Yes, the last time a Softail was this affordable, it was the last £10,795 88-inch Twin Cam, five-speed Softail Standard in 2006: the year before it was withdrawn, leaving the Night Train as the base model in the Softail range.
And while that’s still sinking in, remember that’s not just a price: that’s a 2006 price and equivalent to £15,750 today!
That is exceptional value in anybody’s money, even before you factor in the 107-inch, six-speed Milwaukee Eight in the new generation Softail chassis with the frame dynamics, suspension and braking improvements!
It more than makes up for it being an de-austeritied Street Bob, which should technically make it a Super Glide Standard – last seen in 2004 for £9,695, or a smidgen under 15k in today’s money.
And, you are probably asking (after is “de-austeritied” a word?) what is “a de-austeritied Street Bob”?
A Dark Custom that has seen the light!
A return to chrome. Rims, exhausts, bars, indicators etc are plated, while the aluminium fork-legs have returned to a polished brushed finish under clearcoat, and we are told that the top and bottom yokes and engine covers – rocker boxes, ‘timing’ and gearbox end cover and the primary – are polished rather than powder-coated, contrasting sharply with blacked-out cases barrels and heads.
Dynamically, though, it is a Street Bob, Just a shiny one with a tuck ‘n roll seat and offset rather than staggered shotgun pipes combining with a decal that pays tribute to the late sixties badge to visually separate the two models. I wish they’d gone a little further and fitted a bobbed FL rear mudguard, Fat Bobs tank and a console instead of the smaller tank and digital instrument in the clamp … but maybe they’re leaving the door open for a returning Night Train?
And the cost of this new Softail Standard? From £11,495 – or just £1,000 more than a 1200 Sportster Custom and £200 less than a Scout – in any colour as long as it’s Vivid Black!
Expect to see a lot of these around but don’t expect to be able to recognise them straight away: this is the blank canvas Big Twin that we’ve been missing since the ‘Standard’ Super Glides and Softails were withdrawn.