From The Warr's Harley-Davidson Collection, 1984 Harley-Davidson 1,340cc FXST Softail

Registration no. A304 RWW Frame no. 1HD1BHL32EY015058 Engine no. BWLE015058

• Landmark model
• First year of the Softail frame and Evolution engine
• Original and unmolested
• Only 656 miles from new at time of cataloguing

An important event in the lengthy development of Harley's perennial v-twin occurred in 1984 with the introduction of the new all-alloy Evolution engine together with a diaphragm clutch, air-assisted shock absorbers, and toothed-belt final drive. By this time Harley-Davidson had freed itself from the American Machine & Foundry group, and one of the more significant developments of the immediately post-AMF era was the introduction in '84 of the traditionally styled Softail. The Softail featured a cleverly disguised rear end looking like that of a pre-war 'rigid'-framed Harley but was, in fact, sprung, as its name suggests, with the two dampers mounted beneath the frame. Completing the 'vintage' retro look was a girder-type front fork with bottom link and centre spring. This was the look the die-hard Harley traditionalists had been waiting for, and the Springer Softail and its derivatives would prove an enduring success.

Testing the 'Heritage' Softail model in 1987, Bike magazine's editor Roger Willis was amazed at the effect the Harley had on people, attracting admiring glances wherever it went. He was even more surprised to discover that it actually worked. "As a posing tool, the Heritage turned out to be utterly wonderful, but I still expected it to be utterly useless as a functional motorcycle. It was therefor a pleasant surprise to find that the fun extended beyond outrageous image projection."

The original Softail of 1984 is arguably one of the most important motorcycles ever produced by Harley-Davidson, ranking alongside the company's first v-twin of 1909 and the overhead-valve 'Knucklehead' of 1936. The Softail turned the company's fortunes around after several lean years, and its introduction must be counted as an inspired move; the new 1,340cc Evolution engine in the new frame was an instant success.

Dating from the first year of production, this example has the chain final drive that characterises the '84 models. It had covered a mere 656 miles from new when catalogued and is presented in unmolested original condition. Rare, desirable, and highly collectible, the early Softail has the potential to be tomorrow's Knucklehead. Offered with a V5C registration document.
Offered with key