2016 Harley-Davidson Softail® Deluxe

Authentic Styling

• Stretched Old-School Fenders: These vintage, full fenders do a lot more than keep the mud off your neck. They give your Deluxe its distinctive Softail® lines and cruising profile. You get tasty chrome front and back fender tips, tapered chrome struts in back and a big canvas for custom paint. And plenty of room to personalize further with your own custom rails, skirts and tips.
• Whitewall Tires: One of the defining styling features of the Softail Deluxe model is the nostalgic wide whitewall tires with premium laced wheels. A nod to the ‘50s boulevard look, these fat rubber rollers are just the right throwback detail from Harley-Davidson that ups the ante in any scene. Total old-school styling without sacrificing handling or performance.
• Old-School "Hardtail" Look: The Softail Deluxe model keeps it classy while bringing some fat custom style of its own. Just check out the chopsticks up front, fat front fork behind the huge, 7-inch ball headlamp. The handlebars are thick stainless steel with chrome pullback risers for easy reaching. It's old-school Softail style that's still fat and formidable up front.
• Luggage Rack: Exclusive to the Softail Deluxe model and snaking directly off the back of the passenger pillion, the simple luggage rack is the perfect marriage of form and function. It's minimal in design but extremely useful on the road; it holds your most precious small carry-alongs and adds another gleam of chrome for good measure.
• Tombstone Taillight: A vintage classic. The chrome, low profile taillight housing lays back against the fender but shines with Harley-Davidson® history. Flanked by our sleek Silver bullet turn signals, that glowing Red gravestone is the last thing they'll see as you pull away into the night.
• Tank-Mounted Console: A big, bold speedometer and odometer display, along with an ancillary display for gear and rpm, offer up the information you need on the fly.
• Hidden Rear Shocks: If you want a comfortable bike but love that rigid-suspension look, you've come to the right bike. We've kept all the modern comforts where they belong, below the surface of a rad, vintage-looking bike. You get the classic lines of a vintage "hardtail" frame with the horizontal rear shocks hidden in the guts. It's a signature rigid look, and you'll only find it on a Softail model.
• New “Hologram” Effect Tank and Fender Art: At Harley-Davidson we’ve never been accused of taking the subtle approach. So when we get a work of art like the Softail Deluxe motorcycle on our hands we’re not finished until we’ve topped it with another work of art. Take a look at the medallions on the tank and front fender and you see past and future coming together with a look that’s entirely fresh. They’re zinc die-cast with a streamlined deco design, then loaded with paint to create a “hologram” effect that’s out of this world.

Comfort

• Low Seat with Slimmed Sides: Hit the boulevard in style with this classic Softail two-up seat. At a lowdown 24.5 inches, it's among the most slammed seats you'll find. And we've added some ergos to make riding solo or duo even easier, especially for riders with a shorter inseam. "Collapsing" sides create a narrow seat profile, and the passenger seat pillion is removable. Just ditch it for stripped-back, solo riding. Or leave it on and bring your better half along for the ride.
• Pullback Handlebar: Practically begging you to reach out and grab your freedom, these bars offer confidence-inspiring easy-reach ergonomics for new riders and easy-rider comfort for road-hardened warriors, with a chrome pullback riser that gets the grip even closer and gives the front end a dynamic aerodynamic contour.
• Full-Length Rider Footboards: Your boots were made for riding, in any way you see fit. Our full-length footboards boast a tried and true design that's stood the test of time. Plenty of foot positions for your taste and comfort. Rubber vibration isolation for a comfortable ride. And heel-toe shifting for confident shifting every time. It takes a few rides, but once you've gotten used to the smooth heel-toe rhythm, you'll never give it up. The toes of your boots won't take the same beating, either.

Equipment

• California emissions: $200

Handling

• Front Brake System: The front brake system on the Softail models this year delivers a 40 percent reduction in the amount of lever force required at peak braking. The handlebar master and front cylinders have been restyled. There's a new 4-piston fixed caliper with 32 and 34 mm pistons, premium caliper piston coating to minimize initial displacement and a larger 300 mm rotor. It all adds up to more stopping power with less effort.
• Dunlop® Tires: Whether you're crossing state lines or staying within city limits, you want a confident feeling of sure contact with the road. The front end holds a premium touring tire with a three-ply polyester casing and two fiberglass belts. The back cruiser tire has an advanced tread pattern. Made from a specifically formulated compound, it delivers outstanding grip in wet or dry weather. And since they're from Dunlop, you know you're wrapping your premium rollers in quality rubber.
• New Electronic Throttle Control and Cruise Control: The minimalist styling of the Softail Deluxe motorcycle gets even cleaner with the addition of standard electronic throttle control. Take a look. There’s no cable cluttering up the handlebars. Cruise control is also included, standard. The switches are placed where you can easily dial in your speed with your left thumb. That’s all it takes to give your wrist a break and keep on hauling down the road.
• New Ergonomically Designed Hand Controls: When you've put as many miles as we have in the saddle, you get a strong feel for what’s right and wrong on a motorcycle. Even the smallest annoyances start to add up with each passing mile, and that’s especially true of the way the handlebar feels in your grip. So we worked over the hand controls with as much passion as we worked over the engine powering the Softail Deluxe motorcycle. The shapes feel good, and are angled to fall right under your thumbs. It’s just one more way each new mile feels even better than the ones that came before.

Iconic Engine

• Six-Speed Cruise Drive® Transmission: You want a ride that rumbles, not begs for mercy when you lean on it a little. The Six-Speed Cruise Drive transmission provides smooth, quiet shifting and reduces engine speed on the highway, so you get a better match between engine turnover and road speed. It's a rare ride when a bike responds like this, and a low growl goes a long way when you're opening up the road ahead.
• Pure Harley-Davidson Styling: Feast your eyes on the High Output Twin Cam 103B engine and there's no mistaking its roots. This is authentic Harley-Davidson style through and through with an attention to detail you won't find from any other motorcycle company. Black powder-coated heads and cylinders are highlighted by machined cooling fin tips and chrome rocker covers. It's a jewel machined out of metal. Pure. Dripping with power. From the classic edge of the cooling fins to the clean lines of cases and covers, the High Output Twin Cam 103B engine makes an ironclad statement about holding on to what's right and staying true to what satisfies.
• New High Output Twin Cam 103B Engine Heritage: The knowledge of what makes an engine truly move a rider runs deep at The Motor Company, and it was put to good use when we created the High Output Twin Cam 103B engine. We sweated bullets perfecting every cubic inch, pushing design and technology forward. And we did it all without compromising one bit of Harley-Davidson's unique styling. Evolved, yet carrying on the legacy of the Flathead, Knucklehead, Panhead, Shovelhead, Evolution® and Twin Cam 88™ and Twin Cam 96™ engines that came before. The performance and durability are a direct result of the untold miles logged on the V-Twin since 1909 and the proud heritage that comes from a century's worth of commitment to life on two wheels.
• New High Output Twin Cam 103B Engine Innovation: Fire up the High Output Twin Cam 103B engine and feel the low-end torque unleashed. Thanks to the lightweight piston design, delivery of the added power is more refined than ever. Then put your foot on the shifter and feel how the engine and Six-Speed Cruise Drive transmission were designed to work together. Six speeds. A strong driveline and strong internal parts. Low routine maintenance. And a low cruising rpm that couldn't feel better.
• New High Output Twin Cam 103B Engine Power: Asking riders if they’d like more power is like asking them “Would you like more beer in the pitcher?” when they've reached the end of a long day tearing up the roads. Everybody wants it, and the High Output Twin Cam 103B engine is 103 cubic inches of Harley-Davidson V-Twin you can rely on to deliver it. The airbox increases intake airflow and the cam optimizes phase and duration. The result: better low-end torque and faster 60 to 80 mph 5th gear roll-on to get you around that 18-wheeler. In other words, it gets you motivated in a hurry. In the tradition of the legendary Harley iron that came before it, the High Output Twin Cam 103B engine is once again raising the bar for the feeling an engine delivers to the rider. There’s a reason we’re called the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Once you send some fuel to this engine, you’ll have no doubt whose it is.

Technology

• Standard Anti-Lock Brakes: When it comes to the Softail Deluxe model with ABS, "stopping power" has a double meaning. The components of our ABS are tastefully stylized within the wheel hub, so you'll still turn heads with clean, streamlined design. More importantly, though, you get certainty in the saddle knowing your bike's going to behave when you need it.
• H-D® Smart Security System (Optional): The factory-installed next-generation security system features a hands-free fob that automatically arms and disarms the vehicle's electronic security functions as you approach and walk away from the bike. Stick the fob on your ignition key ring and let it do all the work. It's this attention to detail and security that make Harley-Davidson® motorcycles unique.