2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard Review, Part 2

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Key mods to our long-term 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard improved ergonomics, added style, and pumped up performance a bit. (Andrew Cherney/)

At this point we’ve put some 2,500 miles on the Standard and have gotten intimate with the high as well as the low points. The stock Standard’s riding position fit me pretty well initially, though I could tell right away the rider triangle was more compact than I was used to, yet still a pretty good match for my 5-foot-7 frame. But after a couple of long trips it became pretty clear those ergos just weren’t gonna work for touring, so we started looking at the parts to swap out and improve the main rider contact points as well as boosting the bike’s style and sound. From the start, we knew there’d be changes to the Standard—as a bare-bones base model, it simply cries out for mods. So after hunkering down for a few hours with the P&A catalog, we came up with a plan to mix and match parts from some of the kits H-D offered at the Standard’s launch. With a somewhat arbitrary budget of approximately $2,000 as our target, we got cracking.

Comfort can make or break the ride, so a new saddle, handlebar, and added wind protection were tops on the list. (Andrew Cherney/)

It’s not surprising ergonomic swaps always rise to the top of the list when it comes to key modifications because no stock bike comes from the factory tailored to your physical dimensions. My high-mile days on the Standard identified the key areas that were ripe for improvement, namely handlebar positioning, butt comfort, and some wind protection. That wasn’t everything though; we also decided to swap in different mufflers to richen up the underwhelming stock exhaust note. The bottom line is they fit the budget and, hey, sound matters.

Related: 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard Review, Part 1

The 1-inch Moto Bar (mounted on 5.5-inch risers) is straighter and lower than the stock mini-apes, effectively dropping shoulders and lessening fatigue at speed, especially on long distances. (Harley-Davidson/)

First up was the handlebar swap, which consisted of Harley’s Moto Handlebar combined with a Tall Riser kit (of course H-D makes you get a separate, bike-specific top clamp for the gauge. And it’s not cheap). The 1-inch Moto Bar sits atop the 5.5-inch-tall risers, putting it significantly lower than the stock mini-apes for a dramatic change in the riding position. I found my torso canted slightly forward rather than back and upright as with the apes, with shoulders dropped and my arms now punching a bit down rather than skyward. It was a more natural and comfortable setup for my stubby limbs, and the straightish bar had enough pullback for an easy (if somewhat extended) reach.

Related: 2018 Harley-Davidson Softail Line: First Ride Review

Keep in mind the Standard’s factory handlebar is internally wired; the accessory Tall Risers also require a separate top clamp for the gauge. (Andrew Cherney/)

A couple of longer trips confirmed the new bar setup was a solid improvement, giving me a better grip as well as more feedback from the bars. There’s a solidity to the bar/riser combo with fewer vibes, and you feel more connected to the bike, though I felt I lost some of the low-speed maneuverability the ape bars afforded. It was still a reasonable trade-off for the added comfort at speed. Not counting the additional clamp and cables, the bar and riser add $130 and $170 (respectively) to our running total.

The Softail Quarter fairing gives the Standard a more finished custom look and adds wind protection. (Harley-Davidson/)

Next up was the new Softail Quarter Fairing (which of course requires a separate mounting kit) to give me at least some wind protection on long hauls. The fairing instantly gives the Standard a finished look with a more fluid silhouette for an instant aesthetic upgrade to the stocker’s ho-hum vibe. A smoked windscreen occupies the top of the fairing and, though it sits fairly low, offers enough of a break to keep the wind off my chest. The whole unit is small enough to not be visually intrusive, and big enough to give you welcome coverage from wind blasts (it’s more noticeable at higher speeds). For better coverage on big-mileage trips, I would probably add a Laminar Lip to redirect more air. Combined with the bars, the fairing was just the ticket for high-speed hauling making for a marked difference on longer rides, even more so if I tucked down behind the shield’s bubble.

Top portion of the new fairing consists of a short, smoke-tinted shield. (Andrew Cherney/)

The fairing and Moto Bar/Tall Risers are parts of H-D’s Coastal Package, but I skipped that kit’s BMX pegs and two-up seat; the serrated pegs would do me no favors if I wanted to extend my legs out on the road. MSRP for the fairing is $355 and $100 for the mounting kit.

Look familiar? The Coastal Custom Package is one the accessory collections H-D offers for the Standard; it includes the Quarter Fairing and black Moto Bar. (Harley-Davidson/)

In the First Ride installment I also whined about the stock saddle, so the next point in the Standard’s ergonomic reconstruction was a one-piece H-D Brawler unit to replace the stock solo perch. Like the fairing, the Brawler also served to clean up the Softail’s overall lines with a more flowing shape, but it’s also longer and narrower and has a more gradual ascent to the rear section, so you can skid your butt around on longer trips. But it’s not necessarily taller than the stocker (shorties take note), so for riders with longer arms and legs that need to move farther back on the bike as well as higher, the Tallboy seat is a better option. The Brawler seat swap was a cinch, a simple matter of unscrewing the old saddle and sliding in the new. It was also the least costly swap here, ringing in at $250, with no added doodads. Running accessory total is $1,005.

The Brawler one-piece seat is longer and narrower but not necessarily lower than the stocker. It is more comfortable. (Andrew Cherney/)
Screamin’ Eagle Extreme Flow Cleaner improves the look of the engine bay while flowing substantially more air. (Andrew Cherney/)

We also wanted to perk up the Milwaukee-Eight 107 a bit so we went for a basic Stage 1 upgrade, swapping in a higher-flow air filter and less restrictive exhaust system (with an ECM calibration at the dealer) for freer breathing. The power increase was slight, but if nothing else, the upgrade was simple and nonintrusive.

New pipes? Of course. Screamin’ Eagle Street Cannon Mufflers with Satin Black End Caps in this case. (Andrew Cherney/)

Helping matters was the fact that the open-face Screamin’ Eagle Extreme Flow Air Cleaner not only flows more air than a traditional high-flow filter, but it tidied up the dull look of the stock engine bay, plus the M-8′s intake sound is a bit beefier. We fitted a set of Screamin’ Eagle Street Cannon Mufflers to handle the exhales and to richen up the exhaust note, and added Goldilocks-level tone; not too loud, not too quiet, and just enough low-frequency bark. The air filter set us back $205, while the Street Cannons rang in at $550 (plus $110 for the Satin End Caps) giving us a running subtotal of $1,870.

The new Moto Bar results in a more forward-leaning riding position and a more positive connection to the bike. (Rory Anson/)

With the new mods installed, the Softail Standard’s rider triangle is far less crushing. The mini-apehangers were superior for low-speed control, but for long rides at freeway speeds, the lower Moto Bar/Riser setup is the ticket. We whined about the Standard’s smallish 3.5-gallon gas tank in our First Ride review, but around town and on shorter day trips, it’s not a big deal and I’ve learned to live with it. The range just about matches when you want to get off anyway to refuel or stretch or whatever. The Stage 1 upgrade also gave us a beefier exhaust note, ever-so-slightly-better throttle response, and a cool intake honk to boot, plus our mpg didn’t change appreciably either.

With the stock setup on the other hand, you’re more upright and shoulders are higher. (Miri Stebivka/)

The new mods make for a huge improvement over the original. The new seat is more comfortable on long trips, the new bar gives you a better connection to the bike—especially in high-speed situations—and the Quarter Fairing gives us some needed relief from the weather. Plus the bike just flat out looks and sounds way more appealing, a pretty important part of the equation. If we had a bigger budget and had the bike for longer, we’d probably set it up with new springs up front and upgrade the rear shock to improve suspension and ride quality.

The final tab was quite a bit more than $2,000 if you add in the assorted required additional mounting kits, cables, and clamps and ring up the dealer tune for the Stage 1 install, but it’s a good baseline for reference. Now that the mods are done we’ll be returning the bike to the Harley mothership, so for the long ride back we’ve also added some quick-release luggage from SW-Motech (seen in some of the photos) to make our life even easier.

We’ll check in with a final installment about ferrying the bike back to Southern California and seeing how all this stuff works out on a long-distance journey. I’m really looking forward to getting out into the glorious backroads again now that I’ve got the ergos dialed.

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[Tiggie]

If I say I think that looks good can I still be a mod?