The Harley Davidson Softail Slim S
The Harley Davidson Softail Slim S
The Harley Davidson Softail Slim S is the best of the Harley bunch right now, in my humble opinion. It’s got a stonking 110 cubic inch S&S twin cam engine pushing out 80bhp but more importantly a mountain of torque that would pull the Titanic off the sea bed. And we all know that torque is king.
And underneath all that, it really is a good bike. A very good bike. Simple, effective, beautiful quality everywhere and the best fun to ride. I don’t care what you think; ride a Harley and you feel good; it really does have that effect on you. Maybe it has something to do with the sheer size of the machine. Maybe it’s the sound. Maybe it’s the attention you get from other road users; I’ve had more looks riding this than I have ever had on any superbike. And, let’s face it; we motorcyclists love attention.
You could never accuse a Harley of not being dramatic enough. This bike has a super low stance, it’s long, chunky, solid looking, with paint and chrome so deep and lustrous you could dive into it; I have to say that it is one of the best looking Harleys in the catalogue right now.
Is it old fashioned? Maybe in concept but not in execution. The twin cam motor is super smooth, final drive is by belt and there is ABS as standard. The suspension aided by the weight, irons out the road but remains supple and taut at the same time. Switchgear is modern and works well and even these self-cancelling indicators are the best I’ve ever come across.
Is it perfect? Is any bike? A superbike is hideously uncomfortable anywhere you ride it. An adventure bike is ridiculously tall and heavy. Pretty much any Harley has dreadful cornering ground clearance and is undoubtedly about 100kgs too heavy.
To counter those arguments, it was not conceived as a back-lane scratcher and, with that weight comes almost unbreakable solidity; a Harley isn’t going to disappear very fast! Ride it as it was designed to be ridden – on the open road – and it delivers an experience like no other. If you can handle the sound of scraping footboards, it’s even entertaining in the corners too.
Are they old-fashioned? Yes, you can trace a clear line from this model to the very first Harley in 1903 but that’s what Harley call Heritage and that’s exactly what owners want; they love that feeling of riding a piece of history; they have a physical link to every remaining Harley Davidson on the roads of the world. When did you last ride your Fireblade and give another rider on a 90cc Cub a second glance?
When you buy a Harley, you are not just buying a bike. One of the more welcome clichés is that you are buying a lifestyle. No other manufacturer, with the exception of BMW, has a more active owners club or does more to organise rides and events to involve those owners.
However, whether you buy into that whole aspect of ownership doesn’t matter because the bike speaks for itself. I would wager that 99% of the critics of Harleys have never ridden one and that, if they did, they would be hard pressed to keep the smile off their faces.
And I can think of no better endorsement for a motorcycle.
