VOL. 54 ISSUE 39 OCTOBER 3, 2017 P97
but a good sampling of each
machine. Since these are all
made to be changed, I'll be chim-
ing in with what I'd change about
each one to better fit my six-foot,
200-pound frame.
III STREET BOB IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
With fists in the air and feet
tucked in tight, the first new
Softail I rode made me feel like
an extra on Sons of Anarchy. It's
most non-motorcyclists' vision of
an H-D. Harley's never made a
Softail with midmount controls
before, which underscores how
different a machine this is for
them. This bike is designed to
feed your inner badass. It's a
single seat "bobber" (hence the
name), designed to be a nimble
and fun ride.
The riding position is not going
to be everybody's cup of cold
brew, but it does put you in an
"active" stance, perfect for bomb-
ing through traffic, or attacking a
back road. It's missing the cool
vintage-style tail light of previous
versions (opting for the combo
turn signals common to several
other H-Ds), but cuts basically
the same look (something you'll
be reading several times in this
article). The brief "cool-guy" seat
(that is shared with the Slim) has
me missing the great H-D seats
of just a few years ago. In gen-
eral, across the board seat quality
is reduced on the Softails. The
'Bob rocks the smaller of Harley's
two tanks, which is perfect for
the look of the bike. The clean
looking tank and bars are made
possible by an impossibly small
(but easy to read) display in the
top handlebar clamp.
As one of the lighter bikes in
the lineup, the 107-inch v-twin
felt really strong; and the new
frame, totally stable. Suspension
and braking is about what you'd
expect: totally up to the task, but
nothing extraordinary. Shifting is
deliberate, but tight and accurate,
with a clutch that won't lead to
arm-pump.
If the Street Bob was mine it
would need forward controls and
a better seat. I might be able to
adapt to the foot controls by tilt-
ing the bars forward a bit, which
would straighten out my back, but
the seat is a non-starter for me.
My tailbone was screaming in
under 50 miles. Other than that,
well suited to my moderately ag-
gressive riding style.
