2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard Review

If you've ever dreamed of life behind the 'bar of a Harley 'Big Twin', but thought it to be financially out of reach, the 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard is here to help. Or at least that's what the Motor Co is hoping, as it rolls out its latest model, and one that serves as the new entry point to its Softail family, and indeed the wider Big Twin range.

Available now, the 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard, or FXST in Harley speak, is priced at $21,495 ride away, which places it $1000 under its closest sibling, the Street Bob. Sure, there are numerous cheaper rides bearing the bar and shield, but they're all Sportster models (and the learner-friendly Street 500). So if you want to feel the rumble of a Milwaukee-Eight V-twin beneath you, the Softail Standard is where it all begins.

I've just spent a week aboard the Softail Standard and I can say with some surety that 'cheap' (at least relatively speaking) doesn't mean 'nasty', because while this motorcycle isn't without its foibles it still delivers on that Big Twin dream.

The 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard is presented as a 'blank canvas' upon which new owners can add lavish accessories from that hefty tome of bling, the 835-page Harley-Davidson Genuine Motor Parts & Accessories catalogue.

In fact, Harley-Davidson is releasing the model with four dedicated 'Custom Packages' of factory add-ons: Day Tripper (pillion accommodation and leather swingarm bag), Coast (quarter fairing, black Moto Bar handlebars, two-up seating and footpegs), Touring (pillion accommodation, touring screen and saddlebags) and Performance (Screamin' Eagle Stage II Torque kit plus a range of other Screamin' Eagle performance components).

Our test bike, however, came to us in stock-standard form, so we're judging the Softail Standard on its own merits. Let's take a closer look…

Like its Softail brother, the Street Bob, the Harley-Davidson Softail Standard adopts a bobber aesthetic, getting by with a bare minimum of gear. It comes with a solo seat and has a diminutive front guard (sorry – fender) pared with a reasonably short rear guard.

The rear end has an almost slammed look about it while preserving that 'faux rigid' appearance at the heart of any Softail, in this case with a preload-adjustable monoshock located underneath the solo seat, which itself lies just 680mm off the deck.

That just makes those chromed mini-ape handlebars look all the higher, the Softail Standard's clean appearance further enhanced by a neat little LCD instrument display set into the top triple clamp, with a compact bank of idiot lights set below. The digi screen small but it provides all the salient info, from fuel level, speed and gear indicator, to trip info spanning two trip meters, a clock, RPM and range to empty. Cycling through the various readouts is simply a matter of pressing the button on the left switchblock.

While the Street Bob is available in five different hues and features plenty of blacked-out components, you can have the Softail Standard in any colour provided it's Vivid Black. Unlike the Street Bob, the Softail Standard also comes with plenty of chrome and bare metal – the pipes, handlebars, cylinder heads and fork legs, to name a few – to create, I think, a neat contrast.

Lighting the way is a small LED headlight with black housing and perimeter daytime running light, while showing off the engine to full effect is a compact 3.5-gallon fuel tank (that's 13.2 litres to you or I).

But the focal point of this ride is that Milwaukee-Eight 107, both in terms of aesthetics and performance. With blacked-out barrels and a Vivid Black air cleaner cover but polished rocker, primary and timing covers, this 1746cc air/oil-cooled 45-degree V-twin dominates from any angle, the bike's long-and-low lines further accentuated by the chromed offset shotgun pipes. Okay, that's enough about how this motorcycle looks – how does the Softail Standard ride?

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If you've never ridden a late-model Harley-Davidson Big Twin, these Milwaukee-Eight engines really are superb bits of work. Even here in base-model Milwaukee-Eight 107 form (as in, 107 cubic inches), there's ample grunt to get the Softail Standard's not-insignificant 297kg wet weight motoring.

Harley doesn't like to dwell on max horsepower figures (or even state them, for that matter!), but it does claim the Softail Standard is good for 145Nm of torque, the figure chiming in at a low 3000rpm. Yep, with a low 10.0:0 compression ratio, this is an under-stressed, relaxed unit. Underlining that statement is the fact that at 100km/h in sixth gear the engine is ambling along at just 2300rpm.

Any objectionable vibration has been dialed right out of this V-twin, leaving nothing but smooth pulses of motive force. There's plenty of it, too – wind on the throttle on the highway from 100km/h and there's ample in reserve for safe, efficient overtakes.

You can run the donk right down to super-low revs with little complaint, too – there's just heaps of grunt on tap, and it's available across a really fat rev range.

I really enjoy these Milwaukee-Eight engines, but I have to say I'm less enamoured with the Softail Standard's ergonomics. Sure, a big part of the Harley experience is having 'the look', but at 188cm I'm on the taller side and I find the short distance from the seat to the mid-mount controls spells limited legroom. I had a similar issue on the new 2020 Harley-Davidson Low Rider S.

The ride position sees my back reclined slightly, and at open-road speeds that means I'm a bit of a human windsock, my forearms and hands working hard to hang on against the wind's blast. A small bikini fairing would help, as would forward controls instead of mid-mounts. In any case, these ergonomics in stock form will accommodate those of average height or below far better, and the position won't be a bother for shorter hops, especially at around-town speeds.

As for handling, the ride is on the firmer side and can be harsh over bigger bumps and dips, but by and large this Softail Standard scoots through the bends nicely, holding a line well. It's no sportsbike of course – we're talking a 30-degree rake and a long 1630mm wheelbase – but the relatively skinny Dunlop rubber helps it tip in or change line with less fuss than you might think.

There's no adjustment for the fork but the monoshock is adjustable for preload. You'll need a screwdriver to remove the solo seat for access though, then a C-spanner to adjust the shock's collar.

Ground clearance is adequate for this style of bike, if modest – no surprises there. When the frame rails touch down on the right-hand side, or the sidestand plate on the left, she ain't going round that bend any harder…

The gearbox works well though – it has a heavy action, as you'd expect of a Big Twin, but swaps cogs well enough – and the clutch is similar: it's heavy enough to remind you of the Milwaukee Iron beneath you, but not so heavy as to be a, err, handful in heavy traffic.

And that single-disc front brake is more powerful than I expected. It's a four-piston caliper and backing its power is a reasonable dollop of initial bite. Combined with the rear two-piston anchor, the Softail Standard hauls up well, and it's all backed by ABS.

The mirrors give a good and largely clear, blur-free view to the rear and the self-cancelling indicators work well.

As for gripes, the fuel cap is neither hinged nor lockable, while the bike's range is quite limited. I achieved an average fuel figure of 5.8lt/100km, which equates with a safe range of 200km. Think more city and bar hopping than interstate runs, unless you don't mind frequent stops at servos.

Whether you look on the 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard as the proverbial blank canvas for future customisation or simply a keenly priced entry point to Harley's Big Twin brotherhood, this bike is underpinned by a rock-solid mechanical foundation.

This isn't just some no-frills parts-bin motorcycle – it's a Big Twin in its own right. And if the style hits the mark, and the ergonomics don't miss, the Harley-Davidson Softail Standard serves up a solid slice of the Motor Co legend at a nice price.

ENGINE
Type: Air/oil-cooled, SOHC, four-stroke, four-valves-per-cylinder, 45-degree, Milwaukee-Eight 107 V-twin
Capacity: 1746cc
Bore x stroke: 100mm x 111mm
Compression ratio: 10.0:1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: N/A
Claimed maximum torque: 145Nm at 3000rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed
Clutch: Wet, multi-plate
Final drive: Belt

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame type: Tubular steel
Front suspension: 43mm conventional fork, non-adjustable
Rear suspension: Monoshock, adjustable for preload
Front brakes: Single 300mm disc with four-piston caliper, ABS equipped
Rear brake: 292mm disc with twin-piston caliper, ABS equipped
Wheels: Spoked alloy – 19-inch front, 16-inch rear
Tyres: Dunlop D410; front 110/90B19, rear 150/80B16

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed kerb weight: 297kg
Seat height: 680mm
Wheelbase: 1630mm
Rake: 30 degrees
Trail: 157mm
Fuel capacity: 13.2 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: from $21,495 ride away
Colours: Vivid Black
Test bike supplied by: Harley-Davidson Australia
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres