Softail Slim Hoofs it as Moo Glide Throwback

Sunglo Beef

With almost no miles on the clock, this bovine-decorated bike is far from being put out to pasture. Quite the opposite. The 2016 Softail Slim is all beef, presented in stunning Velocity Red Sunglo paint, with a balanced Twin-Cam motor, custom wheels, and exhaust. A former Easyriders Bike Show entry, it is a throwback to the cowhide-adorned, 1993 Heritage Softail Nostalgia.

Photos courtesy of BaT.

Thematic Stretches

Enthusiasts passionate about fringes will not be disappointed. Applying a 'more is better' design philosophy, the stringy embellishments festoon the entire bike. They start up top with the bar bag and handlebars, down to the floorboards, drape off the seat and lastly from the saddlebags. Completing the thematic look, brown and white, hair-on cowhide stretches from front to back.

Similar Version

Although visually busy, history confirms that the cow-patterned approach was once very popular. In 1993, Harley-Davidson released the Nostalgia—a limited version of the regular production-run Heritage Softail. Now informally known as the 'Moo Glide,' and sometimes 'Cow Glide,' the Nostalgia's seat and saddlebags were upholstered in similar brown and white, hair-on cowhide—each set was different.

Unique Line

The Nostalgia was released in conjunction with Harley-Davidson's 90th Anniversary celebrations. Only 2,700 examples, with distinct seat and bags, were ever produced. A record of their limited provenance was printed on the dash panel as '1993 FLSTN Heritage Nostalgia,' followed by 'Vehicle Number' and a serial number. For reasons unknown, the Moo Glide sold out almost immediately.

Serial Edition

Based on the success of the Nostalgia, Harley-Davidson released it again the next year as the Heritage Softail Special but kept the FLSTN designation. The 1994 'Nostalgia' had a more subtle cow theme, with black hair-on inserts in the seat and saddlebags. It too was released as a limited edition, this time 3,000 units were made, but it did not come with a serial number.

Contentious Glide

The reissue vexed original Nostalgia owners, who believed they were buying into a one-time deal. To make matters worse, the Motor Company released it again in 1995 and in 1996, although the hair-on cowhide had given way to gray leather. Suffering none of that wrath, this custom Softail Slim, is a quirky, but cool homage to the contentious Moo Glide.

Balanced Virtues

Pushing the Holstein 'hog' down the road is a 103B Twin Cam motor. While not the most ideal engine to hot rod, the 'B' variant is specific to the last generation of Softails. The 103B is balanced and solidly mounted to the frame, unlike its rubber-mounted, unbalanced counterpart, fitted to Dynas and touring bikes. Riders of the 'B' motor extol its power and unsurpassed smoothness.

Run Mix

If leather fringes everywhere were not attention-grabbing enough, a Boom! The audio setup makes up the difference. The Softail Slim was introduced to the Harley-Davidson lineup in 2010, updated in 2018, and dropped in 2021. It was a short but cool run. Its stripped-down bobber styling was a well-articulated nostalgic nod—doubly so when a bit of Moo Glide gets into the mix.

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