Daytona Blue Softail Slim is a Stunner

An unusual example of the Softail Slim sports an equally unusual — and alluring — paint job.

We’ve shared bikes from Bring A Trailer here before. Usually, the bikes auctioned on that site are old and historically important. Their auctions are well-known for their excellent photos. Those photos make for a great opportunity to give you folks a history lesson.

In this case, the motorcycle they are auctioning isn’t old, rare, or expensive, but it’s still a great bike. It’s a 2014 Softail Slim in Daytona Blue Pearl. We haven’t seen this color very often, and we’re glad it’s immortalized in these excellent photos. These are likely the nicest photos of this bike taken since the factory press shots. They wouldn’t look out of place in a Harley-Davidson coffee table book.

The Softail Slim clearly takes its inspiration from classic bobbers from the early postwar period. As a result, most of the Softail Slims we’ve seen have been painted in subdued colors — most often Harley-Davidson’s denim-fish paints. When we close our eyes and imagine a Softail Slim, we’re usually thinking of the flat olive drab WWII-inspired finish that Harley-Davidson offered.

A Bright Bobber

The bright, deep metalflake pearl paint seen here might be a bit anachronistic given the bike’s 1940s roots. However, we’re not complaining. It looks simply gorgeous. After all, the best part of any custom bike is that you can build anything you want. Why should we begrudge Harley-Davidson from doing the same, right from the factory?

The unique style of this bike will stick with us for a long time after the auction ends. We love Softails here at H-D Forums, and we have a particular affection for the FLS Softail Slim. It’s long and low, yet light and nimble (at least by Softail standards).

When we eventually begin our search for a Softail of our own, we will definitely put this on our short list of desired colors. With just 1800 apparently careful miles on the odometer, this one would be about perfect. From the photos, it looks brand new — and these are some great photos!

Photos: Bring A Trailer

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Cameron Vanderhorst

Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.

He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.

In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.

You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.

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