1/18 Scale 1953 Harley-Davidson FL Hydra Glide Diecast Model Motorcycle

• diecast and pre-painted, ready to display
• material: metal & plastic
• scale: 1/18
• size: 12.8*5.7*6.3 cm

In 1949, a year after receiving the "Panhead" engine, the FL was given a new front suspension featuring hydraulically damped telescopic forks, replacing the leading link spring suspension of the time. These forks were standard on all big twin models for 1949, including the E, EL, F, and FL. Harley-Davidson offered the spring suspension units on these models and recommended their use on sidecar combinations, because the standard hydraulic forks do not have suitable trail.

During these front suspensions' debut model year of 1949, Harley-Davidson referred to them as "hydraulic front ends". Harley-Davidson's marketing department promoted the new suspension systems by renaming the big twin models "Hydra Glide" for the 1950 model year. This was Harley-Davidson's first departure from its policy of using simple letters to identify its models. This name was changed twice in the history of the basic large-framed E and F series models, each time signaling an improvement in the bike's technology. In addition, the Glide ending was added to the names of other models based on the FL and FX formats.

In 1952, the Hydra-Glide's transmission's standard hand-shift/foot-clutch arrangement was supplemented by an optional foot-shift/hand-clutch setup. The original layout remained an option until 1978. 1952 was also the last year of the 61 cu in (1,000 cc) EL, making the FL the last remaining large-frame model.

Although the 1903 founding is now the basis for "Anniversary Models", Harley-Davidson's 50th Golden Anniversary was celebrated in 1954 with special paints and badges on the front fender. The first year of production was 1904.

A more highly tuned engine with high-compression heads, higher-lift cams, and polished ports, was offered with the FLH version of 1955. The FLH designation has continued up to the present.

--copied from Wikipedia