Harley Davidson Softail Slim Vs. Harley Davidson Softail Sport Glide

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim and the Harley Davidson Softail Sport Glide share similar features, including the Milwaukee-Eight® 107 V-Twin engine, a fuel tank capacity of 5 gal, and fuel tank-mounted gauges. Being Softails, both motorcycles have rear monoshock suspension hidden under the seats. However, the Harley Softail Slim and the Harley Softail Sport Glide are designed for different purposes.

The Harley Softail Slim is an ideal cruiser with comfortable ergonomics. It is a versatile motorbike used for daily commutes, riding through traffic, cruising on highways, and touring. The Harley Softail Slim is popular among Harley fans due to its vintage aesthetic appeal. It has a simple design that is attractive to many custom builders. The ABS is an optional feature that costs $795 to be added.

Meanwhile, the Harley Softail Sport Glide is a custom cruiser designed with better touring performance and comes with stock saddlebags and a nose fairing. The Harley Davidson Softail Sport Glide comes with an ABS as a standard feature and a fat rear tire for better touring performance. The Harley Softail Sport Glide is also slightly bigger and bulkier in size than the Harley Softail Slim.

Despite having a simple design, the Harley Davidson Softail Slim is one of the most stylish bobber-style cruisers in the Harley Davidson lineup. The Harley Softail Slim comes with both chrome and blacked-out parts. The comfortable solo rider seat, fat tires, beefier front forks, and bobber-style fenders give it its bobber look. The Harley Softail Slim is available in four attractive vintage color schemes.

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim has dual separate chrome mufflers and a round headlight. The chrome side mirrors and front turn signals are attached to the low-mounted, swept-back handlebars. The gauges are mounted on the teardrop-shaped fuel tank. The Harley Softail Slim also comes with rider floorboards to ensure a comfortable riding experience.

The Harley Davidson Softail Sport Glide also has a teardrop-shaped fuel tank with gauges mounted on it. It comes with a comfortable two-piece saddle able to fit the rider and passenger. The Harley Softail Sport Glide has a round headlamp covered by a wide nose fairing with a small windscreen. It has wide, low-mounted, and swept-back handlebars with blacked-out side mirrors and front turn signals mounted on it. A small LED tail light, rear turn signals, and license plate bracket are mounted on the rear fender.

The Harley Davidson Softail Sport Glide comes with stock saddlebags to carry luggage. If you want to use the Harley Softail Sport Glide for short rides and city travel, the nose fairing and saddlebags can be easily removed to give it a stripped-down cruiser style.

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim is fitted with a 1,753 cc air-cooled, Milwaukee-Eight® 107, V-twin engine capable of a torque of 149.16 Nm at 3,000 rpm. The Harley Softail Slim has all-round performance when it comes to touring or riding through traffic. The Harley Softail Slim’s engine provides smooth power delivery at all gear levels. It comes with a six-speed transmission that connects to the rear wheel via a belt drive.

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim is fitted with dual counterbalancers that reduce engine vibrations. The previous Harley Softail Slim models were fitted with rubber-mounted engines which were ineffective in reducing engine vibrations. If you are not looking for a two-up ride, the Harley Softail Slim provides enough power to cruise comfortably at highway speeds. It handles and accelerates well due to its low wet weight, low seat height, and low center of gravity,

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim is good for daily commutes and riding through traffic due to its reliable braking and low overall weight. However, it has a slightly heavier front end which makes steering difficult for beginners.

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim’s engine is equipped with an Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI) which ensures a fuel economy of 47 mpg.

The Harley Davidson Softail Sport Glide also comes with a 1,753 cc air-cooled, Milwaukee-Eight® 107, V-Twin engine capable of a torque of 146.45 Nm at 2,750 rpm. It also has a six-speed gearbox that powers the rear wheel via a belt drive. If you are looking for a touring motorcycle capable of two-up riding and carrying luggage, then the Harley Softail Sport Glide is the better option.

The term Glide was first used in 1950 when the Harley Davidson Hydra Glide was introduced. The Harley Hydra Glide came with a hydraulically damped fork which replaced the undamped leading-link springer front forks. The Harley Sport Glide can be easily converted into a comfortable cruiser by removing the nose fairing and saddlebags, transforming it into a two-in-one motorbike. However, the Harley Softail Sport Glide is not an ideal tourer motorbike because the stock fairing hardly blocks the wind.

The Harley Davidson Softail Sport Glide comes with a 43 mm inverted cartridge fork with a triple-rate spring towards the front and an adjustable spring preload adjustable monoshock towards the rear. The front suspension provides a wheel travel of 5.1 inches and the rear suspension provides a wheel travel of 3.4 inches, adequate for cruising on highways and light touring.

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim has comfortable cruiser ergonomics. It has a comfortable solo rider seat with a low seat height of 25.5 inches. The foot controls are positioned forward and the swept-back handlebars have low risers that ensure an upright and relaxed riding position. The Harley Softail Slim has a low overall height and low center of gravity which improves handling. The Harley Softail Slim provides a comfortable riding experience on both long and short rides. To enhance the level of comfort, the Harley Softail Slim also comes with rider floorboards.

The Harley Davidson Softail Sport Glide is also a versatile motorbike with characteristics of both tourers and cruisers. It has comfortable riding ergonomics due to its wide foot controls being positioned forward. The wider foot controls ensure you do not get burned by the excess heat emanating from the Milwaukee-Eight® 107 engine. The Harley Softail Sport Glide also has a low seat height of 25.7 inches. The low-mounted, swept-back, wide handlebars, low seat height, and comfortable feet position ensure a relaxed riding position.

The Harley Davidson Softail Sport Glide and the Harley Davidson Softail Slim are ideal for average and even taller riders due to their wide handlebars and comfortable legroom.

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim and the Harley Davidson Softail Sport Glide are versatile, agile, and easy to handle. Both motorcycles have comfortable riding ergonomics and enough legroom for even taller riders. The Harley Softail Sport Glide comes with a stock fairing and saddlebags. Meanwhile, the Harley Softail Slim can be transformed into an ideal tourer by installing a windshield, sissy bar, and saddlebags.

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim is not ideal for two-up riding. Meanwhile, the Harley Davidson Softail Sport Glide provides enough horsepower and torque for two-up riding on long-distance rides. The Harley Softail Sport Glide is the more expensive option between the two but the ABS comes as a standard feature.

If you have prior motorcycle riding experience, then the Harley Davidson Softail Slim is a perfect choice. It produces enough torque and horsepower that make it suitable as your first motorcycle. The Harley Softail Slim is nimble, versatile, and has quick acceleration. It can be used for light touring, cruising, and fast rides due to its quick throttle response. However, if you do not have even basic riding skills, the Harley Softail Slim’s 1,753 cc Milwaukee-Eight® 107 engine can be too big for you. Ideally, a beginner should start with a 125-500 cc motorbike.

The Harley Davidson Softail was introduced in 1981, being built with a rear monoshock suspension hidden under the seat. Being older models, the Harley Davidson Dynas were fitted with rubber-mounted engines, and their rear shock absorbers were placed on the exterior.

The Harley Davidson Softails replaced the rubber-mounted technology with counterbalancers that were more effective in reducing engine vibrations. However, the Harley Davidson Dynas were better for two-up riding and more balanced than the Harley Davidson Softails due to having better cornering and steering capabilities.

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim is an easy-to-ride motorbike due to its low weight, low seat height, low center of gravity, and relaxed riding position. The Harley Davidson Softail Slim is a popular motorbike among both men and women alike. The Harley Softail Slim is nimble and can be easily handled by women riders.

Both the Harley Davidson Softail Slim and the Harley Davidson Softail Sport Glide come with a Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine that produces almost identical torque and horsepower. Both motorcycles are nimble, easy to handle, and have quicker throttle response which makes them suited for all kinds of riders. Both motorcycles have good touring ability but the Harley Softail Sport Glide comes with stock nose fairing and saddlebags making it an ideal touring bike. The Softail Sport Glide is also good for two-up riding. Meanwhile, the Harley Softail Slim can become a good light touring motorbike, if equipped with a large windscreen and saddlebags. The Harley Softail Slim’s low seat height, low overall weight, and low center of gravity make it better suited for beginners as well.

Photo Credit: @cycleworld , @thunderbike