cu. in. (1868 cc)

Compression Ratio:

10.5:1

Engine Torque (per J1349) (North America):

119 ft. lb. (162 Nm) @ 3,500 rpm

Fuel System:

Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)

Air Cleaner:

Upswept intake with synthetic media, washable exposed element

Exhaust:

2-into-1; catalyst in header

Lubrication System:

Pressurized, dry-sump with oil cooler

Primary Drive:

Chain, 34/46 ratio

Final Drive:

Belt, 32/66 ratio

Clutch:

Mechanical, 10 plate wet, assist & conventional

Transmission:

6-Speed Cruise Drive®

Gear Ratios (overall)(US):

1st:9.311, 2nd: 6.454, 3rd: 4.793, 4th: 3.882, 5th: 3.307, 6th: 2.79

Chassis:

Frame:

Mild steel, tubular frame; rectangular section backbone; stamped, cast, and forged junctions;

MIG welded; high strength aluminum, tubular rear support; forged mounting points; TIG welded

Swingarm:

One-piece cast aluminum

Front Forks/Travel:

Single cartridge 43 mm inverted with aluminum fork triple clamps; triple rate spring/ 5.1 in. (130 mm)

Rear Shocks/Travel:

Hidden, free piston, coil-over monoshock; 43 mm stroke; toolless hydraulic preload adjustment/ 3.4 in. (86 mm)

Rake (steering head):

34°

Fork Angle:

34.75°

Trail:

4.7 in. (120 mm)

Lean Angle (per J1168) Right/Left:

32.6°/32.8°

Brakes, Front:

Dual 11.8 in. x .2 in. (300 mm x 5.1 mm), 4-piston fixed caliper, black, Split 7-spoke floating rotors

Brakes, Rear:

11.5 in. x .23 in. (292 mm x 5.8 mm), 2-piston floating caliper, black, Split 7-spoke floating rotors

Anti-Lock Braking System:

Standard

Wheel, Front:

19 in. x 3 in. (483 mm x 76 mm) Gloss/Satin Black, Split 5-Spoke, Ace Cast Aluminum with laser etched graphics

Wheel, Rear:

18 in. x 8 in. (457 mm x 203 mm) Gloss/Satin Black, Solid Disc, Ace Cast Aluminum with laser etched graphics

Tires:

Michelin® Scorcher® “11”

Tire, Front:

120/70ZR-19 60W

Tire, Rear:

240/40R-18 79V

Dimensions & Capacities:

Length:

95.1 in. (2,416 mm)

Overall Width:

36.5 in. (929 mm)

Overall Height:

42.6 in. (1,083 mm)

Seat Height:

Laden: 27.7 in. (704 mm), Unladen: 28.5 in. (723 mm)

Ground Clearance:

5.3 in. (134 mm)

Wheelbase:

68.4 in. (1,738 mm)

Fuel Capacity :

4.4 gal. (16.7 l) (warning light at approximately 1.4 gal.)

Oil Capacity (w/filter):

5 qt. (4.7 l)

Transmission Capacity :

1 qt. (.95 l)

Primary Chain Case Capacity:

1.43 qt. (1.35 l)

Weight As Shipped:

637 lb. (289 kg)

Weight In Running Order:

668 lb. (303 kg)

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating:

1,175 lb. (533 kg)

Gross Axle Weight Rating, Front/Rear:

450 lb. (204 kg) / 760 lb. (345 kg)

Fuel Economy (Estimated City/Hwy):

46 mpg (5.1 l/100 km)

Electricals:

Battery (per Battery Council International Rating):

Sealed, maintenance-free, absorbed glass mat (AGM) battery, 12V, 17.5Ah, 310 cca at 0°F

Charging:

Three-phase, 42 amp system (390W @ 13V, 1000 rpm, 546W max power @ 13V, 2000 rpm)

Starting:

1.6 kW electric with solenoid shift starter motor engagement

Lights (as per country regulation):

Headlamp: All LED, low beam, high beam and signature position lamp, Front Signal Lights: Integrated LED, Indicator Lamps: High beam, turn signals, neutral, low oil pressure, engine diagnostics, cruise, ABS, security system7, low battery voltage, low fuel, Rear Turn Signals: Integrated LED

Gauges:

2.14 inch viewable area LCD display with speedometer, gear, odometer, fuel level, clock, trip, range and tachometer indication

Details:

Standard Equipment:

ABS, Security System

Warranty:

24 months (unlimited mileage)

Colors:

Vivid Black, Black Denim, Industrial Gray Denim, Wicked Red Denim, Bonneville Salt Denim, Rawhide Denim

Price:

Vivid Black: $21,349, Color: $21,749


Further Reading

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