Are Harley-Davidson Softails Good For Long Rides? Here's What Riders Say

Throughout the century that Harley-Davidson has been in business, the company is consistently ranked as one of the best major motorcycle brands. Harley's prevalence across the United States, the quality of its motorcycles, and, perhaps most of all, the customization potential and user-friendly nature of its bikes contribute to the brand's success. Regardless of how you ride, odds are that Harley has the right motorcycle in its lineup for you.

In terms of customization, Harley-Davidson goes beyond just paint colors and seat shapes. Harleys come with a variety of frame types, each with their own attributes that make them useful for different purposes. Among the most well known is the Harley-Davidson Softail, which has been around since the early 1980s. Unlike the traditional Hardtail model, Softails have a hidden rear suspension system, which offers riders more comfort when traversing across dips and bumps on the road. Given the prioritization of comfort, it's no surprise that many Harley riders appreciate the Softail design. This is especially true when taking the bike on long rides, as the frame goes a long way in making the open road less taxing on the body.

There's lots of online chatter about the Softail frame and all it can offer. When it comes to long rides, many were happy to endorse it. In 2011, one person who was 63 years old at the time wrote on a Harley-Davidson forum that they rode their 2009 FXSTC Softail Custom for six hours in a single day and only stopped once for gas. Another user shared that they rode their Softail for a whopping 4,400-mile journey with no issues. A third person on the forum also shared a positive experience with their Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail, arguably one of the best Harley Softail models ever built. On their 2008 model, they wrote, they often rode for 800 miles or more, once even riding 1,050 miles in one day.

On Reddit, several other folks gave a nod to the Softail as the way to go for long bike rides. In one thread on the topic, a now-deleted user shared that they rode their 1993 Softail from Virginia to California in five days. "Loved every mile of it and at no point did I wish I had anything different," they wrote. Another deleted user posted a thread about their big Softail road trip, on which they clocked over 1,266 miles. They added that throughout the entire trip, even with loads of baggage attached to the bike, their Softail performed like a "champ."

While many riders say a Softail frame is a great option for long-distance riding, there are other factors you need to consider when choosing which motorcycle is most comfortable for you. Redditor u/Z28Daytona, for example, said they traveled from Southern California to South Dakota in the '90s on a Softail. However, they also wrote that "now is a whole different story." Twenty years after the journey, they decided to get a Harley-Davidson bagger made for long-distance tours. Baggers like the Harley-Davidson Street Glide are great motorcycles for riders above the age of 50, so there really is something for everyone in the Harley catalogue.

Comfort also extends beyond just the frame of the bike, though, and things like a Softail's seat position can really start to irritate riders on longer rides. As one Harley-Davidson forum user warned: "The issue you need to address more than anything is the comfort of your seat. My seat is a custom LaPera Silhouette. The padding is relatively hard, but what's worse is the way the seat pushes on my tailbone. I sit IN the seat, not ON it." Labradaddy concurred on this point, saying that riding a Softail for long distances has become quite uncomfortable in recent years. As a result, they're looking into seat upgrades. Whether it's the frame, the seat, or other details on your Harley, it's important to make sure your bike is comfortable to you — especially on those long-distance rides.