Harley-Davidson 2011 Blackline FXS ride review

In reporting on the roll-out of Harley-Davidson’s 2011 models last year we bemoaned the fact that with the elimination of the FXSTC Softail Custom from the line-up, the Softail platform was devoid of a single FXST model for the first time since 1984. What remained were five footboard-equipped FLST machines and the eccentric FXCWC Rocker Custom, but that state of affairs didn’t last long, and with the January introduction of the new Blackline FXS as a mid-year addition to the roster, Milwaukee effectively filled the void—practically speaking. (The fact that the new machine, despite appearances, is not officially an FXST, but simply the FXS, is a curious development that we’ll complain about in due course.)

At first blush it’s only natural to compare the bare-boned Blackline to its closest blood kin, the extinct FXSTB Night Train. That model was the quintessential minimalist street-rod Softail of its time, and was designated as one of Milwaukee’s youthful Dark Custom models when that term was first trotted out in 2008. Discontinued after the 2009 model year, that bike can nonetheless be seen as the basic block from which the Blackline was hewn in an exercise you might call “Honey, I shrunk the Night Train.” A raked wide-glide FX front end with chopperesque 21-inch front tire, narrow handlebars, stretched operator ergonomics and oodles of bad-ass attitude are the essential attributes the two models share in common besides the whole Dark Custom cosmetic treatment, consisting of black, black, and more black. On the Blackline that treatment extends from the wheel rims to the headlamp, handlebars, mirrors, turn indicators, fork lowers, rear fender struts, oil bag, fenders, fuel tank center console strip, and all over the powertrain. Gloss black powdercoating has been applied to the rocker covers, transmission side cover and primary cover, and a truly tasteful combination of black and silver powdercoating on the jugs and heads, respectively, give the TC 96B a visual depth unique to this model.

From that common ground the Blackline departs sharply from its precursor with some significant, and even startling, alterations. In place of the Night Train’s Bobtail fender and once-fashionably fat 200/55R17 rear rubber, the Blackline sports a tight-fitting bobbed fender over a seriously downsized MU85B16—the skinniest rear tire in the Harley stable. The front forks are shortened as well, and the combination of those factors shortens the Blackline’s wheelbase and overall length, and slams its seat height to a new Milwaukee low of just 24 inches.

The Blackline’s most striking departure from all previous Softail models is its newly designed “asymmetric” fuel tank. The asymmetry being referred to here is the elimination of the dummy cap/gas gauge of yesteryear (good riddance), leaving just a single low-profile chrome fill cap on one side of the tank. An elegantly contoured black die-cast piece—the “blackline” from which the bike’s name derives—serves as the console, and the understated linear tank graphics below emphasize it nicely.

The instrumentation that traditionally would sit atop the tank has been moved forward to the top triple clamp where it tucks between the stalks of the bike’s most novel feature, the sanitary internally-wired “Split Drag” two-piece handlebars. It’s those elements in combination with the tasty black/silver finish of the motor, a Fat Boy-style shotgun exhaust and Evo-era air cleaner cover that give this machine its truly distinctive old-meets-new appearance.

Fit and function

In stock trim, the Blackline has very similar ergos to the Night Train—which is to say stretched forward and folded in the middle, which is not an ideal posture for long rides, and an utterly impractical one for short operators. Happily, the test model we were loaned came equipped with the Reduced Reach Seat ($358.95) designed specifically for this model. It proved an effective compromise between my height (too tall) and that of Editor Kleiman (sawed off). The Reduced Reach unit also provides much plusher passenger accommodations than the stock pillion making it a desirable option for those whose habitually pack.

Once in the saddle, the novelty of the Split Drags presents itself and, frankly, wears off pretty quick. Whatever aesthetic merits the unusual design of these bars may possess, they have an oddly insubstantial feel to them, and they’re so close-set that the rearview mirrors have a restricted field of rear view—especially for the broad-shouldered set. Also feeling insubstantial is the Blackline’s front end in slow maneuvering. It exhibits some nervous floppiness and requires a firm hand.

Once up to speed, though, the bike handles nimbly owing, in part, to the sane size of its rear rubber. Flicking the machine around is nearly intuitive. The only limitation in that regard is, not surprisingly, cornering clearance. That’s the trade-off for that sexy slammed chassis, and it’s also a trade-off that Harley-Davidson is clearly willing to make these days every time the issue arises. At this juncture they’ve systematically abandoned any pretense of cornering clearance on virtually any of their current cruiser models, and in the case of the Softails, the aggregate lean angles of the platform have been reduced by more than 13 percent since 2008—with real world consequences both in looks and performance.

What’s in a name?

Like most Harley devotees, I’ve spent years learning the H-D alphabet and staying current with it as each new model comes along with its own unique or understandably repurposed bowl of alphabet soup. There’s a logic, coherence, and continuity to the system, and it’s made for many pleasurable hours of late-night trivia contests and fisticuffs among the cognoscenti. The system can, admittedly, be unwieldy at times—witness last year’s FLHTCUSE-BLK—but it’s basically a simple and sound means of identifying any particular motorcycle. The original FX, for example, designated a Big Twin with a narrow Sportster front end. That Willie G.-designed model came out in 1971, and in 1977 Willie G. produced two more ground-breaking models, the café racer-inspired XLCR Sportster, and the first Lowrider. That Lowrider, with its conventional swingarm frame, was designated the FXS. So there’s a problem, here.

It makes no sense for the Blackline Softail to be an FXS. By rights it should be just another iteration of an FLSTB, but there’s clearly something at work here in Harley’s thinking, and it doubtless has to do with marketing to the rebellious young demographic that Milwaukee’s catering to with the whole Dark Custom campaign. This demographic has a short attention span. By some accounts, their habitual texting and tweeting and friending and liking and all the rest of it have reduced that span by 40 percent. So take 40 percent off of FXSTB, and… Voila!

So I get it. But still, the FXS spells the end of alphanumeric sanity and where that breakdown goes from here is anyone’s guess, and all I’d like to say about that is that if Milwaukee was determined to tear up the playbook and just go with their marketing gut on this, why settle for FXS? Why not the infinitely edgier and more rebellious Blackline FTW?

The 2011 Blackline FXS is available in Vivid Black for an MSRP of $15,499, as well as in Cool Blue Pearl/Vivid Black or Sedona Orange/Vivid Black for $15,998.