The Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe Motorcycle Review

You may think you need a motorcycle like the Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe, and you’d be right. That you’ve entered into the search parameters of Google the words Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe in itself means that you are as much a motorcycle junkie as anyone, and the Harley Davidson Softail mystique has to at least some extent peaked your interest. The Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe is as good a starting point as any to begin your motorcycle dreams. Before going to a Harley dealership, know up front that the Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe is one of the motorcycles that Harley Davidson dealerships don’t keep many of in stock. You’ll be lucky if you find one on the showroom floor, and luckier still to have a choice of colors, despite the fact that the Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe is available in twelve color options this year.

Even so, the Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe is a beautiful motorcycle. In many ways, its form and lines are the inspirations of every motorcycle built today, from Japanese cruisers to American Iron. The Softail Deluxe is the spiritual bones behind the more popularly known Harley Davidson Softail Fat Boy, and shares its frame with a number of Harley Davidson Softail models, including the Road King. Other connections with the Road King include the Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe 96B engine, a twin-cam powerhouse that delivers massive torque from its 1584 cubic centimeters of fuel-injected displacement. While the Harley Davidson Softail Fat Boy is built on solid wheels ringed with .50 caliber holes, the Softail Deluxe includes the more laid-back and nostalgic wire laced wheels. As with most Harleys, the Softail Deluxe is shifted by a 6-speed transmission and driven by a belt final drive.

Unfortunately, the Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe is far from the most affordable Harley. While its base MSRP is about $17,445, be prepared for a serious dealer markup on this motorcycle. Depending on your geographical location and demand in your area, you should expect to pay as much as $21,000 for a Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe, though I wouldn’t pay more if I were you, even if some sellers ask well in excess of $25k for used examples. The Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe is also available with the 105th anniversary treatment this year, which includes special badging, commemerative paint, special air cleaner and timing cover inserts. With these added bits, the Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe makes the nicest example of the 105th anniversary treatment released by Harley Davidson motorcycles.

Just a few things might help make the Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe a bigger seller in the future: (Harley Davidson, take note!) How about bringing that price down a bit. Twenty grand for a new Softail? Can we say outrageous? Another touchy point that drives people away from Harley Davidson is the blatant “you-don’t-belong-here” attitude that Harley Davidson dealerships seem to take on. Harley Davidson should be a motorcycle that riders aspire to, and instead, riders who don’t want to learn on a ten-thousand dollar motorcycle are treated as pariahs. It just isn’t the best way to foster brand loyalty, regardless of how great looking your machines are- particularly the Softail Deluxe. Just a thought, Harley Davidson.