Posted on 15.01.2016 by admin

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Retro feeling on the Harley Softail Slim
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Harley-Davidson Softail Slim: 103 cubic inches correspond to 1690 cm³.

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Harley-Davidson Softail Slim: The rear and rear tires are narrow and were the inspiration for the name.

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Harley-Davidson Softail Slim: The Slash Cut silencers are probably also suitable as an alphorn replacement.

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Harley-Davidson Softail Slim: The driver crouches just 650 millimeters above the ground.

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Harley-Davidson Softail Slim: Gigantic round headlight that looks like you have just stolen it from a tractor.

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Harley-Davidson Softail Slim: Matt black is cool, but not advantageous – you can see every scratch on it. Polishing away impossible.

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Harley-Davidson Softail Slim: six-speed transmission.

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Harley-Davidson Softail Slim: Regardless of whether it is heavy rain or bull heat – you come out and awe forces you to think for a minute at the sight. Or five.

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Harley-Davidson Softail Slim: Bodo Hayen and Robert Triebe from Bike Schmiede Sud: “You want that unadulterated retro feeling? Then drive this here! “

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Harley-Davidson Softail Slim: Great driving experience and rich sound.

Test: Harley-Davidson Softail Slim

Retro feeling on the Harley Softail Slim

The world seemed fine. A 400-kilometer test drive with the Harley-Davidson Softail Slim was behind me and the end of the day was ahead of me. What a wonderful retro bike, what a great ride. But then something unpredictable happened…

It was a Tuesday, shortly after 5 p.m., and my text on the latest Harley Iron Mountains was already finished: With that S.oftail Slim, the US boys hit the bull’s eye. It doesn’t just look like it came from an old black and white film. It also conveys that feeling. The good old sense of time, when even the future was even better. At this point I don’t want to say that driving a slim alone makes you happy. But it can be addicting.

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Test: Harley-Davidson Softail Slim
Retro feeling on the Harley Softail Slim

Harley-Davidson Softail Slim: Gigantic round headlight that looks like you’ve just stolen it from a tractor.

Another plus point of the Slim: flood of information, fast lane, hectic pace – everything is forgotten when you sit on this motorcycle. Because somehow the box is the epitome of serenity and the opposite of these things. Its sparse, warty round instrument sprawling out of the tank offers anything but a flood of information, running boards that set up very early and the almost phlegmatic serenity of the 1690 cubic-thick V2 have a calming effect similar to valerian.

Why is it allowed to say that? The drives of some competitors such as Victory or Yamaha, for example, are much more powerful. And why that doesn’t matter anyway: because a time machine is not defined by horsepower madness. Harley’s latest air-cooled drive, the retail designation TwinCam 103B, is based on the V2 introduced in 2000 on Softail models, which at the time still managed with 1,449 cubic meters. His current set card now has 79 hp at 5250 rpm, 132 Nm at 3250 rpm and two vibration-reducing balance shafts. That’s wonderful. Because it is enough. For a top speed of 190 km / h. Or for appropriate acceleration from a standing start: If you want to, accelerate to 100 km / h with the Slim faster than 97 percent of all citizen cages. The engine hangs wonderfully on the gas, load change reactions are pleasantly gentle, especially thanks to the proven toothed belt drive. The most elementary, however, is the massaging pulsation of the pistons, the powerful heartbeat of the V2. It carries over to the driver. And that makes you happy.

Harley-Davidson Softail Slim: The driver crouches only 650 millimeters above the ground.

There is hardly anything to complain about. But I don’t want to withhold that: the narrow saddle soaks up the moisture when it rains and passes it on sporadically. Programmed wet pants. Finding the idle is sometimes exhausting, which may also have something to do with the redirected gear shifting. And for optical reasons, there is no double pane at the front. The 319 kilo heavy chunk requires a lot of pull on the brake lever when braking. If you overbrake anyway, you can rely on the support provided by the standard ABS. The sitting position is also a bit strenuous in the long run. Because the upper body is pulled slightly over the tank, and you can get through it against the wind
Also do not protect slightly forward footrests. But otherwise…

Everything is great, completely retro, completely timeless. That’s how it should be written. I thought. And parked in front of the Bike Schmiede Sud cafe. Harleys of all years were bustling in the parking lot. In the face of these treasures, I wondered how
a lot of retro feeling such a Softail Slim would give away in direct comparison with a scrap iron. "No problem", said Bodo Hayen, boss of the bike forge south. "Just drive."

Bodo Hayen and Robert Triebe from Bike Schmiede Sud: “You want that unadulterated retro feeling? Then drive this here! “

At 5:23 p.m. I was in the saddle of a slightly modified 1978 Hydra-Glide, which didn’t look very different from the Slim. Technically, however: Shovelhead engine, around 1200 cubic meters. Kickstarter? Sure, on board. But the electric starter was reliable. Sound. Yes exactly! The expressions of life of the 34 years older Shovelhead drive could confidently be called Sound. Mechanical, bassy, muffled. Strong character. The new Slim, on the other hand, sounded very subdued. Let’s say tied up. Unfortunately it has to due to the latest noise regulations. The Glide also sniffed wonderfully through the air filter and carburetor – a sound that is completely alien these days. Injectors are devoid of magic. And then this mechanics, which you hardly notice on a modern Evolution engine. While the components of the Shovelhead whisper to you at any time what they are doing – valves, gears, crankshafts or clutch – the modern drive looks almost like being wrapped in cotton wool. Nevertheless: This point went to the thick 103-cubic-inch drive, whose massaging pulsation simply transfers more serenity to the driver. What surprised me: The clutch actuation was smoother on the old machine, the gearshift was more precise and the lean angle was even slightly larger despite the running boards. Just the brakes ?? Well, let’s leave that. And come to the core question: How strong is the retro feeling on the Slim when you switch from a real classic?

Still outrageously high. And that’s not only due to the comparatively narrow rear tire, but above all the view that the driver enjoys. You’re just 650 millimeters above the ground, you have that boomerangy handlebar in your hand and you are constantly looking at that fat headlight that looks like it has just been unscrewed from an old tractor. There is something. This view in connection with the 319 kilos – you can’t get rid of the feeling of being able to penetrate a tank with the Slim if it suddenly slips out of a side street. Sorry leopard.

Ultimately, however, there is one point that every old Harley is envied for in addition to its aesthetic appeal: the idling of the carburettor models. That asynchronous belching, which in some cases goes down to 600 / min and actually gives the impression that these drives are literally alive. In contrast, the heartbeat of the new models seems almost Japanese.

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Harley-Davidson Softail Slim: Regardless of whether it is heavy rain or bull heat – you come out and awe forces you to wait a minute at the sight. Or five.

Retro bike Harley-Davidson Softail Slim

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Test: Harley-Davidson Softail Slim

Retro feeling on the Harley Softail Slim

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Test: Harley-Davidson Softail Slim

Retro feeling on the Harley Softail Slim

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