Hi all...
I bought my 2016 Softail Slim S brand new. I have never purchased a passenger seat for it. I was at the local HD shop looking at bikes etc... I was asking why passenger seat options seemed so limited for the Softail Slim bikes... I was told that it's because the Softail is really not meant for 2 up. Ok fair enough. But then a 2015 heritage caught my eye and it had a nice 2 up seat on it. Fell in love with the style color and look. The reason I was even looking is because I would really like to start taking my girlfriend/fiancé out on rides with me. I was told that the heritage would be a great bike for that.

What strikes me odd though is, if the heritage is a Softail, why is the heritage any better than a Softail Slim S? What is the difference between them other than the cosmetics, seat?

I can't bring myself to trade in my Softail Slim S... So I was considering buying a second bike, this heritage that I really like... So, I guess my question is, is there something different about the way the heritage is structured/built that makes it better for 2 UP over just adding some 2 UP capabilities to my existing Softail Slim S?

Any help will be greatly appreciated... Think I would rather upgrade my existing bike, over buying a second bike if all things considered, they would be equal.

Thanks!
Rick

 

I don’t know the exact specs of these bikes, but other than having a two-up seat and passenger pegs, there could be differences in suspension, like a different rear shock, wheel base, little things like that. You’ll have to add more things to the Slim to get it to where you like it for two-up riding and longer trips, but everything that you need is out there. Check out some of the Slim appreciation threads and you will see many Slims with sissy bars, windshields, bags., etc.
If you’re are looking for a second bike for two-up use, check out the Road King. I think it’s an easy handing comfortable bike that compliments a Softail if one were to have two big twins in his/her stable.

 

Hi WXSW....

Would love a Street Gide but it's a bit bigger bike that what is workable for me. I'm 5'5". Kind of what got me looking at the heritage... I can still sit on it and both feet are flat footed...
I don't necessarily want to have two bikes, but I guess if I did, it would allow me to turn my Slim S back into more bobber style... Because right now, my Slim S looks more like a heritage. I added a clear windshield, engine guard with foot pegs, saddle bags.
Having said that... is the only difference in suspension the shocks? Or is there still something fundamentally different between the two that will always make the heritage a smoother ride for 2 people?

This is me standing with my bike... On our way from Portland Oregon to Las Vegas and back.

 

I'm going to say it's because the salesman wanted to sell you a new bike.

 

Rick, how was the ride, Portland to LV and back, on your Slim? It looks like you’ve sorted it nicely for long road trips. Your bike looks great! I wish I had those bags on my Slim! Adding a passenger seat is not a big deal. Lots of great seats out there, even if you’re not seeing them at the dealer.
Why don’t you take the Heritage for a test ride if you can? Then your curiosity about how the bike rides may be resolved.
Both bikes are pre-2018 Softails. AFAIK, the basic platform is the same across the model line-up. Obviously, things like shocks, tire profile, wheel size, handle bars, seats, etc., will make it work better for you, but that stuff is subjective and personal, and all of that can and should be sorted out to make the bike work at its full potential for the rider. And who knows what the previous owners of the 2015 Heritage have done to it or changed on it.
From the factory the Heritage is a better two-up road bike than the Slim because the Slim is a stripped down bobber with a minimalist solo rider aesthetic and set-up. But looking at your Slim, I think you are already there. You got the great luggage and rider and passenger floorboards. I don’t see a Softail getting much better for touring than what you've already done to yours.
If you don’t really want a second bike, you don’t need it. How long does it take to remove the touring stuff and make it a bobber style bike? An hour or two and a few beers on a Sunday afternoon? That’s golden!

 

Hey WXSW....
Thanks for the compliments. When I got it I immediately decked it out. My buddy and I both got Softails the same day. We went in together.
I did take the heritage out the other day and I loved it, everything felt amazing. But the problem is, I just don't want to part with my Softail Slim. It has sentimental value to me. I bought it during a dark time in my life.

I went into a HD dealership today and asked about the differences between the 2015 heritage and my Slim... He told me that under the covers and all the accessories they really are the same platform. I asked him about the shocks, he seemed to think they were the same... But, who knows...

I think at the end of the day, if that heritage can be a nice ride for two people, then so can my slim with a little tweaking. Save me a lot of money that I don't really need to spend... I'm going to probably get the Mustang seat with the passenger seat as well, and get some baby apes. I really liked the bars on that heritage, they were the perfect height.

This should be a good enough setup for shorter day trips.... If I ever feel like we need to go on a long road trip, I might start considering my options for some kind of bike with more passenger comfort. I'm still bummed that I can't find a lot of passenger options for the Slim... Would be nice if someone made some kind of touring package for them. Would not leave it on there all the time, just on long trips.

 

Hey Rick, have fun getting your Slim to be what you need. Everything has a bit of a compromise. I guess that’s why people end up with multiple bikes. We also have come into a time when people have multiples of a lot of things for different applications, when in the past (like decades ago), people seemed to be happy with one. It’s a sign of the times of affluence and consumption, I think.
Not to highjack your thread, but this is the bike that I really love. It’s my road bike, and I commute on it, use it to carry groceries, etc., and for me it handles well enough to enjoy day rides in the local canyons and the coast. For me it’s an all-around great bike. Here it is loaded up for touring and camping. I do not ride two-up, so I strap stuff over the passenger area:


Before I got my Road King, this was my main bike. It was not designed or marketed to be a touring bike, but it was my road bike and I thought that it worked great as a long distance touring/camping bike:


I am pretty much carrying the same stuff on both the Road King and the Ducati, and for me they both work great, as different as they are.
I sold the Ducati and bought the Road King for a change and to have a simpler carbureted bike.

I got a really good deal on my Slim from a dealership I was working at that took it in trade. It had languished there for six months and they really wanted to be rid of it, and I was curious about the M8 engine, so I took it off of their hands, figuring that I could probably sell it for more than I paid for it if I didn’t like it. I like it, but have not bonded with like I am with my Road King. I think HD did a great job with this bike, and the M8 is very good, the mapping and throttle-by-wire is very good, but I sort of have an aversion to the modern tech of new bikes. Hence my love for my carbed Evo Road King. However, the more I ride my Slim the more I like it, and I have been gradually sorting it out to work better for me as a road bike, with windshield, mustache bars, sissy bar for strapping gear to, and replacing the stock seat with a Le Pera Bare Bones seat and pillion pad. I find the Bare Bones to be prettty good, and fine for long rides. I have wondered about adding a 2” extension to the forks as that would probably increase the cornering clearance and would probably look pretty good.


It’s cool having both the Road King and the Slim, but honestly I would be a happy camper with either one as an all-around bike. I know that I can carry everything that I use for touring and camping on the Slim, and I’d be fine with it for long road trips.

 

Back in 2016 I test rode the Heritage Softail Classic and the Slim S. Fell in love with the Slim S so that is what I bought. No issues riding 2up on my Slim S. I did have to relocate the rear signals to allow for large detachable saddlebags. I use a swingarm bag when I ride solo. Also added a detachable sissy bar, quick detach windshield and some passenger pegs. As for the 2up seat, I went to the local dealer and tried out every seat they had that fit the Slim S. It took some time to swap out seats and go for a test ride between each but it was time well spent as I hated most of the seats.

 

Who makes those bags? Nice bike.

 

Your Slim and the Heritage are both Softails built on the exact same platform with the only real differences being cosmetic things like fenders, seats, lighting, wheels, etc. but the core bikes are the same. I agree with Buelligan666, the salesman wanted to sell you a new bike..... not that there's anything wrong with that.