The First Harley-Davidson Softail Came Out 40 Years Ago - Here's What It Looked It

Harley-Davidson has several historical moments that have more than shaped what the company is today, one of them being the release of the beloved Harley-Davidson Softail. A bike that brought the presence and feel of a hardtail frame but with a level of comfort rarely seen before, the Softail more than rewrote the rules on what cruisers could be. More than 40 years have passed since the first of these magnificent bikes, the FXST Softail, was announced, laying the path for four decades of awesome American-made cruisers.    

The FXST Softail was a fish out of water when it debuted, with its most prominent feature being a hidden full rear suspension that didn't compromise the hardtail frame and styling that had been a staple of the Harley camp throughout the 20th Century. What is interesting about this —and what many Harley fans know —is that Harley-Davidson itself didn't initially come up with this design. 

The concept and original prototype were developed by independent design engineer Bill Davis, who had been working on a way to add a rear suspension to a Big Twin frame since 1974. Of course, his experiments were successful, and after some setbacks—including Harley rejecting his design and his company being in debt—he eventually got Harley to accept his proposal. With the terms agreed upon, Harley-Davidson further refined Davis's design and, in 1984, announced the FXST Softail.  

Although the FXST Softail's chassis and rear suspension put it on the map, it wasn't the only reason the motorcycle sent as much of a wave as it did. The FXST was the first Harley-Davidson to feature the Evolution V-Twin engine. Despite being popular and widespread on American roads, the Evolution V-twin was discontinued in 2000. 

The Evolution V-Twin aside, the FXST also featured a one-of-a-kind swingarm design that gave the bike an overall clean styling many enthusiasts associated with hardtails. Even more interesting is that the bike's aforementioned rear suspension served more than to ensure the FXST was a comfortable bike to ride. The design included horizontal gas-charged shock absorbers found under the motorcycle's transmission, which, alongside absorbing and dampening road shocks, also allowed for a lower seating position.

As you already know, the FXST opened the door for Harley's Softails. However, what you might not realize is that the bike arrived during one of the company's toughest times, when Harley was dealing with financial struggles and needed ways to bounce back. The FXST's chassis and engine proved to be the ideal combination for the task. As the years went by, Harley-Davidson introduced more motorcycles in the Softail family, from the beloved Heritage Softail, which would be discontinued in 2018 but live again as the Heritage Classic, to the Fat Boy, which made an appearance in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day".