RIPPER

It all started when Motorcycle Missions gathered the group of veterans to discuss the direction they were going with the bike before wasting no time on disassembly. The bike was stripped down bolt for bolt, and the frame was modified to accommodate the new Shade Tree Fabrication fender and seat. A new reducedlength Paughco springer was installed, and the frame and swingarm were refinished with a fresh coat of gloss-black powdercoat and the engine repainted.

The bike was outfitted with Arlen Ness 10-gauge wheels, rotors, air cleaner, and points cover, and the wheels donned a fresh set of MT90s courtesy of Pirelli. A 2-inch BDL open primary, Zipper’s Performance chain conversion kit, MagnaFlow Riot exhaust, Motogadget grips and mirrors courtesy of Revival Cycles, Brass Balls Keg risers, Motone gas caps, Performance Machine hand controls and front brake, and a Low Brow Customs WX split gas tank modernized the look. The custom leather seat is by Matt Hurtado of Working Man’s Customs, and the sleek metal tank strap displays the different units that each veteran belonged to.

“We made it personalized to us and to represent the guys that helped build this bike,” Major John Lawton explained. “It’s a way to get together with other like-minded people and heal through motorcycles.”

Motorcycle Missions uses their ride and wrench programs to help veterans and first responders mitigate their PTSD symptoms. They give the participants hands-on instruction from start to finish as a means of helping them cope with their PTSD and to help build long-lasting relationships around two wheels. They also offer motocross camps that teach them how to ride.

Air Force veteran Josh Schull says it’s all about the camaraderie. “It’s been very helpful in a lot of ways,” he said. “Being with other veterans again and that camaraderie that we have… That’s something you don’t get anywhere else, and that’s really what I enjoy the most.”

The new owner and lucky winner of the bike, Coast Guard veteran Jeff McCoy, says he plans to take the bike to different bike shows around the country to raise awareness about PTSD and veteran suicide.

Special thanks to our build sponsors Voodoo Vintage and Cycle Refinery of Austin, Texas.

To see more about what Motorcycle Missions does for veterans and first responders through its ride and wrench programs, and to donate, please visit motorcycle-missions.org, Instagram @motorcyclemissions, and Facebook: Motorcycle Missions. HB

Long Live The Dyna

Yes, we have known for a while about the demise of the Harley-Davidson Dyna. It was news we weren’t expecting or wanted to hear, but as we all know, nothing lasts forever. Not even the Dyna is impervious to extinction. We can speculate seemingly forever on why it is gone and for what reasons, but we chose to celebrate the life and times of such a great machine. Just like the FXR before it, the Dyna is now defunct, but this model will live on within the masses who will always hold them dear and who continue to ride the wheels off of them.

The beginning of the Dyna as we know it started with the Harley-Davidson FX. After seeing so many custom swingarm FLH bikes from the West Coast with performance-minded weight-saving touches added to them, H-D Lead Designer Willie G. Davidson wanted to design a production motorcycle that mimicked the look and feel of those purpose-built bikes he saw many outlaw clubs cobbling together and riding the holy hell out of.

Willie G. began with an FLH frame and rear suspension and outfitted it with a front end from an XLH Sportster. The drivetrain and engine accessories were from the FLH, and the lighting and brakes were from the XLH, making it lighter and therefore faster. This combination once in production was then referred to as the FX chassis. From what Willie G. states, “FX” meant “Factory Experimental.”

The model designation for the Dyna as we know it started development in the late ’80s and hit the streets in 1991 as the

FXDB Sturgis, which was only in limited quantities. In 1992 the limited-edition FXDB Daytona and a full-production FXD Super Glide hit the scene. With the success of these models, the floodgates opened and sales of Dynas exploded in a hot streak for well over a decade. Models such as the Super Glide (FXD), Super Glide Custom (FXDC), Low Rider (FXDL), Wide Glide (FXDWG), and our favorite models the Super Glide Sport (FXDX) and Super Glide T-Sport (FXDXT) have been ridden on all four corners of the globe with much fervor from their owners.

In 2006 Dyna models received a new chassis and ditched their 39mm front fork for a much nicer 49mm version. The bike also gained a gear with an all-new six-speed transmission. Then over the next 10 years a few more models were released from the MoCo in the form of the Street Bob (FXDB) and Dyna Fat Bob (FXDF) Dyna Switchback (FLD) and the re-introduction of the Dyna Lowrider (FXDL) and then the launch of Lowrider S (FXDLS) in 2016.

The Dyna used the rubber-mounted 88ci Twin Cam from 1999 to 2006. In 2007 the factory upped the stroke to 4.375 inches, and the displacement was increased to 96ci. In 2012 Harley-Davidson began to offer Dyna models with a 103ci upgrade option, and in 2016 the Dyna Lowrider S came standard with a 110ci motor and throttle by wire.

Many think the Dyna’s dual-shock frame design, which has been upgraded and updated by H-D many times, is what makes the bike look like a true Harley-Davidson and that two shocks out back will always be better than one. But that’s all in the past now with only the baggers having that distinction.

Enough with the history lesson. We at Hot Bike have always been at the forefront of the Dyna scene, and to see where it is in its current status is nothing short of a miracle. To see a motorcycle that was founded on experimentalism grow to see wheelies and stunting become a cornerstone of this model no one would have guessed. Being able to witness the amount of performance professional and backyard builders alike have gotten out of this chassis is mind-blowing.

One also needs to remember that the Dyna has brought so many people from all walks of life together. From joining one dirty old biker to another via road trips and watching various Dyna crews forming all over the world, we are amazed that this one model bike has had so much impact and makes so many bikers of all ages so happy to throw a leg over.

We can thank Willie G. and Harley-Davidson for making a versatile bike that has been such a big part of so many lives. Don’t worry, readers—we will always feature the Dyna and its ongoing aftermarket evolution. And we think you ain’t seen nothing yet! HB