Harley-Davidson’s shrine-oriented Touring model appears to have started as a special-purpose variation of the Electra Glide Ultra Classic in the late 1990s, when it was identified in factory VIN/model documentation as FLHTCU-I Shrine. It was positioned as a distinctive full-dress touring motorcycle built from the Ultra Classic platform, which made it a natural fit for ceremonial and organizational use rather than for mainstream retail emphasis. Over time, Harley-Davidson’s official documentation continued to list the Shrine version through successive Touring-model year materials, showing that it remained part of the company’s heavyweight touring lineup for many years.
As the Touring family evolved, the Shrine variant tracked the broader changes to the Ultra Classic line. The model designation shifted with Harley-Davidson’s naming conventions, moving away from the earlier “-I” suffix format and later appearing simply as FLHTCU Shrine in factory references. That change reflected the company’s ongoing updates to its touring nomenclature while preserving the same general shrine-oriented identity. The bike remained closely tied to the long-running Electra Glide Ultra Classic family, which has been one of Harley-Davidson’s best-known big touring platforms.
By the mid-2010s, Harley-Davidson’s factory model tables no longer listed the Electra Glide Ultra Classic Shrine nameplate, while shrine versions continued on other Touring platforms instead. That indicates the model’s run under this specific nameplate ended after the 2014 model year. For enthusiasts and collectors, it represents an unusual factory special within Harley-Davidson’s touring range: a long-lived, officially recognized shrine edition that combined the brand’s classic fairing-and-Tour-Pak touring formula with a purpose-built ceremonial identity.