2002 Harley-Davidson FXDXT Dyna Super Glide T-Sport Motorcycle reviews

Since I wrote my last piece on the FXDXT. We have been lucky enough to travel thousands of trouble free miles. One trip that I will never ever forget was in 2003. We shipped our bike from the UK to San Fransisco, rode along the west coast to visit friends in Mount Vernon, Washington state. At the Cascades NP we turned right across the US to Milwaukee, stayed a couple of days for the party, then on down the Mississippi and then back to Chicago for home, we had sunshine every inch of the way and the "T" sport never missed a beat. It's a shame Harley dropped this model from their range. It does it for me and it does so well.

About eight weeks ago, I bought a used 2001 T-Sport with 500 miles on it, and I now have about 3,500 miles on it. I ride the bike fairly hard, and I'm very pleased with the way the bike handles. I've had no problems with shifting, detonation, or squeaking brakes. I did find that upgrading to a stage 1 (pipes, jet kit, and air cleaner) gave me about 10% more horsepower and made the engine run smoother and cooler. Besides the stage 1, I added an engine guard with halogen lights and long-stem mirrors. I've been riding for more than 25 years, and this is the best bike I've ever owned. I especially like the fact that this bike has a tack, dual-disk brakes, standard footpegs, and good ground clearance.

Well, Ive had my bike for exactly 2 weeks and managed to put on 480 miles !. I am very pleased with it, great torque, good ride & handling, predictable & powerful brakes. Must be getting over 40 MPG. It is loosening up nicely & I think it will be more than fast enough for me when it is fully run in. I will probably fit some nice exhausts - but not too loud. Downsides, I have also experienced the brake noise, although this seems to be getting better as the miles roll by. I also find the windscreen a bit low, but have fitted a Badlander seat(similar to the standard Sport) which drops the rider down a bit, as I almost never carry a pillion this is not an issue, & I find it comfortable enough. I find the bike very heavy and low speed manouvering is a pain. As this is my first Harley I think it is just a matter of getting used to it.

I purchased the T-Sport used from a Phoenix car dealer. It had 1350 miles on it and I paid $11,650. Because of the lack of history I then paid the local Harley dealer $250 for a 5000 mile check. I did this one because it drains all the fluids, lubricates all areas and tightens all fasteners. This bike rides much smoother that my 1200S sportster. It handles my wife and I much better and the ride is much less harsh. The torque feels strong, even with two up and the handling is really solid and predictable. The mileage with two up has been a bit only 40mpg vs. 48 with the sportster. It is totally stock and I am considering the air cleaner, jets and exhaust. At this time I do not want to get into the motor. My wife wants a back pad which we will invest in soon. So far I like it very well. I have experienced the brake noise related in other reviews, but not the backfire/hesitation. It has run perfectly.

Two gripes: 1)Windshield too short 2) brakes make a constant rubbing noise. The windshield problem is fixed by buying the optional taller windshield (P/N 57736-01) Harley dual rotor machines all make the rubbing noise and while it is very irratating, it is normal.... I just finished a 600 mile road trip over two mountain passes and it was a blast. The bike handles well and has plenty of power. I did drill holes in the baffles and add a Screaming Eagle air cleaner. Also added an engine guard with twin halogen lights. Otherwise, the bike is stock. I like the fact that I can alter the suspension based on the load I am carrying to tune the ride and handling to my preferences. The saddle bags carry quite a bit of "stuff" when expanded yet I can take them off in 10 seconds for the sporty look when riding around locally. All in all I think this is an outstanding machine. Kind of a mix between the Sportster and the Road King.

I just took delivery of my FXDXT about a month ago. I have just a few complaints that I must get out of the way first: (1) The carb pops which is quite annoying. The dealer says it is due to my addition of screaming eagle slip-on pipes? I will live with the pop sounds, rather than the factory roar similar to a Suzuki Intruder. (2) The front brakes scrape most of the time. I have found that cleaning the discs with a little bit of brake cleaner after a few hundred miles does away with the noise for awhile. (3) One nylon saddlebag pops loose sometimes due to a faulty latch/spring that the dealer cant fix. (4) The useless mirrors belong on my 10 year old's plastic BigWheel, as I can only see myself with them. The good news: Great acceleration and low end torque. Tranny Shifts with precision, and I have no first gear problems to this day as other riders complain about. This bike really loves those twisties and is also comfortable cruising around town. I have adjusted the front and rear supspension a few times and could never do without it now. The fit and finish is excellent including the paint which is simply perfect. I hope Harley considers a bit larger windshield as standard equipment for taller riders. I ordered the optional windshield which is about 3" higher. Some locks would be great for the bags to deter theft. Overall IM 100% satisfied with my new Dyna T-Sport!

I took delivery of my 2002 FXDXT last February and by and large I am very satisfied. I had previously owned an XL1200 Sport so when I decided to move up to a big twin the FXDXT seemed to be the logical choice. I loved the look, performance, and feel of the 1200 Sport and the FXDXT is just a larger version of this great bike. I now have 2400 miles on my FXDXT and I have to admit that I've experienced some of the same annoying quirks described in some of the other reviews. I too have experienced the brake dragging noise from the dual front discs but I had the same noise from my Sportster so I figured it was no big deal. I assume that this is from the new brake pads rubbing the discs and the slower I go the more noticeable it is. I've never had this checked out and it doesn't appear to affect braking. I also experiencing the carburator popping described by the other reviewers. I did have this checked out and the dealer told me that it was caused by insufficient jetting in the carburator. I also have the high flo air cleaner and Screaming Eagle 2 into 1 pipes so it apparently was not getting enough fuel air mixture. Why they didn't install the new jets upon delivery remains a mystery. Bottom line though the popping problem went away. I have not experienced the shifting problem but I suspect this may be more due to my riding style than anything else. I always shift down to 1st when decelerating to a stop and I hold in the clutch while waiting to proceed. Consequently I've never had a problem with the bike not being in 1st gear when I take off. I also installed the longer mirrors to solve the problem of not seeing around your shouldders. The only other complaint I have, although it is more of a quibble than anything, is that I couldn't get my FXDXT in Real Red like my old Sportster. I like the Diamond Ice though and it really looks good with the blacked out engine. This is the perfect bike for my riding style and I love the power and torque while riding the back roads here in Virginia. The bags provide a much needed storage option that was not available on my Sporster and I put them to good use. This is a great bike overall and I would recommend it highly to anyone looking for a Sport Touring machine

Picked up my new T-Sport at the end of January. Just over 400 miles on it so far.My prior ride was an '82 Sportster.I thought I would be light-years ahead w/ my new bike.Not quite. The things I really like about this bike are:#1 The ride. The fully adjustable( which I have not adjusted yet) suspension rides excellent. No jarring over bumps, etc. Top notch!. #2 The torque. This engine has torque!. Roll-on in any gear is very good. I have not had it over 3,000 rpm yet due to break in procedure, but I am impressed none the less.#3 The saddle bags. Ballistic nylon w/ a leather flap. They seem rugged so far & they expand to about twice the size by opening a zipper. Detach w/ the push of a button & have a carry handle. ( down side= no way to lock them to the bike= easy to steal if someone wanted them. Takes 2 seconds to remove.How about coming up w/ a locking feature Harley?)#4 The quality of the paint/chrome/engine paint/etc is excellent. No flaws detected anywhere. #5 The security system is kind of cool. I installed the accessory ($89) siren which is very loud.It should come standard w/ the security system ,though. This got me a 5% annual discount on my insurance(no discount w/out the siren). Will pay for itself quickly.#6 Fuel economy(not that anybody cares about gas mileage on a bike) I am getting 200 miles before I need to hit reserve. That works out to 50mpg. Very good ....... Now , what I am not so happy about for my $16.5k out the door. #1 The damn carb still pops & sputters sometimes off idle just like my friggin '82 Sporty did.It's down-right embarrassing at a traffic light,etc. I thought they would have fixed it 20 years later.(yeah,I know ,put some pipes on it, the breather kit & do the carb over) Well , I would like it to run right out the dealer's door w/out spending another couple hundred on it!!. #2 The half fairing. At speeds over 50mph (when you need it most) , I have to crank open the windshield all the way to get the air flow over my head instead of buffeting the heck out of me(I am 6'). That is fine, but when I do this, it makes a very annoying whistling noise. #3 The mirrors. They are too short. I mostly see my shoulders in them when adjusted properly. I guess I will have to spend $60 to get the taller ones . #4 Noises. There is a tapping that seems to be coming from the left side of the engine.#5 The brakes. The front brakes make a rubbing sound when they are not applied. Can hear it at almost any speed. #6 The thing that bothers me the most is the fact that the service dept. at the dealer tells me that the carb popping & the brake noise are normal.Sheesh ! Was not the answer I wanted to hear.#7 Security system. The factory installed security system is $275. Not bad ,but for that money it just disables the ignition & flashes the lights if you move the bike.Who is gonna pay attention to that at 3 o'clock in the morning while some crook is pushing your bike into a trailer ? You need to buy the optional siren (see above)to obtain any value from the security system.........Overall , I like the bike but I expected more.The major things are very good.The power,ride & handling are top notch. The noises from the engine ,brakes & fairing are very annoying.

It's hard to describe this bike. It just doesn't fit. Not a touring bike. Not a sport bike. Not a cruiser. I've seen some people complain that this bike is none of these, and thus it isn't a classic harley. Well... I picked mine up last week, and I can report that this bike is all of these things. Sure, if you just want to cruise down mainstreet, buy a fatboy. If you want to go cross-country, buy a electra-glide. But if you need a bike you could do both on, this is it. Even the fairing has grown on me. Rides like a dream. I highly recommend this bike.