Harley Davidson Softail Slim Vs. Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob 114

Table of Content

1. Harley Softail Slim Vs. Harley Softail Street Bob 114

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim and the Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob 114 have unique styles and different purposes. Both motorcycles have a few similarities, including a V-Twin engine, separate dual mufflers, a chopped rear fender with a small tail light, and rear turn signals mounted to it. Both motorcycles also come with a tuck and roll rider seat, but the Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob 114 also has a separate passenger seat attached to the rear fender.

The Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob 114’s most unique features are its high-mounted handlebars and a longer trail of 6.2 inches that give it a chopper look. The Harley Softail Street Bob 114 has an innovative design but still carries the classic Harley Davidson attitude. Meanwhile, the Harley Davidson Softail Slim is a simple yet stylish Harley Davidson cruiser. It is also a versatile motorbike that can be used for touring, cruising on highways, and riding through traffic. This article provides a detailed comparison between the Harley Davidson Softail Slim and the Harley Davidson Street Bob 114.

2. Detailed Specs Comparison: Harley Softail Slim Vs. Harley Softail Street Bob 114

2021 Harley Davidson Softail Slim		2022 Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob 114
Identification
Harley Davidson	Maker	Harley Davidson
Softail	Series	Softail
Slim	Model	Street Bob 114
2021	Year Model	2022
Cruiser	Motorcycle Type	Cruiser
$15,999	Base Price	$15,349
Engine and Performance
107 cu in (1,753 cc)	Displacement	114 cu in (1,868 cc)
Milwaukee-Eight® 107, V-Twin	Engine Design and Type	Milwaukee-Eight® 114, V-Twin
Air-Cooled	Cooling System	Air- and Oil-Cooled
Two	No. of Cylinders	Two
Four	Valves Per Cylinder	Two
92.5 hp	Horsepower	94 hp at 4,750 rpm
149.16 Nm at 3,000 rpm	Torque	161.34 Nm at 3,000 rpm
4.37 in	Stroke	4.5 in
3.94 in	Bore	4.02 in
Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)	Fuel Injection System	Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
10:1	Compression Ratio	10.5:1
Six-Speed	Transmission	Six-Speed
Belt	Final Drive	Belt
Mechanical, 10 Plate Wet, Assist & Conventional	Clutch	Mechanical, 10 Plate Wet, Assist & Conventional
47 mpg	Fuel Economy	47 mpg
Catalyst in Mufflers	Muffler	Catalyst in Mufflers
Two-Into-Two Shotgun Exhaust	Exhaust	Two-Into-Two Offset Shotgun Exhaust
Optional	ABS	Optional
Mild Steel, Tubular Frame	Frame	Mild Steel, Tubular Frame
Electric	Starter	Electric
Dimensions and Weight
5.8 in	Trail	6.2 in
30°	Rake	30°
5 gal	Fuel Tank Capacity	3.5 gal
4.7 in	Ground Clearance	4.9 in
38.2 in	Width	34.1 in
43.1 in	Height	45.7 in
90.9 in	Length	91.3 in
25.5 in	Seat Height	25.8 in
64.2 in	Wheelbase	64.2 in
304.36 kg	Wet Weight	297.1 kg
291.2 kg	Dry Weight	286.2 kg
27.4°	Lean Angle (Right)	28.5°
27.4°	Lean Angle (Left)	28.5°

3. Design: Harley Softail Slim Vs. Harley Softail Street Bob 114

3.1 Design: Harley Softail Slim

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim has an ideal cruiser design. It is simple and comfortable for all riders due to its low seat height, low center of gravity, and low wet weight. The Harley Softail Slim has a heavier front fork, round headlamp, bobber-style front and rear fenders, separate dual chrome mufflers, and fat tires. It comes with a solo rider seat and rider floorboards that improve comfort. The side mirrors and front turn signals are attached to the swept-back, low-mounted handlebars. The Harley Softail Slim’s gauges are mounted on a teardrop-shaped fuel tank. The Harley Softail Slim’s simple design is suitable for customization. It comes in two single-tone and two dual-tone vintage color schemes. The Harley Softail Slim’s hidden rear suspension, high-spoked wheels, tuck and roll rider seat, and chopped fenders give it a classic look.

3.2 Design: Harley Softail Street Bob 114

The Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob 114 has a unique and innovative design. Most of its parts are blacked-out, including the engine, separate dual mufflers, wheels, and handlebars. The Harley Softail Street Bob 114 has the same solo tuck and roll rider seat as the Harley Softail Slim, but it also comes with a separate passenger seat attached to the rear fender for two-up riding. It has a small front fender and a chopped rear fender with a small LED tail light and turn signals mounted.

The Harley Softail Street Bob 114 has tall handlebars and a trail of 6.2 inches, giving it a chopper look. The blacked-out side mirrors, front turn signals, and a small LCD display meter are mounted on the handlebars. The Harley Softail Street Bob 114 comes in four unique color schemes with a classic Number One graphic on the peanut-shaped fuel tank.

4. Engine and Performance: Softail Slim Vs Softail Street Bob 114

4.1 Engine and Performance: Harley Softail Slim

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim is powered by a 1,753 cc air-cooled, Milwaukee-Eight® 107, V-Twin engine capable of a horsepower of 92.5 hp and a torque of 149.16 Nm at 3,000 rpm. The Harley Softail Slim’s engine provides smooth power delivery at all gear levels and is fitted with dual counterbalancers that reduce the engine’s vibrations.

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim is ideal for daily commutes, cruising on highways, and light touring due to its low seat height, low center of gravity, better handling, and comfortable ergonomics. However, it does provide enough horsepower and torque for two-up riding. The Harley Softail Slim’s heavier front fork makes steering a little tough for beginners.

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim’s Showa 49 mm front fork with a dual bending valve, hidden spring preload adjustable rear monoshock, and high-profile Dunlop tires ensure better damping rates and stability. The front suspension provides wheel travel of 5.1 inches and the rear suspension provides wheel travel of 3.4 inches.

Though the ABS is an optional feature, the Harley Davidson Softail Slim’s 300 mm front disk brake with a four-piston fixed caliper and its 292 mm rear disc brake with a two-piston floating caliper still ensure reliable braking.

4.2 Engine and Performance: Harley Softail Street Bob 114

The Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob 114 is fitted with a 1,868 cc, Milwaukee-Eight® 107, V-Twin engine capable of a torque of 161.34 Nm at 3,000 rpm and a horsepower of 94 hp at 4,750 rpm. Also, it has oil lines integrated with the air-cooled system that help effectively maintain the engine’s temperature. It is also equipped with a rear cylinder deactivation system to keep the engine’s temperature low while performing stop-and-go maneuvers.

The Harley Softail Street Bob 114 is a fast motorbike with good acceleration at all gear levels due to its lightweight and slim design. Though it shows a good throttle response and faster acceleration, it can only attain a top speed of 110 mph.

The Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob 114’s 49 mm dual-bending valve with triple clamps towards the front and a 43 mm coil-over monoshock with cam-style preload adjustment towards the rear makes it quite maneuverable. The front suspension provides a wheel travel of 5.1 inches, while the rear suspension provides a wheel travel of 3.4 inches, making the Harley Softail Street Bob 114 easy to handle.

The Harley Softail Street Bob 114 has a 300 mm front disc brake with a four-piston caliper and a 292 mm rear disc with a two-piston caliper, along with an optional ABS to ensure reliable braking.

5. Comfort and Ergonomics: Softail Slim Vs. Softail Street Bob 114

5.1 Comfort and Ergonomics: Harley Softail Slim

Photo Credit: @cycleworld

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim is one of the most comfortable cruisers in the Harley Davidson lineup. It is not designed with heavy parts and gadgets, ensuring that its overall weight remains low. Despite being simple and lightweight, the Harley Softail Slim is a stylish cruiser. The low-mounted, swept-back handlebars are within comfortable reach of the rider, plus the forward-mounted foot controls along with the floorboards ensure adequate legroom for even taller riders.

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim’s low seat height of 25.5 inches ensures a relaxed riding position, making it comfortable to ride on both short and long trips. The Harley Softail Slim can be transformed into an ideal tourer by installing a few aftermarket parts, including a large windscreen, handlebars, sissy bars, and saddlebags.

5.2 Comfort and Ergonomics: Harley Softail Street Bob 114

Photo Credit: @motorcyclenews

The Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob 114 has a unique cruiser design with wide, tall handlebars and mid-mounted foot controls. The handlebars are slightly swept back, putting the rider in a forward riding position. The Harley Softail Street Bob 114’s overall ergonomics are not comfortable on long rides.

The Harley Softail Street Bob 114 is not suited for taller riders as they are required to bend their knees more while riding. The Harley Softail Street Bob 114 is suitable for two-up riding and quick rides over short distances due to its powerful engine.

6. Technology and Features: Harley Softail Slim Vs. Harley Softail Street Bob 114

2021 Harley Davidson Softail Slim		2022 Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob 114
Technology and Features
Fuel Tank-Mounted	Gauges	Handlebar-Mounted
Optional ($795)	ABS	Optional ($819)
✓	Speedometer	✓
✓	Tachometer	✓
✓	Fuel Level	✓
✓	Tripmeter	✓
✓	Clock	✓
✓	Odometer	✓
✓	Gear Level	✓

7. Pros and Cons: Harley Softail Slim Vs. Harley Softail Street Bob 114

7.1 Pros and Cons: Harley Softail Slim

Harley Davidson Softail Slim Pros	Harley Davidson Softail Slim Cons
Comfortable cruiser ergonomics	Lower ground clearance
Forward-mounted foot controls with floorboards	Not good for two-up riding
Low seat height	No storage capacity and windscreen
Low center of gravity	Smaller lean angles
Good for touring	ABS is not standard
Good for city travel
Good handling

7.2 Pros and Cons: Harley Softail Street Bob 114

Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob 114 Pros	Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob 114 Cons
Better lean angles	Uncomfortable rider and passenger seat
Lightweight	Low fuel tank capacity
Agile	ABS is not standard
Responsive	Slightly forward riding position
Better ground clearance
Nimble

8. Colors and Cost: Harley Softail Slim Vs. Harley Softail Street Bob 114

9. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

9.1 What Are the Difference Between the Harley Softail Street Bob 114 and the Harley Softail Slim?

Key Differences Between the Harley Davidson Softail Slim and the Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob 114
Harley Davidson Softail Slim	Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob 114
Large fuel tank capacity of 5 gal	Small fuel tank capacity of 3.5 gal
Low-mounted and sweptback handlebars	Wide and tall handlebars
No passenger seat	Comes with a passenger seat
Forward foot controls with rider floorboards	Mid-mounted foot controls
Wide and heavy front end	Narrow front end
Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine	Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine
Fuel tank-mounted gauges	Handlebar-mounted small LED display meter
Both chrome and blacked-out parts	Blacked-out parts

9.2 Is the Harley Softail Street Bob 114 a Good Beginner Motorbike?

The Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob 114 is not a good beginner motorbike because it is fitted with a 1,863 Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine. It produces a high power output and quickly accelerates. Though the Harley Softail Street Bob 114 is nimble, it has a quick throttle response that may be too much for beginner riders to handle. Ideally, a beginner should start with a 125-500 cc motorcycle.

9.3 Is the Harley Softail Slim a Good Beginner Motorbike?

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim is a good beginner motorbike if the rider has some previous riding experience. The Harley Davidson Softail Slim’s low seat height, low center of gravity, low overall weight, smooth handling, and stability make it suitable for semi-experienced beginners.

10. Which is Better?

The Harley Davidson Softail Slim and the Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob 114 are top-quality and stylish motorbikes built for high performance. Both motorcycles share a few design similarities but differ in their purposes. The Harley Softail Slim is a comfortable cruiser built for cruising, touring, and riding through traffic. It is ideal for stop-and-go maneuvers because of its adequate braking, better handling, and quick throttle response.

Meanwhile, the Harley Softail Street Bob’s innovative design makes it unique from its competitors. It also has a quick throttle response and is nimble due to its slim structure and low overall weight. The Harley Softail Street Bob is ideal for city traveling and quick yet short rides. It is slightly uncomfortable to ride on long-distance trips and tours.

The Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob can be used for light touring if equipped with a few aftermarket parts, including saddlebags, comfortable handlebars, sissy bars, and a windshield.

Photo Credit: @cycleworld , @cycleworld