Harley-Davidson offers motorcycles in seven distinct model lineups.
William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson founded the Harley-Davidson Motor Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1903. Their first motorcycles were built in a 10-by-15-foot wooden shed. Harley-Davidson categorizes its motorcycles into seven distinct families: Sportster, Dyna, Softail, VRSC, Touring, Trike and CVO. Harley-Davidson also makes police and fire/rescue motorcycles. The company offers 32 different motorcycles for the 2011 model year.
Sportster
The Sportster is the longest continuously produced Harley-Davidson motorcycle, introduced in 1957. The Sportsters have either an 883cc engine or a 1,200cc engine. There are six different Sportster bikes for the 2011 model year. Sportster model motorcycles have the XL at the beginning of their model designation.
Dyna
Harley-Davidson classifies its Dyna family as Big Twins, for their large 96 cubic-inch V-Twin engines. The Dyna family has belt final drive, a teardrop-shaped air cleaner cover and exposed rear shock absorbers. There are four motorcycles in the 2011 Dyna lineup. The Dyna line has the FX at the beginning of the model designation.
Softail
Harley-Davidson introduced the Softail line in 1984. It was inspired by the work of bike customizer Bill Davis. The Softail combines the look of a hardtail frame with the comfort of a functioning rear suspension system. The shock absorbers on the Softail motorcycles are set in a horizontal position out of view. The Softail bikes have 1,584cc engines. There are six motorcycles in the 2011 Softail lineup, and they have the FL at the beginning of their model designation.
VRSC
VRSC stands for V-Twin Racing Street Custom. Harley-Davidson has two motorcycles in the 2011 VRSC lineup. The VRSC bikes feature the liquid-cooled, 1,250cc, Harley-Davidson Revolution engine, extra wide rear tires and a fat custom look.
Touring
Harley-Davidson Touring motorcycles are designed for comfort and storage capacity. There are eight motorcycles in the 2011 Touring lineup. The Touring lineup also includes the option of a sidecar for even more passenger room.
Trike
Harley-Davidson has two three-wheeled motorcycles in its 2011 Trike lineup. The Trike motorcycles have 103 cubic-inch engines and bat-wing style fairing.
CVO
The Harley-Davidson CVO, or Custom Vehicle Operation, motorcycles are limited-edition custom versions of standard Harley models. For the 2011 model year Harley offers four motorcycles in the CVO lineup. Each of the CVO models features a 110 cubic-inch Screamin' Eagle engine.
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