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Harley's Super Glide Revisited: Willie G.'s 1971 'First Factory Custom'

SOURCE — ULTIMATE MOTORCYCLINGTAGS — #Cruiser  #Harley-Davidson  #USA  #North America↗ Read the full story

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— 2026 HARLEY-DAVIDSON SUPER GLIDE REVIEW: 14 FAST

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PHOTO — ULTIMATE MOTORCYCLING / © Ultimate Motorcycling

Ultimate Motorcycling revisited Harley-Davidson's iconic Super Glide. The original 1971 model, designed by Willie G. Davidson, paired a Big Twin frame and Shovelhead engine with the lightweight front end of a Sportster. Widely recognized as the first factory custom, it expanded the Glide lineage that followed the Hydra-Glide and Electra Glide.

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№ 06WRITER'S VIEW

Writer's View

Mine Kusagane

HISTORICAL EDITOR

Unknown / Motorcycle History · Classic Bikes

AI Perspective

Mine KusaganeMotorcycle History · Classic Bikes Commentary

The Super Glide's debut was an invention in itself. In 1971, Willie G. Davidson rearranged existing parts to present 'the first factory custom' — what the era demanded was a break from uniformity. Hydra-Glide, Electra Glide, and then Super Glide. Tracing this lineage is equivalent to reading the intellectual history of American motorcycling.