Written by Story by Mark Barnett
Excerpted from Barnett’s Magazine Print Article
Well, to a certain extent, Harley-Davidson beat me to the punch with the new Switchback convertible Dyna model. But we had already drawn this one up, so here it is. The basic idea for this bike came from Dick Briggs of Briggsmade Cycle Parts. He made the most interesting weld-on kit to move your shocks forward on a standard dresser frame. By doing so, the bike instantly became much more attractive when the saddlebags were removed. Carrying this idea out a little further, we’ve all seen the aftermarket bat wing fairings that clip onto Road Kings or Softails making them look like a full FL bagger. I would think with quite a bit of cleverness in the wiring harness, Harley-Davidson could engineer a fairing that unclipped and unplugged rather easily. The speedo could be located on the gas tank or there could be extra one that bolted up to the handlebars when the fairing was removed. The mileage would be kept in the ECU and show up on either the speedo in the fairing, or on the one you clip-on to the bars.
What would make or break this idea would be the convertibility design, how quickly items slipped on and off. And you’d have to figure out how to lock them on there so you don’t leave home on an FLHTCU Ultra Glide and return home on a Road King or an Electra Glide Classic involuntarily. This would be no hill for hillclimbers; it could be done. This would obviate the need for so many dresser models and let those who need to start off at the stripper or FLHT stage do so; they would know that eventually they could have a bike every bit as nice an Ultra if they wanted one. Also, I think if you worked hard enough, you could get the stripper model to look every bit as nice as the iconic 1965 Panhead Electra Glide. A change in rocker covers, cam cover, and perhaps battery location would do the trick. An optional solo police seat on this bike would be pretty nice as well. Having a bike that looked like a 1965 Pan and then 30 minutes later having a complete ultra would be a Super Convertible indeed.