Text: Chris Myers • Photography: Christa Neuhauser

There's no telling what tomorrow's assignments will bring. We might be exploring a great new road up in the mountains, riding off to a rally or charity event, or leaving at sunrise on another tour that's likely to eat up a thousand miles or better. Our needs change from day to day and it's nice to have the key to Harley-Davidson's Dyna Super Glide® Custom to meet them. Sure, the tag says "cruiser" but that label, applied to a versatile machine like this one, is far too constraining.

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Never knowing where our next adventure will take us is a fact of life. For that reason, we appreciate having bikes in the garage that are capable of performing any number of tasks while simultaneously delivering a fun ride with a minimum of headaches. That said, having the use of Harley-Davidson's Dyna Super Glide® Custom turned out to be one of the most pleasant surprises of the past year. When I picked up the bike at the Motor Company's York, Pennsylvania factory, I knew I'd be getting what really made Milwaukee famous, a topnotch cruiser. Admittedly, the total lack of wind protection and the cramped appearance of the mid-mounted foot controls initially caused a bit of concern; but less than 100 miles into the trip home, I wasn't too concerned by any of that. Having the wind in my face and bugs in my teeth are two of my life's joys, and having less of a feet-forward riding position invites a bit more bravado in the corners and shifts some weight off the old tailbone at the same time. Truly enjoying being aboard this very comfortable ride, I was already making plans to exercise it on some more appropriately curvy roads.

Hold On To Your Hats
In 2006, the entire Dyna line received a host of major changes. Perhaps the most noteworthy for the Super Glide® is the addition of an all-new six-speed transmission. Dubbed the Cruise Drive, this gearbox is not actually a true overdrive, but by dropping a couple hundred rpm needed in top gear, it definitely eliminates that annoying impression of the engine laboring at brisker highway paces. In fact, the Super Glide® is perfectly capable of cruising comfortably all day long at speeds that set off the radar. Shifting action is quite smooth and accurate through all the gears and the model's redesigned clutch requires 35 percent less squeeze to engage. Gone are the days of the gorilla-pull Harley clutches. Even numerous bouts of crawling through rush-hour traffic produced no ill effects on the clutch or my left forearm.

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