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Harley has a night train sized hole in the line up
Harley-Davidson has an opportunity I don’t think the current lineup fully captures.
I’ve spent time with newer Harleys, and they’re great bikes. But recently I picked up a 2007 Night Train, and it reminded me of something Harley used to do exceptionally well: building a bike that felt dark, stripped-down, and unmistakably custom right from the factory.
The Night Train had a vibe all its own:
Blacked-out without being overloaded with blackout trim
Long, low silhouette
Minimal chrome
Lean front end
A little aggressive
A little sinister
Like a factory-built outlaw custom
It didn’t feel flashy. It didn’t feel polished. It felt intentional.
Today’s lineup has excellent bikes:
Street Bob is close in spirit
Low Rider S is an absolute weapon
Breakout looks great in its lane
But none of them quite feel like the Night Train did.
The Street Bob feels nostalgic but it’s shrunk compared to the dyna version.
The Low Rider S leans towards performance.
The Breakout leans to show bikes.
The Night Train felt like Harley’s black leather jacket.
If Harley ever wanted to bring that spirit back, I think there are a lot of riders who’d notice.
My dream version would be something like:
Softail platform
Black denim / matte paint options
Blacked-out drivetrain and hardware
5 gallon tank and slim fenders
Spoked front wheel
Clean bars (mini-ape or drag bar option)
Minimal badging
No bright trim unless you choose it
Basically: a modern Harley that feels dangerous and stripped-down again.
Not retro for nostalgia’s sake.
Just a clean, dark custom from the factory with the same soul the Night Train had.
Curious if anybody else misses that bike—or thinks Harley should take another swing at it.
Things have to move forward for companies to survive.
Designs change constantly to drive sales through planned obsolescence, and a lot of people just go with the flow.
You need to step it up—you're lagging by 19 years! ??
Seriously, though, I thought the Night Train had pleasing lines.
Personally, however, I wouldn't want a vehicle painted black.
Statistics show that more black vehicles are involved in accidents than those of any other color. People simply do not see you. They look right through you, which can be deadly on a bike—or worse.
Last edited by Jackie Paper; May 28, 2026 at 05:10 AM.
Shouldn't be hard to black out an M8 Softail Standard, that's all the Night Train is. I do miss my old one at times, but I picked up the Crossbones to scratch that itch.
ThePaintPirate @ThePaintPirate What is that device setting on the hood of the white car in your signature picture?
The Nighttrain didn't just come in black.
Personally, and of course just another opinion was the Softail Standard was a prettier bike.
I put a NightTrain exhaust on my Softail Deuce to help with its lines.
The FatBoy exhaust that came on it was odd. Harley's OEM Centennial leather bags helped the rear fender line and quick release shield made stints on the interstate bearable.
Last edited by Jackie Paper; May 28, 2026 at 07:58 AM.
ThePaintPirate @ThePaintPirate What is that device setting on the hood of the white car in your signature picture?
The Nighttrain didn't just come in black.
Personally, and of course just another opinion was the Softail Standard was a prettier bike.
I put a NightTrain exhaust on my Softail Deuce to help with its lines.
The FatBoy exhaust that came on it was odd. Harley's OEM Centennial leather bags helped the rear fender line and quick release shield made stints on the interstate bearable.
I would like to see the Mothership institute a COPO style system for ordering your bike the way you want it. You could order a new bike and get it your way, not the way some committee compromised to get consensus & a one size fits some model.
In the '60's you checked the boxes of the order sheet and the "company" built the car that way, with the all the go fast options you wanted and left off the things that you didn't.
Today, this would all be electronic, no multipart paper form with carbon sheets to create copies as you fill it in.
If the Mothership could build your (insert model here) with the seat, foot pegs, handlebars, rider/passenger backrest, mufflers/exhaust, stage I/II/III/IV, tuner/tune and whatever else they have available, that would be awesome.
The feedback to the Mothership would be instant. If thousands are getting they same options installed, then that would show a potential model option for next year.
Dreaming, I know. But if we don't ask......
P.S. Who's brilliant idea was it to limit the bikes color selection based on Chrome vs Blacked out? I would want all the colors boxes available and the Blacked out & Chrome check boxes clearly shown on the form.
ThePaintPirate @ThePaintPirate What is that device setting on the hood of the white car in your signature picture?
The Nighttrain didn't just come in black.
Personally, and of course just another opinion was the Softail Standard was a prettier bike.
I put a NightTrain exhaust on my Softail Deuce to help with its lines.
The FatBoy exhaust that came on it was odd. Harley's OEM Centennial leather bags helped the rear fender line and quick release shield made stints on the interstate bearable.
I had a 2000 Standard. Never liked the blonde engine/trans. Main reason I wanted the Nighttrain. I couldn't pass up the deal on the standard though.
I've always liked the Standard as well since it represents a cheapish blank canvas. I don't mind the silver cases as long as it flows with the right color tin set. Over the winter I was about to pull the trigger on a silver standard with the blond cases since it was so cheap.
Whach you talkin bout Willis? if you really wanna be a rebel and custom from anything the factory does, in todays world that’s chrome… Stickin it to the man!
Going against the grain.. standing out in a sea of black out. Chrome is the new Zero conformity! take that Street Bobs!
Last edited by Rains2much; Jun 1, 2026 at 10:28 AM.
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Harley has a night train sized hole in the line up
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