2018 Harley-Davidson Softail Cruiser Lineup

1. The current lineup

Did you know, that in the womb, sharks will kill and eat their siblings? It's true, or at least that's what I've read anyway. In the motorcycle world, much like in the animal kingdom, it's a matter of survival of the fittest. Only the strongest can survive.

For the 2018 model year, Harley-Davidson has made a pretty solid advance toward its survival, by revamping the entire Softail lineup. Let's take a look at what they've done.

2. Dynas no longer

The new Softail Low Rider. Wait, what? Yep, you heard that right. The Dyna line may be gone for 2018, but there were a few of the Dyna siblings that got gobbled up by their Softail sister.

The Low Rider has been a staple of the Harley-Davidson lineup since it first showed up on the scene as an FX 41 years ago. The FX Low Rider had a great run. It was a wildly popular machine and a favorite among new riders as well as old ones. It survived four decades of variations of the FX line. Now it survives once again, this time as a Softail.

3. Surviving the cut

The Street Bob managed to survive the cut, too. Even though it has only been around since 2006, the Street Bob was an immensely popular bike, in part because it was one of the least expensive Dynas you could get. It was pretty bare-bones, but it came from the factory with mini-apes and mid controls- a recipe for fun and a great platform for customization.

Why the Street Bob made the cut is fairly obvious, but one can't help but wonder if it will have what it takes to stand out and survive as a Softail the same way it did as a Dyna.

4. The weird cousin

The Fat Bob was like the weird cousin in the Dyna line. Introduced in 2008 with it's bobbed rear fender, dual Euro-style headlights and solid disc wheels wrapped with fat rubber front and back, it was a standout in its own family. It was fun to ride, had an aggressive riding position and it felt like you were straddling a rocket.

As the weird cousin, it was a great candidate for the MoCo to bring over to the Softail line and tweak. Nobody would really question giving it a sport bike styled exhaust, an even stubbier rear fender, and a futuristic looking, rectangular, led array headlight. The oddball styling of the new Softail Fat Bob might be just the right look to attract some new customers to the H-D brand, giving it a strong foothold for survival.

5. Not so slim Slim

To say that not much changed for the Slim in '18 would be an affront to the engineers in Milwaukee. While the Slim's appearance hasn't changed much, like all of the other Softails, it is an all-new machine. It still has the BMX style bars, the scrawny fenders and the fat tires, which begs the question- what exactly is slim about the Slim? That's a question for another article, though. The Slim showcases the new frame pretty well and, if you're not into the radical design changes that came with most of the other 2018 Softail lineup, the Slim might be a good choice for you. 

6. Breaking out

Much like the Slim, the biggest changes for the Breakout are the engine and frame. Now, that's not meant to diminish those features, not at all. If you haven't ridden astride one of the new Milwaukee 8 engines yet, you really need to. Seriously, when you get done reading this article, grab your wallet and keys and head down to the nearest H-D dealer and take one on a test ride. The only regret you'll have is that you didn't do it sooner. As for the new Breakout, other than a weird, alien bug eye looking LED headlight, the styling has pretty much been maintained from the previous year. 

7. Classic throwback, modern tech

When scanning the sea of chrome and high gloss paint at the dealership or even at the local watering hole, the shapes of the shining surfaces begin to blend together. When the eyes settle on the '18 Heritage Classic, however, it quickly becomes apparent that something strangely wonderful has arrived.

There's a raw darkness to it that is unmistakable. It's not an intentionally ominous look, but rather, it is reminiscent of a bygone era. The bike looks like it could have rolled off the pages of your favorite motorcycle history book. The half-blacked out windscreen, black rims and blacked out drivetrain harkens back to a time when chrome and polish were rare and motorcycle builders focused more on function than form.

Now, that's not to say that the new Heritage isn't a good looking machine, but the lack of chrome lets the eyes settle on the beauty of its functional form without getting blinded by an overwhelming pile of shine. Like many of the new Softails, you have your choice of the standard 107 c.i. or the new 114 c.i. Milwaukee 8.

8. Fatter Boy

The changes to the 2018 Fat Boy are best described as, significant. From the huge aluminum disc wheels and fatter rubber front and back to the broad-shouldered look across the tank and fenders and that radical new LED headlight and nacelle that is straight out of a sci-fi movie, the 2018 Fat Boy is a whole new machine. Now, with that being said, it is still a Fat Boy. It still has the same personality as it's predecessors, but with a more muscular, domineering attitude. It's still a Fat Boy, just... fatter.

9. Convert-a-Glide

The new for 2018 Sport Glide is a sexy, sporty bagger...well, more or less anyway. You see, it can also easily shed the hard bags and mini-Batwing fairing for a more stripped-down boulevard cruiser look. 

But, the Sport Glide, like so many others, is not the first of its kind. The most recent "convertible" bike in the H-D lineup was in the FXD family- the Dyna Switchback. Before that, there was the Dyna Convertible. If you haven't picked up on it yet, the prior convertible bikes were primarily FX's which are now, for the time being anyway, extinct.

While this might very well be the first "official" factory convertible Softail outside of the CVO line, it is by no means the first Softail to ever have been outfitted with a wind deflector and saddlebags, far from it. What makes the Sport Glide unique though, is the overall design of it and how well it all fits together. With the gear on, it is a legitimate sport-tourer that is capable of doing any overnight trip with ease. Sans gear, it is a clean cruiser. There aren't any saddlebag guards, rails, funky looking brackets or relocated turn signal stems jutting out to remind you that you left your baggage at home. Add to that, the custom wheels, bobbed fenders and the 2-into-1 exhaust and it suddenly earns the "Sport," in Sport Glide.

10. All Harley-Davidson

The Harley-Davidson Softail lineup wouldn't be complete without the Softail Deluxe. This bike is easily one of the most iconic bikes in their entire lineup. Much like the Heritage, the Deluxe maintains the classic looks of the traditional Harley-Davidson motorcycles that we all grew up seeing. But the Deluxe is the quintessential FL cruiser. Whether parked along the sidewalk or rumbling down the highway, those big, beautiful, wide whitewall tires wrapped around those chrome laced wheels are like looking at 115 years of American motorcycling history in one single machine. It's a bike that anyone aged five to 95 can appreciate. Despite all their efforts, all other companies that have tried to copy it, just keep coming up short. That's because it has something that you just can't fake- a 115-year-old soul designed by the very founders of this beloved company and built, over and over again through the years, by countless red-blooded American blue-collar workers.

Motorcycles are truly unique vehicles. We, their riders, give them a little piece of our personalities from the time that we first turn the ignition. That's because riding a motorcycle is an intimate experience; you are one with the machine, you move with it instead of sitting inside of it. We customize them without even trying. Our hands wear out the grips against our own, unique, pressure points. The foam and leather of our seats get stretched and pressed and molded to our bodies. Even the paint and chrome gets it own unique "fingerprints" from us as they get worn from use, washing, polishing, road wear, bug strikes, rock dings and little kid scratches. 

The new Harley-Davidson Softails might have some pretty dramatic changes from the first ones introduced over 30 years ago, but one thing remains the same, these bikes represent the latest in the lineage of this company and just like those early bikes we all look back on so fondly, these new Softails are sure to be the future classics that all others are judged against.

Now, grab your wallet and keys, go ride one and experience it for yourself, the test rides are free.

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