Hey Slim owners, thanks for checking out my questions.

Here is the thing, I am debating on which softail to buy. Everyone says buy the Heritage because it comes with all the extras. However, I am a huge bobber fan and the Slim appeals big time to me. Wife doesn't ride at all so no 2 up riding just to get that out of the way. Most of my riding will be mountain, back roads, 2 lane etc. Not a huge fan either of just busting down the highway. But there may be times when I do that. So getting to the questions,
1. How do you feel about the bike after having it a while?
2. How is the suspension since it has less travel?
3. Do you go for long rides or light touring and if so how does it ride?
4. How is the handling overall?
5. How tall are you and how comfortable is it (I am 6' and 53 if it matters)?
Any thing else you can tell me how it compares to other softails?

Thanks!!

 

I bought a 2013 Slim last September after riding a Sportster for close to 5 years. Before I put the Slim away for the winter, I was able to get about 1200 miles on it, so I feel like I was able to get a good feel for the bike.

1. I love it. The bike itself and the Softail platform. Coming from a Sportster, it is like a night and day difference.

2. The ride is great. I have the rear suspension set of the softest setting (still trying to figure out how to adjust it) and I have yet to bottom out. Again, the suspension is like night and day when compared to riding the Sportster.

3. I do all kinds of riding. From bar hopping to 400 mile trips. The bike is great for city driving and on the highway going 70 mph in 6th gear, it is a dream.

4. Very stable. The weight of the bike and sitting lower helps a lot.

5. 5' 10" and 23 years old.

I can't compare the Slim to any other Softail because I've never rode on another Softail. I can compare it to a rubber-mount Sportster and Touring bikes since those are what I have rode so far. The Slim is a great bike if you want the stripped down, bobber look. If you plan on adding bags and a windshield in the future, then it might be cost effective to look at the Heritage. If you plan on keeping it stripped down and like the low, semi-blacked out look, the Slim is the way to go.

Any other questions about the Slim, feel free to ask!

 

Been riding HDs for 40 years.... The Slim is a comfortable, stable, fun bike to ride.. Its lean, no extra crap... I do find myself looking for places to strap stuff on after decades of FLs.. But not much of an issue for me.. IM 5'5" and I sit flat footed.. Ol Lady is comfy as well.. Im 54 and find it a pleasure to ride.. HAVE to ditch the stock exhaust tho...

In short, LOVE it!

 

If the Heritage were the sole answer to everyone's wants, needs, and tastes, there wouldn't be a bunch of other models to choose from. Like you, the Slim really appealed to me. I had a vision of the bike I wanted to have, and the Slim felt like the best "blank canvas" to work from. If you haven't, take a look at the Slim pics thread. A lot of people have taken the same stock bike and gone in very, very different directions with it.


I have 4 Harleys - a Road King Classic, a 1200 Sportster Custom, a Lo, and the Slim. They're all different. The Slim is what I get on way more than the others. In fairness, the Lo belongs to my wife, so I don't often get a chance to ride it...

It was alright. I upgraded the Slim and the Lo with Shotgun Shocks, and now, it's ****. Want to do the front ends on both with either Intiminators or Monotubes - still on the fence with which.

There's a reason I kept the Road King. You just aren't going to pack a week's worth of groceries on the Slim. 2 cases of beer and 2 large pizzas in the tour pack alone... yeah. Weekend trip 2-up? Bagger. Still put 90% of the miles I ride on the Slim. I'd say that my range as it's set up now is probably 300 miles. Hoping a set of apes will increase that to 400-500 miles.

I'm fortunate that I can manage to have the options I do. If I had to decide between the Slim and the RK, it'd be the Slim, for sure. People do ride 2-up and do pack up and go on their Slim. It CAN be done... with modifications to the bike. It just takes some willingness to mod your scoot to fit your desires and needs.

I ride a lot through back country roads - hilly and twisty. Excellent scoot. Runs like a scalded dog out on the superslab, too. Being so freakin' low, slow riding and stop/go through town is easy as well.

6'2, 43. I had to use some extensions to move the controls forward a couple of inches. The Shotguns made a HUGE improvement, too. Hoping that the swap to apes will change the rest of the geometry to make my riding even better. Possibly will need to change the seat (which most people, it seems, find to absolutely suck 'cause it hits your tailbone in a bad way), and I think the LePera Barebones will be the choice if I have to go there.

Different strokes for different folks. I absolutely love the ride of my wife's Lo, but the controls are too close for me. The ride on the Lo is a little smoother. The Slim is more nimble, though. I love the Heritage's ride, which I find similar to the Deluxe, too. These two feel a bit more... well... more. They aren't the stripped down, minimalistic Slim. Not a big fan of the Standard, for some reason. Some, I just can't ride at all - the Deuce, for example, just doesn't jive with me, and the Breakout I just can't stand.

Hopefully these different responses will be helpful - no substitute for a test ride, though. Hop on a couple of different ones and see for yourself.

 

Where is the "Slim pics thread" ???

Thanks

 

1) Love it. I previously had a Sportster, then a Dyna. I'm keeping this one...

2) No issues here at all. I'm around 215# and have yet to bottom out the rear.
I also just added a Shotgun so it's now even better...

3) I just cruise around here - no trips.
Some complain about the stock seat, which I find to be perfectly fine.
Of course, being geriatric and having a bad back means I'm about ready to climb off after a tankful anyway.
It's surprisingly comfortable in stock form though, IMHO. I have no plans to change out the seat.
I can definitely see a touring bike in my future for longer trips, but this one will never leave my garage - it's my daily rider.

4) It handles like a dream.
It has the lowest stock seat height in the current H-D lineup, lower even than the Sportster "Superlow".
The low center of gravity makes this an effortless ride.
If you want to rip down the highway at full throttle with your hair on fire then this is probably not the bike for you.
But if you want to spend an afternoon taking a leisurely cruise on miles of winding roads in the countryside while taking in all nature has to offer, then go for it.
This isn't a Ferrari, it's a Cadillac, convertible.

5) At 5'7" with a 30" inseam I found I was leaning a little too far forward for my liking (arms locked, bad back, etc...).
I added the standard H-D Softail Slim pullback risers (p/n 55900023) and that cured that problem 100%.
It gave me just enough reach that I can sit upright in a more relaxed riding position.
The floorboards are spoilers. ie; I'll probably never have pegs again...

Hope this helps...

 

Here ya go...
Softtail SLIM - Let's see the Pics!!!

 

Damn! Wrong thread. bit by the related thread stupid feature again.

 

I have had my FLSS for 4 years now. The bike is amazing, i have it set up to be able to go camping for weeks. With a stage 1 the bike really wakes up. After coming from sport bikes for 20 years, it still doesn't corner like i would like (i have almost ground through the bottom of my primary cover). Tires do make a big difference on this bike. I love the twisties. Im 6'1 and 44 years old. Its a really versatile bike, in my opinion the best of both worlds. Wouldn't trade it for anything.