Harley davidson softail slim 2023 review

Anyone who's been unfortunate enough to have been reading my scribblings for the past quarter of a century will know that I’ve got a bit of a penchant for fast bikes, track time and well, hooning around like an eejit. I make no excuses. It’s a fair cop, Guv’.

But never let it be said that I’m a narrow minded, one-track biking bigot. Biking, for me, isn’t all about sports bikes. I get just as much enjoyment from riding, say, a 1966 drum-braked Bonneville as I do from a CR500, a slim style Lambretta or snail-pace competition trials bikes. The formula is simple. Engine + wheels (as long as they’re round) = a good craic. Two wheels and engines are an unbeatable combo.

I’ve just got back from Spain where we rode Harley-Davidson’s latest two models – the Sportster 72 and the Slim around some of the best roads (ever?) in the mountains above Malaga and, you know what? It was one of the most pleasant days of riding I’ve had for some time.

The Slim was my favourite. It uses Harley's big pre-unit 103 cubic inch (a smidgeon under 1.7 litres in new money) motor mated to a six-speed box via an enclosed chain primary drive. Just the bore and stroke dimensions tell you how this engine needs to be ridden. Rather than being over square like any current high revving motor designed to make peak power near peak revs, the 103 has pretty alien cylinder architecture. Try a 98.4mm bore and a 111.1mm stroke for size…

Obviously, it’s all about torque. Massive torque. A maximum 132NM of twisting force is delivered at just 3,250rpm. If you’ve never ridden a big cc Harley you need to think about that figure. Even in a high gear, when you open the throttle, the forward shove is immense but strangely disproportionate to what you’re hearing and feeling. There’s a lazy sort of shuddering vibration from the engine and the lowly revs seem to be at odds with the rate of forward go. The noise is addictive (even if modern standard pipes are far too strangled).

You’ve got to tune in before you can chill out and experience the sensation for what it is. Faced with twenty miles of perfectly surfaced, up-hill, sweeping A-road bends as we made our way up the mountains, you’ve got to recalibrate your riding instincts. There’s very little cornering clearance (those footboards are low and wide) so corner entry needs to be smooth and coaxing. With thirty one degrees of head angle, 147mm of trail (!) and a 1635mm wheelbase it's very, very stable and planted. Forget the brakes (shutting the throttle is like chucking an anchor out of the back, anyway) and roll on and off the power sorry, torque, smoothly and progressively. Once you get the hang of it, it’s surprising how swiftly you’re travelling. Try and ride it like a GSX-R600 and not only do you look a twunt but it just will not reward you with what’s possible. Bit like a boxer BM in that respect.

If you’ve ever been skiing, this riding style is a bit like those ancient old leathery octogenarians (usually Alpine locals) you see carving down a hill with minimal fuss and movement. The people who make skiing look effortlessly easy. There’s a similar fluidity required, a certain grace, to ride a Harley how it wants to be ridden and a certain kick to be derived when it all comes together. Even nervous pillions would love it.

The euphemistically named Slim is still a bat fastard – well, by modern terms, at least. Without being over simplistic, the Slim is a Fat Boy that’s lost a bit of cake and picked up some 1950s Bobber styling cues along the way. I loved the wide, swept back, ‘Hollywood’ handlebars with their cross brace and the big, dominant tank mounted speedo and Cyclops headlight. It’s a great view ahead. In it’s own wide-spread-stance kinda way, it’s supremely comfy, if a little alien at first.

Thirty or so miles into our ride two things dawned on me. One: I was admiring the stunning view (a first) and Two: this was probably the lowest risk, most pleasant launch I’d ever been on. Normally, on sports bike launches, every corner is a tooth clencher as you chase grip and battle a cat and mouse game with local police and differing, alien road surfaces. Most sports bike launches involve at least one ‘off’ and many euros spent on speeding fines. This Harley experience couldn’t have been more different.

My lottery win garage will definitely have a big inch Harley in it – possibly a Slim with a pillion pad and rear footrests - for when the mood takes me, when I don’t want to ride like my trousers on fire, when I just want to chill and give my pillion as pleasant-a-time as I experienced in Spain the other day. A motorbike as a relaxing way to travel?

Surely some mistake?

The Slim starts at £14,695 in flat black and the foot-thick Candy metalflake paint adds another three hundred sheets.

It’s easy for the 2021 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim to get a bit lost in the lineup. It doesn’t have a snazzy appellation—Fat, Low, Bob, or Glide are nowhere to be found. Softails aren’t exactly slim motorcycles, and the Slim features fat tires. However, the Softail Slim slots itself in as a motorcycle that does its own thing unobtrusively, while being a wholly satisfying ride.

The Slim is something of an undercover version of the dearly departed Deluxe. It features high-profile Dunlops mounted on wire-spoked 16-inch wheels, a dished solo seat, swept-back handlebar, and floorboards. However, the Slim trades in chrome for black, and the triple headlights of the Deluxe are nowhere to be found on the Slim. The 2021 Softail Slim prefers to fly under the radar.

Harley-Davidson slipped a Milwaukee-Eight 107 into the Slim’s Softail chassis, and that works out quite nicely. With the upright solo seating position and arms out wide for the braced swept-back handlebar, the Slim is all about taking on urban settings. If you’re not riding two-up or putting long hours on the highway, the 107 is more than enough power to get you into (and out of) trouble on city streets. You don’t have to work hard to get 110 ft-lbs of torque out of the 107—just rev it up to 3000 rpm and enjoy the sound of the 2-into-2 shotgun exhaust system.

The Softail Slim’s chassis is perfect for city riding. With a relatively narrow midsection—that’s how the Slim got its name—and 26-inch seat height, it’s always easy to touch your boots down to the pavement at stops. Sure, the Slim weighs in at 671 pounds, but the low center of gravity keeps it from feeling ponderous.

The suspension travel is just over five inches from the Showa Dual Bending Valve fork and 3.4 inches from the shock. That’s enough to minimize the effects of the deterioration of Los Angeles city streets. What the suspension doesn’t take care of, the high-profile Dunlops smooth out. Although steering is a bit heavier, I prefer fat tires for crumbling streets—you want a big rubber footprint to muscle your way through the imperfections.

I have nothing but praise for the ergonomics of the 2021 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim. I went out for a ride around the Los Angeles metropolitan area and, before I knew it, I had put in three hours of riding without lifting myself out of the nicely padded tuck-and-roll seat. I just kept riding because I was having so much fun that the time just flew by.

I limit the freeway portion due to the seating position. It’s fine for short connecting spurts, and the 107 motor will take you up to extra-legal speeds without a thought. Just make sure you’re holding on against the windblast.

Urban canyons—Chevy Chase and Mulholland Drives, for example—are pure pleasure. In many places, the pavement isn’t in great condition, so you rely on the Dunlops. Fortunately, the tires never disappoint, and you can take advantage of the available cornering clearance without any hair-raising moments. I touched down here and there, though not enough for it to be bothersome.

Lane splitting is a bit of a challenge due to the wide handlebar. If you’re in a hurry, it will be annoying. If not, just hang back and relax whenever there isn’t plenty of room. The only fly in the urban ointment is the difficulty finding neutral at stoplights. Otherwise, the 6-Speed Cruise Drive transmission is flawless.

Everything works as it should. The clutch isn’t unduly stiff, and the brakes are entirely predictable. Our test Slim had ABS—an overpriced $795 option—and it kicked in a few times. Mostly, I just use the highly effective rear brake and ample engine compression braking. That allows me to fully grasp the grips, and I still have the single 300mm front disc available when I need it for maximum deceleration.

The speedometer on the 2021 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim is tank-mounted. I rarely looked at it. There’s also a crisp white-on-black LCD readout that you can scroll through to access various pieces of information, including range and rev count. There’s an always-on gear-position indicator, which can be helpful on roads with higher speeds—be sure to shift up to 6th. The fuel level is also always visible.

If you’re looking for a motorcycle that will wow everyone who sees, look elsewhere. The compliments will be limited to those who appreciate its understated appeal—at least in the Rock River Gray Denim/Black Denim two-tone color combo that our Slim was sporting. The Billiard Red option might get a bit more attention, if that’s an integral part of your ownership experience. We all ride for our own reasons.

The 2021 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim offers a pure and undiluted motorcycle riding experience. You feel the motor, the wind, and the road. The chassis gives you a quiet confidence, and its appearance dovetails with that perfectly. While it might not catch your eye on the showroom floor, the Slim might just be the ride you want.

Is Softail Slim good on the highway?

On the highway the Softail Slim is unflappably competent. This is why you see so many of its brethren on lonely stretches of road. With the small, narrow profile wheels the 700-lb. (317-kg) bike is quick and easy to turn in, though somewhat compromised by the spacious floorboards, which scrape early and often.

Is the Softail slim fast?

Throttle response is crisp and quickly ushers the motorcycle away from corners and stoplights. At 70 mph, the Slim settles around 2,700 rpm in top gear, cruising down the highway with very minimal vibration to report while retaining enough punch left in reserve to zip ahead of traffic. A truly excellent balance.

Is the Softail slim a good beginner bike?

Softail is so well balanced it's easy to handle. It's powerful enough it could be your first and your last bike. There are endless ways to customize and upgrade. There are new and used models available, so you can find one at multiple price points.

What is the difference between Softail Standard and Slim?

Compared to the 2021 Harley-Davidson® Softail Slim®, the Softail® Standard has slightly more curvature through the fuel tank. In addition, the Softail® Standard is only available with black body paint. The 2021 Softail Slim®, on the other hand, has steel-laced wheels with a gloss-black finish and thicker tires.