Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe Motorcycle Reviews on Cycle Insider (14)
Avg. Rating

I purchased an extremely well maintained Harley with 10,000 miles from an individual in Texas. Looks new and rides like a dream. I paid less than dealer retail. Very smooth transaction all the way around. I hired a local motorcycle transport company in Houston (Marx Motorcycle Moving) to go to Dallas and pick it up and deliver it back to me.

I've had this bike since new and have had no problems. It still looks great. Like I said, she's my girl and I love to ride her.

I traded a 1989 883 Sportster. What a difference - smooth, can see in the mirrors, ride 300 miles and feel like I got out of a car. My feet are flat on the ground with a 28" inseam. There's plenty of power for my wife and me. The low center of gravity makes it easy to handle. Everywhere I go, people compliment the bike's looks - white/blue pearl. I get 42/52 mpg. I plan to add an oil cooler. I wish it came stock with one. I wish it had key fob security like the newer bikes. I get a lot of boot marks on the heat shields of the pipes...only complaint.

I will have one year with the Deluxe this July and so far, no problems. I put +7K on it in my first three months and would have done a lot more if I had the time. This is my first Harley and I am very impressed with the quality. I too have had a suprise or two in the corners when I scraped the boards but the bike is simply perfect at highway speeds and handles perfectly. Importantly, the brakes are terrific. I am not happy with the lack of high-end power in passing situations in the mountains (I live in BC and we ride through mountains) so I am going all the way up to a stage 3 modification this spring. I would also love another gear but Harely wants $4 K to change transmitions so I will make do with the 5 speed. This is a great bike. I will never sell it. I should not have waited so long to get a Harley.

Almost too great. The bike handles well in sun, sleet, and torrential downpours. It has been to Maryland, Virginia, North & South Carolina, West Virginia; mountains to the beaches. Bike starts everytime, slows when I need it and can get up and go. It is a daily rider, not garage jewelry, so reliability is important. Very comfortable ride whether in city traffic, country road or on the highway. Lots of chrome to keep clean and white walls are a pain to keep clean, but looks stunning when it gets a bath. No one will tell you that your bike is ugly. Only problem with this bike is clearance in the corners. Having ridden a lot of motocross & crotch-rockets, I have to remember that this is a cruiser, not a GSXR. I have torn off/rubbed off the heatshield clamps (at $1/pop and 5 minutes of work, not a big deal) and lost a guardian bell to a corner. That being said, there is nothing that will get someone's attention (whether bad or good) as a Harley coming around a corner with sparks flying and parts scraping!

I had a Sporty 883L that I really liked. It was great for around town and short distances. I have a 13 year old daughter that rides a lot of 2up with me. I intially thought about making it into a 1200. After looking at costs and the 07s coming out the 06s went on sale. I was about step up to a Road King Classic 06. I was worried that I would have trouble controlling the RK as I was tippy toe at a stand still. Not an ideal situation. And then I had to back it out of my drive. No easy task. Then my saleman informed me of the Softail Deluxe 06 that he could sell me for the same price. I sat on the Deluxe and was in love. It fit me perfectly and I have never looked back. Rides and handles great. I broke it in going to the GA State HOG Rally. Over 400 miles in a single day. Butt was fine but I was drenched. IT RAINED MOST OF THE WAY BACK. I worried the rain would short something out and I would be stranded. But she came through without as much as a stutter and is still running great. Low center of gravity makes it easy to corner and control. Backing is a breeze. By the way, I am 63 years young and love the thrill of the open road.

I was sold on this bike`s beauty and it`s riding height. It was low, which is ideal for a short guy like me. I originally wanted a night Train but it was not practcal without about a thousand dollars for adjustments before I could drive it away. I am completely satisfied with this bike. The only drawbacks I found were mechanical. The bike stalls easilly especially cold. Nothing new there. It gasps often which I did find new. Other than that, I did not like the way it shifted. There was always a heavy slap. Rarely a smooth upshift. Nuetral was often hard to find. Bonus, the new 6 speed is a perfect mate for this bike.

We recently bought this bike for my wife who has only been riding for a few months. At first I was a little nervous about buying such a pricey bike for a newbie, but after riding it myself all my worries were gone! This bike is by far the most pleasant bike I have ever riddin and I do have over 10 years under me. I curently have a Road King classic and it is no match in the ease factor department. My wife loves it and handles it better than the 750 Honda of her brothers that she had been riding! No regrets at all.

They need to rename this bike the "Super Deluxe" because it is in every way. Super easy to ride, shift, clutch is very easy to pull. Comfort is great for the rider, passenger will welcome the Sundowner seat available now from Harley for long trips. We bought the larger pillion, removable backrest, windshield (lower version) which turned out to be not effective at over 60 MPH. The turbulance is so bad you can't read the road signs. Other than that little glitch, with over 40 years riding under my chubby belt....this is the most fun I've ever had riding anything!

I owned a cbr 600 f2 in 94, and have not ridden since 96, so when I went to the dealer to pick up my deluxe I was very nervous. This bike is about twice as heavy as my cbr was and I have not ridden in about ten years. The salesmen at the dealer pushed the bike out into the parking lot, but it was not pointing towards the street as I hoped. I was nervous of trying to turn this heavy bike, if it was pointing towards the street, it would have been a straight shot back to my house, but as soon as I let the clutch out and the bike started into the turn towards the street all of my worries went away. This bike is so easy to ride it is unbelievable; I think it is easier than my 400 pound cbr was. The seating position and the floor boards make you feel like you are driving a lounge chair around. It is like a Cadillac on two wheels. Just point it in the right direction and let it go, I feel very confident in the corners as well as the straights. The engine is not high revving like my cbr was, but the torque makes up for that. I have installed a detachable windshield, a chrome lower belt guard and a chrome voltage regulator cover.

I have owned this bike for a while and it gets a lot of looks. Last year I installed a windshield, pipes. Just recently put bags on. The only draw back is the seat (not very good over long trips.) Holds value quite well. No problems with reliability of performance.

This is by far the most asthetically pleasing motorcycle I have ever owned. It turns heads wherever I go. The engine is pure american V-Twin with the classic Harley throb. It's smooth and the power comes on smoothly throughout the powerband. This bike is a pure cruiser, made for what I do, just cruise around. The bike also rides "small". May be the seat height, but it's just so easy to ride. I've added bags, passenger backrest, a larger passenger pillion, and crash bars. The quality is outstanding. Real steel, and a pure motorcycle. Would I like more power? Yes. Does the bike fulfill my needs? Yes. I love the retro look, and I think I'll be keeping it a long time.

I just bought my second bike, first being a V Star 1100. When I walked into the HD store, ONLY 1 Harley jumped out and made me weak in the knees...the black cherry softail deluxe! I bought it instantly and had no regrets selling my V Star..it was a 2006 model too...impulse buy! :) I am a female and this bike handles like a dream and sounds awesome. It is the lowest sitting Harley out and handles beautifully. I had the dealership put on Cycle Shack slip-ons the day I bought it and they are AWESOME..and not too harsh on the pocketbook. This bike will be with me for MANY years to come!!!!!! P.S. The whitewalls give it that true nostalgic look...a memorable classic!!

Not a whole load of miles on the deluxe yet but 2500 smiles at least. Great riding position for a short arse like me, grunty, handles well, stays on line even in the worst bumps although the floorboards tend to hit down too early. Really well built, smooth lines and a front end that just looks good from any angle. Riders seat is fantastic, pillion hmmm!! as usual if your chick has no butt or feelings it's cool. I bought the black and white version which looks like a "buster keaton" cop bike and I love it. Stay uprite from one happy dude.