now-defunct Dyna Glide) and merged
it into their less popular line (Softail).
It doesn't matter, because other than
the overall lines of the bike, and where
the shocks live, it's an all-new machine.
Versatile enough to make new versions
of those old bikes, and not require a
second frame to do it. Though every time
an H-D designer says "flexible chassis,"
a room full of sportbike guys snicker; it's
true. The new Softail is frame/chassis is
strong enough for all of the non-touring
Big Twins. In fact, maybe more "flexible"
than the other two platforms combined.
Harley's people showed us some
near-incomprehensible Venn diagrams
of the spaces in the market that the
Twin Cam Softails and Dynas occupied,
selecting for affordability, comfort,
performance, style etc. Despite their
differences, all of the models were fairly
tightly clustered around the same area
of the graph. The intent of the new Soft-
ails was to push that diagram in every
direction; one frame, with eight distinct
new models, much like the old models,
only "more."
Chose your Softail. You've got
plenty of cool choices.
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