Soul Of A Dyna

Is the new Softail Low Rider S the remedy for the defunct Dynas?

- David Cohen & Brum

Brum said, “You know the line from that Bee Gees song, ‘How do you mend a broken heart’? That’s the angle, Dave.”

“You mean the riders who were pissed off when the Dyna was discontinued now have a bike to rejoice in?” I asked.

“Precisely!” said the Boss.

“I think you are right in principle, but we do know what some Dyna owners are like.” I mused as I headed to our Facebook page and posted up some pics from my first ride on the latest Low Rider S.

Sure enough the response was immediate.

“Nice bike, but it’s not a Dyna.” And sundry other comments…

However, after a pretty thorough two-week test that included all manner of riding and conditions – the urban crawl, commutes, open road, freeway and twisty mountain byways – I’ve come to agree with Brum’s point.

Let me qualify that by saying when I tested the 2017 Dyna Low Rider S in Issue #146 I had a huge wrap for the bike. I called it the best Dyna ever and bemoaned that the platform was discontinued right after H-D released the best-ever model. The strap line even trumpeted, “Dave says Yes to the 110-S.”

That Dyna had emulsion shocks, cartridge forks, mid controls and was the sportiest big block since the vaunted FXDX. It had great handling, a responsive engine, good brakes and an ergonomic which allowed more body input when hard charging.

The 2020 Softail version has all that and less: Less vibration, less chassis flex, but more comfort, more performance and more overall capability.

Put the two side by side and unless you have Dyna-only eyes there isn’t a lot of difference in the aesthetic. They are both great looking motorcycles with a beautiful, menacing blackness that sucks the light from the air as you ride by.