When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I love the improvements they have made to make Harley's a more modern bike, to compete with the competition, but I will say I bought a Harley for its lack of sophistication. I think our 16's, and 17's, mark the last of the old school looking, simple tech Harley's. This especially works great with the Army theme.
I agree with both assessments. Coming from a Dyna in the past, I get the disappointment with the elimination of the Dyna, but the monoshock will prove to be a much better suspension and frame relationship than either the previous Softail or Dyna models. The M8 has a lot of aftermarket potential too. Lets face it, the TC motor, as a factory motor, has reached its peak in emissions control.
That said, our 110" S motors are a really well developed product and the bikes themselves are the pinnacle of the TC-based design.
Keep repeating that to yourself and all should be good.
I am doing the same
Wachuko, I don't have one second of buyer envy for the 2018 Softails. My first HD was a new 2007 FXSTC and I still regret letting that go. I seriously considered buying a 2007-2010 FXSTC and rebuilding to my spec's. But after looking at the new Softail S line, I decided to go with the Retro look of the Slim S. I was just lucky that the dealers started dealing on the Softails when I decided to buy, because I would have paid MSRP to get what I wanted. This bike has the look I want, the sound I want, the motor I want and I got it at a decently discounted price. IMO...it does not get any better than that
I don't just "Have what I want", I "Want what I have"
This will be the last motorcycle I buy (62 years old) and IMO these S series bikes will be classics at some point in time. I will give this bike to one of my grandsons at some point in the future.
I am a very happy camper with my purchase decision...Life is Good
I just bought my first Harley, naturally a 2017 Softail Slim S FLSS, since I was in the Army. I was wounded in Iraq in 2003 and I don't have use of my right thumb. Therefore I can't use the right turn signal on my bike. I wrote a letter to HD but didn't hear anything back and every dealership can't seem to find an answer. Is there a way to have both turn signal switches on the left side, without compromising the beauty of the bike? Has anyone done this before? How much would it cost. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
I just bought my first Harley, naturally a 2017 Softail Slim S FLSS, since I was in the Army. I was wounded in Iraq in 2003 and I don't have use of my right thumb. Therefore I can't use the right turn signal on my bike. I wrote a letter to HD but didn't hear anything back and every dealership can't seem to find an answer. Is there a way to have both turn signal switches on the left side, without compromising the beauty of the bike? Has anyone done this before? How much would it cost. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hey man, first off, thank you for serving. Old 1st cav trooper here..
Anyways, I think your answer is going to be an additional switch on the backside of the switch housing that you can trip with your index finger and wire it in with the factory switch, might be tough or impossible to do under certain circumstances. This will take a fair amount of skill, and some research. Honestly, I would just say **** it and use hand signals if it was me.
edit: sitting here stewing over your problem, and I thought of a solution. Its going to take some work of course. So, on your lefthand switch cluster, the tripometer display/reset button is also momentary. If you switch the wire for that, with the wire for your right turn signal, their functions would exchange. You could do this down near the tank and not even have to remove the bars or switches. Now, this is a canbus system, so it cant be a sloppy splice or youre asking for problems. People will tell you that you can’t splice canbus wires, but thats bullshit. I’m sure someone here has the electrical maintenance manual and can identify the wires from the diagram for you. It would behoove you to seek out an experienced tech to help you do this..
edit #2: You dont need to splice, you can switch the pins in the connector! This is also tricky, and takes special tools, but no splices.
Thanks for the reply. I think finding a custom shop is a good first start. But I am going to show your description in the first post the parts guy at my local HD shop, to see if what they can come up with. I might give the extenders a try in the mean time just to see if they are easier to push around. I'll let you know what I find out!
Thanks for the reply. I think finding a custom shop is a good first start. But I am going to show your description in the first post the parts guy at my local HD shop, to see if what they can come up with. I might give the extenders a try in the mean time just to see if they are easier to push around. I'll let you know what I find out!
See if you can have Japanese style turnsignal switch retrofitted into your left switch spot. A custom car audio shop might be the best place for something like that.
Got my 2017 Slim S dyno tuned yesterday by Ed at The Dyno Difference. I have D&D Low cat 2-1 exhaust and the Kury Mach 2 AC
Final tune is 95.3 HP @ 5100 RPM and 113.7 TQ @ 3772 RPM
100 LB's of TQ from about 2250 RPM to to 5000 RPM
110 LB's of TQ from about 2750 RPM to 4300 RPM
From 2500 RPM to 5500 RPM the TQ averages 106.76 LB's
I absolutely love the way this thing pulls from Idle to about 5000 RPM. Spinning a HD with the 255 cams much past 5K RPM is just unnecessary wear and tear on your motor.
Got my 2017 Slim S dyno tuned yesterday by Ed at The Dyno Difference. I have D&D Low cat 2-1 exhaust and the Kury Mach 2 AC
Final tune is 95.3 HP @ 5100 RPM and 113.7 TQ @ 3772 RPM
100 LB's of TQ from about 2250 RPM to to 5000 RPM
110 LB's of TQ from about 2750 RPM to 4300 RPM
From 2500 RPM to 5500 RPM the TQ averages 106.76 LB's
I absolutely love the way this thing pulls from Idle to about 5000 RPM. Spinning a HD with the 255 cams much past 5K RPM is just unnecessary wear and tear on your motor.
This engine moves this bike along just right. Just came back from a 4000km trip, with full luggage and never once wondered why my bike seemed too slow.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
