If you didn’t know better, you might think this is an old Harley, but the Softail Deluxe a modern machine through and through.. The somewhat forward pegs are quite high (as necessitated by ground clearance requirements), folding my legs in such a way that my knees are higher than my hips. 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard FXST | Test Ride Review The fork provides decent bump absorption. Touring Custom Package ($1,700) rounds out the factory custom packages with H-D Detachables Saddlebags, Standard Height HoldFast Sissy Bar Upright, Compact Passenger Backrest Pad – Smooth Black Vinyl, Holdfast Docking Hardware, Sundowner Seat, Passenger Footpegs, and Wind Splitter Quick-Release Compact 14 in. Although it’s a great workout, clenching your abs gets old in about 15 minutes, and leaning back on your arms limits throttle control. 2016 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim on www.Totalmotorcycle.com. Since I can’t use my legs to absorb bumps, they are transmitted directly up my curved lower back. Thus, either putting both feet down or alternating between left and right is vital for me. The engine's torque is spectacular, and it makes grabbing a handful of throttle in sixth gear on the freeway to pass a real joy. The unique medallion on the Heritage Softail® Classic motorcycle is glass-inlayed, cloisonné-and-chrome style and shows that Harley-Davidson® Softail® model heritage that runs in your blood. 2017 Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe on www.Totalmotorcycle.com. Totally. There are no less than eight Harley-Davidson Softail models in H-D’s 2011 model line-up, and all are powered by Harley’s air-cooled, Twin Cam 96B engine. The Standard is also available in four customization packages: The Performance Custom Package ($1,300) adds Heavy Breather Performance Air Cleaner, Milwaukee-Eight Stage II Torque Kit, Street Cannon Mufflers, and Pro Street Tuner. We got to ride it for our 2018 Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe review for a day in the city of Jaipur. While the suspension is excellent, I'd qualify the Softail's brakes as being merely adequate. Get price quotes for Harley-Davidson Softail from local motorcycle dealers. With regards to riders who want the cheapest entry into the Softail family, you should try riding one before you lay down your greenbacks – or at least have an extended sit on one in the dealership to see if your body type will mesh with it. Well, the short seat height and small-ish reach to the forward-mounted foot controls meant that my legs were bent in an awkward way that made shifting uncomfortable and using the rear brake kind of a chore. Harley-Davidson Softail Slim Road Test. The Softail Slim is one of seven models that complete Harley-Davidson’s cruiser lineup. Let’s start with the seat. It was as if the H-D engineers looked at the rider triangle and tweaked it in all of the wrong directions. The Standard is also available in four customization packages: The Performance Custom Package ($1,300) adds Heavy Breather Performance Air Cleaner, Milwaukee-Eight Stage II Torque Kit, Street Cannon Mufflers, and Pro Street Tuner. The final negative thing I have to say also was an issue on the Street Glide, and that's the fact that even in Kevlar jeans, I managed to cook the hell out of my right inner thigh on the engine's rocker cover any time I tried to put my right leg down at a stop. I was a little concerned that cornering might be a problem with the skinny front tire and that big fat 200mm rear tire, but it actualy handles very well. The optional ABS adds $795. Read our Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe review for more details including specs, features and images. 2017 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic on www.Totalmotorcycle.com. Enter your ZIP code below to get a free insurance quote. By Trevor Hedge. The minimalist instrumentation is easy to read while still being quite cool to look at. The 2020 Softail Standard might not be the most practical thing on two wheels, but sometimes being cool is more important. The Standard just goes with no complaints and no delay. The 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard is available now for an MSRP of $13,599. In my 24 years of road testing motorcycles, I can count on one hand (with fingers left over) the number of bikes I’ve tested that I genuinely disliked, and in the case of the 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard, the list has grown by one. Each share the same basic Softail chassis with a hidden monoshock, but vary in styling, ergonomics, and amenities. Harley-Davidson Softail Bike Review Harley-Davidson Softail Bike Overview There are two different Softail models currently on the market; the earliest model which was released in 1988 and then a model which was on sale between 1998-2003. It oozes near-weaponized levels of classic Harley vibes from every cooling fin and piece of chrome. Bill Stermer - ... Triumph’s new twins and of course this 2007 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic. Maybe the best part of the Softail Standard for California residents is the fact that it's an absolute monster of lane-splitting. So, in the end, is this Harley more my speed? It wasn’t until Evans asked me to photo model for his review that I learned just how uncomfortable he could make me. The Milwaukee Eight 107 motor makes bags of torque, and you know what else it makes a lot of? There are three corners to the rider triangle, and making a mistake with any single one can be mostly addressed by the other two. Shifting is a seamless affair, as it is with all Milwaukee-Eights. Harley Davidson FLSTC Heritage Softail Classic . If I am fond of the new Softails, why do I dislike the Standard so much? The clutch is still heavy, though not as heavy as the one on the Street Glide, but that could be a placebo effect from the smaller bike if I'm being honest. The transmission is a six-speed unit with a very satisfying bad-but-good-feeling shifter that requires a good kick to go between gears, it's totally inelegant yet lands with such an impossibly gratifying thunk when you get there that it's hard not to like. The 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim is a classic cruiser done up in bobber styling—a minimal aesthetic that’s popular among younger riders and custom builders. Cut the crap, Milwaukee -- make ABS standard. All I could say to myself after hopping on the Softail Standard was WTF… over and over. The bike is willing to lean easily and follow a line through a corner, and thanks to the excellent suspension, I never find it getting too nervous or out of shape on bumpy roads. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. My more compact younger, supple frame would have nary an issue. View their reviews and ratings on various aspects of these motorcycles. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, it's safe to say that the 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard is the business. Chassis: Steel tubular chassis with rigid mounted engine as a load bearing member. The Milwaukee-Eight 107 may be the smallest one available, but it still has plenty of power for this price range. I was sure of it! Ryan is 5’ 8”, and his thighs are parallel to the ground, meaning that anyone with longer legs will have their pelvis tilted rearward. The appeal of the Softail® Deluxe model gets stronger with each passing year… The Hollywood bars, slim rear wheel, cat eye console and floor boards recall the early days of custom motorcycle enthusiasm. the first time I rode the new Softail line in 2017, 2020 Ducati Superleggera V4 Review – First Ride, Two Ways to Skin a Knee: 2021 Honda ADV150 vs. 2021 Honda Trail 125, Farewell To A Category-Defining Sportbike: An R6 Retrospective, 2021 Triumph Tiger 850 Sport Review – First Ride, 2021 Harley-Davidson Street Bob 114 and Restyled Fat Boy 114 Headline Softail Lineup, Motorcycle GPS: Why your phone isn’t good enough, 2021 Harley-Davidson Revival Certified by EPA, Harley-Davidson Reveals The Hardwire Plan, All-New Honda PCX Scooter, Return of the Ruckus and Metropolitan, CBR300R, Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI), Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine offers vibration-free power, Abrupt rear suspension is aggravated by the bad riding position, I have no idea who this bike is designed for. Although the lever still requires a stout pull, the power and feel are what you need to haul a claimed 655 lb. (100mm x 111.1mm) breathing through a four-valve head, the Standard’s 107 has spot-on fueling with immediate response to throttle inputs that are just this side of abrupt, meaning it feels like some other ride-by-wire bikes in sport mode. Join the Motorcycle.com Weekly Newsletter to keep up to date on all things motorcycling. It didn't bottom out once, and that's an achievement for a bike as low as it is. Now, it's not anywhere near "plush," but I'm a heavy guy, and it had no issues dealing with freeway expansion joints and LA's crappy, pothole-ridden roads. 2007 Harley-Davidson FLSTC Heritage Softail Classic – Road Test Review. The new entry-level bike for Harley's Softail line seeks to bring new riders into the fold with classic looks, killer quality and (for Harley) a modest price. Although Harley is selling Milwaukee-Eights with significantly larger displacement than the 107 cu. 2017 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic. Its relatively low-positioned solo saddle and comfortable ergonomics, classic American cruiser aesthetics, and an emotion-evoking V-twin rumble make it an enticing option as an around-town… The tall handlebars look cool as hell, but my right wrist was sore after around 30 minutes of riding in town, due to the angle that I had to hold it at for me to both reach the bars and manipulate the throttle. Well, it's a competent motorcycle, especially for the class. Everything else is concealed under a layer of nostalgia and Americana so thick that it's almost impossible to break through. Most people will likely just deal with it or only use their left leg to prop the bike up at stoplights, but due to some lasting weirdness from my crash, my left knee sometimes likes to give out when under a lot of weight. x 4.4 in. Absolutely, but it's also absolutely not my size, which is a huge bummer. The rider’s upper body is in an equally compromised position, thanks to the mini-apes on the Standard. If you haven’t noticed the howling and gnashing of teeth over this change in some quarters of the Harley market, you haven’t been paying attention. The optional ABS adds $795. I was a fan before I even threw a leg over it, but unfortunately for me, the riding experience didn't live up to my expectations. 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard first ride review: Style heavy, dad-lite. The 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard is available now for an MSRP of $13,599. Neither position allows you any relief from large bumps, making them a teeth-gritting affair. The Softail Deluxe has an engine that’s an air-cooled V-twin—in true Harley form—that has a displacement of 1,753cc. Take an otherwise solid motorcycle, give it an abysmal riding position, and it is possible to create a machine that sucks all the joy out of riding, which is saying something since the Softail platform, updated in 2018, is typically quite amenable. While this sucks for me, for a shorter rider I can see the Standard being all-day comfortable without feeling like you're too stretched out. Another big knock against the Softail is the fact that Harley wants to charge an extra $800 for antilock brakes. The rear suspension, with its single directly activated shock hidden behind the engine, works well on smooth to moderately rough pavement. The Softail Standard makes a welcome return to the stable as it was one of the Milwaukee’s company’s best-selling bikes in Australia for many years. There aren't many better ways to work out all your Easy Rider fantasies if you need modern reliability and a warranty. What does that mean exactly? Unfortunately, in this case, all three corners are positioned such that, for a person of my size (5 feet 11 inches tall with a 32-inch inseam), they are well outside of the optimal positions. Harley is marketing the Standard two ways: First, as the least expensive entry into the Softail line, and second, as a blank slate for customizers. The Harley-Davidson Softail Rocker C model features the latest Softail design with a rigid looking rear but with hidden horizontally mounted coil-over-shock suspension. Specifically, I'm just too damned tall to get comfortable on the thing, which in turn affects all the other aspects of the ride. 2017 Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe Review. ... (from 1 review… Review: The 2018 Harley-Davidson Softails When Harley-Davidson announced its new Softail range, Dyna fans wept and shook their fists. Ergonomic stuff aside, what is the Softail like to ride? However, hit any larger bumps, and the limited rear-wheel travel becomes painfully obvious. Do I think others will enjoy it in that capacity? Perhaps a different seat that allows taller riders to sit higher and more rearward would alleviate some of the comfort issues. It's a small issue, but the seat-to-tank area could be a little wider and help make this less of a problem. It’s got lashing of chrome, a low seat, studded and tasseled … Cycle Insider provides experiences consumers and owners have had with Harley-Davidson SOFTAIL DEUCE Motorcycle Reviews. The Harley-Davidson Softail Range. Harley-Davidson Softail by TJ Hinton , on October 3, 2015, 16:00 LISTEN 08:33 The original “ Softail ” design was born – and shelved – in the mid-’70s. here, the Standard’s power output is ample for a cruiser in this price range and would easily leave behind any similar model with the erstwhile Twin Cam engine of just three model years ago. The mini-apes place the grips just below my shoulders, which has the effect of leaning my torso slightly rearward. Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe Review - The Softail Deluxe pays homage to the retro-cruisers of 1949. Gauge Clamp, Clutch Cable and Brakeline, Bevel Two-Up Seat, and Passenger Footpegs. Everything from the tall handlebars to the tuck-and-roll saddle to the big, spoked front wheel have been ruthlessly designed by Milwaukee's finest to push all the right buttons, all the time. In this episode of MC Commute, we review the 2021 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim.Jeff Allen. The … It's one of those things that you find yourself doing intentionally over and over again. From the bobber styling to the solo seat, the Softail Standard is about elemental motorcycling. However, the 2020 Softail Standard is a long way from the 1984 Evo original or the last model five years ago, thanks to the last major overhaul in 2017. It's a small LCD screen hidden in the handlebar clamp, with an even smaller warning-light pod hanging off it. While the Milwaukee-Eight 107 and 114 motors are capable of more than enough performance to satisfy any reasonable Harley-Davidson Softail … I don't even normally gravitate towards choppers and bobbers, but the Standard really blew my mind from the moment I saw it roll off the delivery truck. Pure nostalgic beauty wrapped around the modern power of a High Output Twin Cam 103B™ engine. 2016 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim. Climbing astride, you're met with the kind of build quality that few companies do better than Harley's American-made motorcycles. Plus HARLEY-DAVIDSON SOFTAIL bike specs, owner ratings and much more. Customizers probably don’t read MO, and they are free to ignore my criticisms of the Softail Standard. Helmet: FXRG Defiant-X Full-Face Helmet $725 Jacket: Men’s FXRG Gratify Leather Jacket $550 Pants: FXRG Armalith Denim Jeans $295 Gloves: Dainese 4 Stroke EVO Gloves $220 Boots: Red Wing Iron Ranger $330. Comfort as modern as this morning’s news and the power from our High Output Twin Cam 103B™ engine, but the look still blazes straight from this machine’s authentic dresser past… © 2021 CNET, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. © 2021 VerticalScope Inc. All rights reserved. Thanks to the bike's narrow figure and its loud, burbly, attention-getting exhaust, I am able to effortlessly split lanes from the beach in Santa Monica all the way to downtown Los Angeles and get there in a mere fraction of the time it'd take in a car (or on something chonky like the Street Glide). We use data about you for a number of purposes explained in the links below. The Harley-Davidson Softail Springer is an ultra retro Harley based on the FXST Softail. Harley-Davidson and the custom-bike culture have always gone hand-in-hand, and the updated-in-2018 Softail Slim makes for a rolling tribute to … Windshield. 2017 Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe. Here's the answer. Staggered shorty exhausts complying with Euro 3 emissions. Another standout area on the Softail Standard is the suspension. A different seat or peg position, which allowed my spine to be straight, would make the riding position significantly more comfortable. If you’ve ridden one of the new Softails, you know what the suspension is like. 2016 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim Review. It's rare that I find myself loving a motorcycle purely for how it looks, but the Softail Standard fits this category perfectly. After all, they’re going to nip and tuck the bike, anyway. The good old days are right now… The Softail Slim® is study in contrasts. By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of data and cookies. The display is relatively easy to read in direct sunlight, and it's dense with information: Harley managed to pack a gas gauge, a gear indicator, a speedometer, dual trip computers, odometer, and range estimate in there. If it weren't for the Tom-Waits-on-a-Magic-Fingers-bed roar of the engine, it'd almost feel electric. Harley was clever with how it hid the gauges and warning lights, and it's one of our favorite features of the bike. Simply put, the Softail Standard’s rider triangle is a perfect storm of bad ergonomics. Perhaps riders in the neighborhood of 5 feet, 6 inches and below will find it comfortable. Harley-Davidson has nipped and tucked its Softail to create the ‘new’ Softail Slim. A great bike overall! I'd attribute this to the very modern cartridge fork, which manages to look like something off a classic bike, and also to the rear monoshock. It’s a rousing, nearly reminiscent feeling to burn miles across town on the 2021 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim—a stripped-down variation of the popular Softail cruiser platform. The 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe utilizes the Softail design to make a modern cruiser that looks like it came straight out of the past. The Harley-Davidson Softail Standard sports Harley’s old 88B 1450cc engine, unlike the latest models. The bike is otherwise good in nearly every other way, but whew, that riding position is the stuff of nightmares.”. This is the kind of bike I could see myself loving as an around-town machine if it were like 20% larger. Harley-Davidson spent money here, and it shows. Now, this is fine when trolling around the boulevard at 45 mph, but if you try to accelerate hard or head out onto the highway, the only two options are to engage your entire core to lean forward with bent elbows or lean back with straight arms, letting your skeletal system do the work. It's pretty cool, and I'd love to see this very custom-like feature on other factory bikes. The same can be said of the Standard’s brakes. I want to be clear that this isn't Harley's fault, or even the bike's, because it was clearly designed for someone with a very different body type than I have. The Coastal Custom Package ($1,600) consists of Vivid Black Softail Quarter Fairing, 80GRIT Rider Footpegs with Wear Peg, Moto Handlebar (which could possibly mitigate some of the riding position issues), Tall Handlebar Riser, 1 in. plus an American-sized rider down from speed. I’ve already mentioned the suspension compromises that are forced by that seat height, but it sets the tone for the rider triangle, too. A twist of the throttle offers up that familiar Harley roar through twin chrome pipes that, despite being equipped with silencers, managed to set off a car alarm in my parking structure. However, as it stands, I can’t recommend the Softail Standard to anyone in my and Ryan’s size range. The Standard isn't a light bike, and while the engine isn't wildly powerful, it's still no slouch and can get the bike moving pretty quickly. Harley-Davidsons refreshed Softail lineup has bought with it quite a … Harley Heritage Softail Classic review As the name suggests, the Heritage Softail Classic clings to the traditional style that has made Harley-Davidson such an identifiable brand around the world. Day Tripper Custom Package ($1,050) features Passenger Pillion, One-Piece Tall Rigid Mount Sissy Bar, Backrest Pad, Passenger Footpegs and Mount, Single-Sided Swingarm Bag, and Standard Forward Controls (which, again, might improve rider comfort). The sad truth is that there is a lot to like about the Softail Standard, starting with the Milwaukee-Eight 107 V-Twin engine. The 26.8-inch seat height does the Standard no favors here. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Since he is 5-foot, 8-inches tall and has a 30-inch inseam, his slightly different perspective would help to see if I was just too tall for the bike. In an effort to see if I was being overly harsh on the Standard, I asked Associate Editor, Ryan Adams, to ride it with me for a couple of hours. It doesn’t have to be big to be an Adventure. It's a heavy bike for its size -- nowhere near as heavy as the Street Glide, but still, no featherweight -- and that weight adds to the sense of occasion that you get when experiencing the Softail for the first time. Heat and sweet, sweet noise. As a quick recap, the Softail range was heavily updated in 2018 and actually subsumed the Dyna range in doing so, featuring a new frame shared across the entire range and powered by Milwaukee-Eight powerplants – either the 107 or 114 iterations. The paint on the tank is gorgeous, the chrome is perfect, and there is almost no plastic on the bike aside from the control pods on the handlebars. 2017 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic Review. So, can the American cruiser ride as plush as it looks? The instrument cluster is one of my favorite features on the Standard. His notes were: ”When ‘Ol Brasscanyons told me the position on the Softail Standard could ruin a good ride, I kind of brushed it off. The Harley-Davidson Softail Slim stops from 60 to 0 in a relatively impressive 138.4 feet. I like this engine a lot. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. in. The Standard's single front disc may look retro and cool, but despite having a decent initial bite and a super-solid feel at the lever, I don't know how many big stops I'd count on it to go through without fading. It's a hell of a machine, beautifully built and brilliantly styled, and with an asking price of $13,500, it makes a pretty convincing proposition for itself. Minimal but charming cruiser which harks back to the post war years when Harley-Davidson … Visit MCN for expert reviews on HARLEY-DAVIDSON SOFTAIL motorbikes today. Please select a reason. This isn't a cheap bike, and we're living in 2020. From the first time I rode the new Softail line in 2017, I was impressed with the smoothness provided by the two counterbalancers mounted on either side of the crankshaft, which is absolutely necessary for an engine that is solid-mounted to the frame. Now, the Softail's only visual concessions to modernity are the handlebar controls, the LED headlight and the disc front brake. The 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard was designed to deliver an essential, no-frills cruiser experience, with a lean bobber profile, a Softail chassis and a Milwaukee-Eight V-twin. Their beloved twin-shock platform was gone, with existing Dyna models absorbed into the eight-strong Softail model line-up . Harley-Davidson Introduces All New 2018 Softail Line As with all of the other former Dynas, the Low Rider is now a member of the Softail line. Engine: 1584cc air cooled vee twin with electronic sequential fuel injection, 6 speed "Cruise Drive" gearbox and kevlar/carbon fibre final drive belt. Obviously, there are a lot of riders like me who enjoy the simplicity of the bike and the scope for customisation. By. 2019 Softail Slim Review Harley Davidson Here are my thoughts on my first ride experience of the 2019 Softail Slim. Rotating the bars slightly back toward the rider or changing the bars entirely to something lower and wider would have likely helped with this. He’s freakishly tall and long-legged, like moto-journo slender man of sorts. ... Report this review Inappropriate Content Spam Written by a Dealer or OEM Submit. That feeling carries over to the sound of the bike, with its big, old-fashioned, air-cooled American V-twin -- a 107-cubic-inch (1.7-ish-liter) Milwaukee Eight, in this case -- that barks and burbles and vibrates with all the character and deliberate crudeness that you'd ever want. We use cookies to improve your experience on this website and so that ads you see online can be tailored to your online browsing interests. The Harley Davidson Softail has plenty of power, very comfortable riding position, super sexy look, wonderful ride. This has the effect of rolling my pelvis rearward and is a huge reason why the harsh suspension is so painful on the Standard. With a bore and stroke of 3.9 in. 2018 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim Review | Standout Softail. At 26.8 inches, the seat is extremely low, even for a cruiser.