Harley-Davidson Duo-Glide
It’s no wonder that Harley has forged such a successful business by faithfully copying the look of its greatest hits from the Fifties and beyond. One glance at this immaculately preserved Duo-Glide confirms the pulse-quickening, gut-churning appeal of a big, aircooled 45-degree V-twin engine, housed in a long, laid-back cruising machine with cow-horn bars, swoopy fenders, buddy seat, lashings of chrome and a gas tank shape just so.
Especially when it’s all wrapped up with a technical advance that made the FLH Duo-Glide, released in 1958, one of Milwaukee’s most significant machines. Eight years earlier, the Model EL had introduced Hydra-Glide telescopic suspension to Harley’s range. Now the 74ci (1208cc) V-twin gained hydraulically damped rear shocks, adding considerably to the comfort of a bike whose 52bhp output gave genuine ton-up performance.
“Now! The Greatest Motorcycle ever built,” trumpeted Harley’s advertising back in 1958. “New swinging-arm suspension combines with Hydra-Glide front fork and spring-loaded seat post to make the Duo-Glide a miracle ride.” A trifle immodest, perhaps. But half a century later, the fact that the Duo-Glide’s visually near-identical descendents are some of the most desirable bikes on the planet suggests that — in terms of lasting sex appeal, at least — it really was The Greatest.
