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 . If you're not familiar with Harley-Davidson's beloved Dyna lineup, , who bestowed upon the builds a . 

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 — — actually . 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 . The Sturgis made its debut as a Dyna in 1991, 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, . The Sturgis could easily qualify as a low-key trailblazing bike, and it was a limited edition build to boot, with .  

Since , 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, 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, . 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  is worthy of the Harley-Davidson name.

Love it or hate it, the Fat Bob's bulky frame, chubby tires, 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 . 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 . Respectable as those numbers are, the bike also boasted , 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 , and 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 .

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 . Yes, the numbers scream "performance machine," with the bike also boasting . 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 . Just FYI — that combination of power, performance, and comfort , and it remains, arguably, the best Low Rider H-D ever made.