5 of the Most Powerful Harley-Davidson Models By Decade

Looking Back

It's no secret that modern-day Harley-Davidson motorcycles have tons of power to offer in a variety of ways - in some cases, more power than even some super bikes out there, if not power accompanied by extra weight. Regardless, it's also interesting to see just how far we've come in that regard, which becomes clear when we compare today's models to those from prior decades. 

Photo: Audrain Automotive Museum

1980s - FXR Super Glide

Back in the 1980s, horsepower was hard to find pretty much anywhere - including cars and motorcycles - a trend spurred on by an oil crisis and other macroeconomic factors. However, the FXR Super Glide still had a sporty ride to offer customers thanks to its Evolution V-Twin powerplant that generated 60 horsepower and 67 pound-feet of torque. 

Photo: Harley-Davidson

1990s - Fat Boy

Moving on to the 1990s, it's hard to look past the legendary Fat Boy, a retro machine that's also a big-time movie star. The Evo V-Twin present in the Fat Boy was good for 67 horsepower and 72 pound-feet of torque at this time, which was a solid figure even for a chunky cruiser. 

Photo: HD Forums

2000s - V-Rod Destroyer

Moving on to the 2000s, the V-Rod Destroyer was a limited production model specifically designed for the race track, but Harley also sold 650 of them to the public. Its main attraction, of course, is its red-hot Revolution -Twin that churned out a whopping 170 horsepower, helping it rocket down the quarter-mile in the nine-second range. 

Photo: Audrain Automotive Museum

2010s - VRSCF V-Rod Muscle

In the 2010s, the VRSCF V-Rod Muscle kept that theme going with a liquid-cooled Revolution V-Twin that Harley developed in conjunction with Porsche, and the results were undoubtedly impressive. This particular model offered up a significant 122 horsepower out of the box, along with 86 pound-feet of torque. 

Photo: Harley-Davidson

2020s - Pan America 1250

Of course, it's hard to compare to the 2020s, or the Pan America 1250. The rugged adventure model sports the rather large Revolution Max 1250 powerplant, which generates 150 horsepower and 94 pound-feet of torque. It may not win tons of drag races due to its weight, but the Pan America has more than enough grunt to get you where you need to go on all kinds of surfaces, regardless. 

Photo: Harley-Davidson

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