03/22/2023
Wow
The Story Of The Harley-Davidson Softail Frame.
Introduced in June 1983 as the 1984 Harley-Davidson FXST Softail, the Softail frame was not designed by the Milwaukee factory. It is the creation of Bill Davis, a Harley enthusiast and engineer from St Louis, Missouri. In 1974 and 1975 Davis worked in his garage on the concept of a rear suspension frame where a swingarm was pivoting at the bottom sprung by a top spring shock absorber placed under the seat. He built a first prototype using his own 1972 Harley Super Glide as the base. After patenting his cantilever design swingarm frame he succeeded in meeting with Willie G. Davidson in August 1976. The story says that Davidson he was very impressed by Davis’s new frame concept and replied 6 months later saying that although the company would not use the new design, it was still interested.
Disappointed, Davis continued to improve his design and got the idea to switch his swingarm pivoting point with the shock under the frame and no more at the top, the big advantage being now to be able to place the traditional Harley oil tank under the seat. Then he went the independent route, starting with partners his own company “Road Works” to produce and market his frame design under the name of “Sub Shock”. The partnership collapsed and Harley executive Jeff Bleustein – who later became the company President & CEO – immediately contacted Davis and made him an offer to sell to H-D all his patents, prototypes, jigs and tooling.
The deal was signed in January 1982. Nobody knows, except Davis and Harley, what was the exact financial amount of the transaction, but it always has been rumored as being quite low. The frame required special shocks because working in extension, not in compression, like usually.
Launched in 1984, the first Softail model was a great success, offering a chassis close to the lines of a hardtail frame with the benefit of comfort provided by the rear suspension. The Softail line is one Harley’s best selling and redefined the cruiser genre. Because engine is rigid mounted to the Softail frame, it creates more vibrations than in Touring and Dyna models where engine is rubber mounted to the frame. This issue is partly resolved since the use of the dual counterbalanced version of the Harley Twin Cam engine. Many companies use the Softail style frame, at least on some of their models, from Honda to Kawasaki to Yamaha to Victory.
Thanks to Cyril Huze, Rest in Peace..
