This Harley-Davidson nameplate began as a Shovelhead-era Big Twin factory custom built around the Super Glide concept, with the FXEF designation used for the Fat Bob-tanked version. The model first appeared in the late 1970s and was positioned as a more stripped, performance-oriented cruiser than Harley’s full touring machines, while still carrying the distinctive wide stance and twin-tank look that gave it its personality. It became one of the memorable FX-series variants of the era because it combined the straightforward Super Glide formula with Harley’s classic Fat Bob styling cues.
The early production run ran through the Shovelhead years and then ended, rather than continuing without interruption. The FXEF was later brought back for the 1985 model year, when Harley-Davidson again used the FX Super Glide Fat Bob FXEF name for a revised version of the concept. That makes the history of this nameplate more complicated than a single uninterrupted run: there is an original late-1970s/early-1980s period, followed by a separate revival in the mid-1980s.
For enthusiasts, the model sits in an important transition era. It represents Harley-Davidson’s move from the classic AMF/Shovelhead big-twin period toward the mid-1980s reshaping of the lineup, and it is remembered as one of the factory’s more recognizable old-school FX variants. The name is strongly associated with the Fat Bob tank treatment and with the broad, custom-inspired styling that helped define Harley’s factory-custom image in that period.