Muscle Bikes Part 1: American Muscle

The origins of muscle bikes can be traced back to the early days of motorcycling. In early twentieth century the big inch bikes like Harleys, Indians, and Excelsiors could be considered the earliest ancestors of the muscle bike breed. It wasn’t until 1957 however, that a true muscle bike was born: the Harley-Davidson Sportster. As you may know the Sportster, otherwise known as the XL, was Harley’s answer to the British invasion. It was, and still is, Harley’s “small” bike. Though it was small for a Harley it was big for anything else. The Sporty’s 900cc V twin was a monster in world full of 500’s and 650’s. In the late sixties nothing could beat the XL’s acceleration and speed (…well maybe a Vincent). This high performance image didn’t last however. In 1969 Honda caught everyone by surprise and introduced the CB750 for ever changing the face of the motorcycle landscape. Rather than trying to keep up with Honda, Harley switched gears so to speak and the Sportster began to be marketed on “attitude” rather than performance (not unlike modern Harley-Davidsons). One can only wonder what the XL would be like had H-D allowed the bike to evolve into a performance machine. The very same bike that caused the Sportster to branch of also kicked off the beginning of entirely new generation of motorcycle, and an entirely new generation of muscle bikes. (To be continued)