Harley Davidson Softail^®

One very sweet softail hog...

The Harley Davidson softail motorcycle is definitely the undisputed king of the road on two wheels, although some might actually say that the softail is the king of the road amongst any vehicle with two wheels or more. The truth be told is that although the softail has been in production by Harley Davidson since 1984 it did not become wildly popular over night; however, did develop a strong following in the first couple of years after production started. Of course as production continued and new advancements in design, mechanics, and other technology improved, so did the quality and the softail was here to stay. This definitely made the growing following of softail enthusiasts extremely happy.

Why Call It A Softail?

The term softail is used due to the fact the rear end suspension system of the bike is able to move and absorb the shock of hitting bumps, potholes and other minor road hazards using shock absorbers or springs. The cool thing about the softail suspension on the Harley softail is that the shock absorbers or springs are out of view and installed underneath to give the appearance of a rigid or hard-tail frame. Over the last 28 years, Harley has produced several different softails designs such as the Rocker, Bobber, and Fatboy. All three of these types are ruggedly individualistic and true Harley Davidson's. Let's take a look at these three types of softails.

Fatboy Softail Motorcycle

The Fatboy Harley Davidson softail motorcycle is a very popular within the Harley Davidson culture amongst softail enthusiasts. Some riders like the classic Sportster look that the Fatboy offers, as well as the dual seating arrangement so that they can take a traveling companion with them on those long hard rides. The handlebars are also set so that the operator can comfortably reach the throttle, brake, and clutch making it safety easier to maintain. The foot pegs are also in an optimal position to reach the foot brake and the shift pedal. This bike is popular with most softail riders and these riders will more than likely be the family man.

Bobber Softail Motorcycle

The Bobber softail motorcycle that is manufactured by Harley Davidson hearkens back to the classic motorcycles of yesteryear. The two most common looks for the Bobber softail are the old school chopper look and the early years racing style bikes that Harley put out in the 1930's 40's, and 50's. The true definition of the word Bobber with regard to motorcycles means that anything that has nothing to do with speed and acceleration is eliminated from the motorcycle. However, the truth is that Bobbers and choppers are not really the same thing at all. A true bobber does not have things like turn signals, saddlebags, buddy seats, or even any fenders. Most purists will be the ones to own the Bobber.

Rocker Softail Motorcycle

Included in this lineup, is the venerable Rocker Harley Davidson softail motorcycle. Harley Davidson attempted to mass-produce a bike that would be considered a custom motorcycle. However, one has to ask the question can a factory production bike be considered a custom bike? Not likely, but Harley did make a nice effort at making the Rocker look a little more edgy and uniquely stylish. A truly customized softail will reflect the rider's individual taste exclusively and this cannot be mass-produced. Your typical Rocker rider will almost certainly be the most individualistic character of all of the softail riders and their bikes will reflect that.

Heritage, Convertible and Cross Bones Softail Motorcycles

The Heritage, Convertivle and Cross Bones  softail motorcycles each have their own charm. Check out our reports on each of them and see why one of these softails might be on your short list for your next (or first) Harley-Davidson.

Be sure to check out the Articles section of our site for some great articles on the Softail and Harley's in general. Also, please step on over to our store (we could use the $$). But mostly, thanks for visting my blog on softail motorcycles!