When Harley-Davidson announced its new Softail range, Dyna fans wept and shook their fists. Their beloved twin-shock platform was gone, with existing Dyna models absorbed into the eight-strong Softail model line-up.
It’s understandable?the Dyna was the go-to performance Harley for many riders. But if the new Softail rides better than the old Dyna, does it matter" To find out, I headed to Cataluña in the east of Spain, to sample the new range.

Rough Crafts‘ Winston Yeh rode the new bikes a few days before me. He said, ?If you think the old Dyna rides better, wait ’til you get on a new Softail?then make the judgment.?
?The bike is lighter even when pushing it,? he continues. ?The Softail is now only slightly heavier than a Sportster, but has much more power, less vibration, and less heat. I’m super excited to get my hands on one, and also to see what the custom shops all over the world will do with it.?
So how did the Motor Co. pull it off" Basically they?ve built an entirely new motorcycle?with a stiffer chassis and a better engine?and then morphed it into eight different variants. In ascending order of price, these are the Street Bob, Low Rider, Softail Slim, Fat Bob, Deluxe, Fat Boy, Heritage Classic and Breakout
The goal was to mesh all the classic appeal of the Softail with the performance aspect of the Dyna?but make it better than both in every way, with less weight, better handling and more power. It’s Harley’s larg...