Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic
The obvious thing that strikes you about this bike is its sheer size. Nearly two-and-a-half metres long and weighing in at a hefty 326kg (that‘s two Yamaha R6’s!), my nervousness stemmed from the fact that my drive is somewhat awkward to access and I had no desire to end up beneath this £14,000 hunk of chrome, sweet chrome. Sadly, my secret wish for a reverse gear was not to be. But just throwing a leg over it and settling in to its remarkably low and unfeasibly well-padded seat, you soon realise that it's not going to topple over without provocation.
Fire up the engine, and in true Harley fashion the ground begins to shake. At its heart lies a new black powder-coated and chrome Twin Cam 96B V-twin motor with fuel injection. And following the success of the six-speed transmission on Harley's Dyna range, the extra cog is becoming the norm on all their bikes. It works like an overdrive to cut the rpm at speed and allow the bike to meet increasingly stringent emissions regulations.
Clutch in and a reassuring clunk into first gear, I tentatively made my way onto the open road for the first time. As I swung my legs forward onto the foot boards and opened the throttle, the age-old Hardly-Movingson gags soon disappeared. The torque on these things is colossal and, despite the weight, there's an almighty surge forward. Its maximum 86ft lb of torque comes in at just 3,200 rpm but it's the noise from the chrome staggered shorty-dual exhausts that gets the juices flowing. While nought to 60 is still under five seconds, three-figure speeds are not recommended, but then that's not what this bike is designed for. It is, after all, a cruiser and designed for those who cherish comfort and pride of ownership over speed and handling. And with the weight slung so low, the Heritage will roll up to traffic lights at 2mph without even the slightest wobble.
The Softail's 1584cc engine is rigid-mounted to the frame and, despite efforts this year to reduce vibration, this bike still shakes fairly as your speed rises. At 70, you're fine; hit 80 and your teeth start to rattle, while anything over 90 is like riding through an earthquake zone under mortar attack. But that's all part of the experience. You feel like you're going hell for leather without putting your licence on the line. And you feel like you own the world.
Over the glorious Easter weekend, I took the Harley on my own interstate road trip. Starting in Pennsylvania (the one just outside Bath), I headed for… St Neots. For anyone who knows the route cross-country from Bristol via Swindon and Oxford to south Cambridgeshire, it takes in that most delightful of satellite towns Milton Keynes. Maybe this wasn't great forward planning on my part due to it being made up almost entirely of roundabouts where the Softail does not excel. Having scraped the footplates on both sides a couple of times I soon discovered that its 130mm of ground clearance was not enough for gung-ho behaviour. But I spent seven near-consecutive hours in the saddle and on returning to Bristol I could have happily continued all the way down to Cornwall, such is its remarkable comfort. The sofa in my house feels like a park bench by comparison.
It's impossible to compare the Heritage Softail Classic to, well, any bike really. It's like a completely different mode of travel. You glide along cosseted by the enormous screen, enjoying the view and watching people's reactions. Everyone stops and stares. Park up at Asda and you return to find people gathered round it. People who don't normally like motorcycles. Maybe I'm getting old, maybe I'm having a mid-life crisis, but I loved every minute I spent with the Harley. It transcends cool. The 1940's-style leather-studded saddlebags are perhaps a bit over the top in the UK, but who cares? They proved very useful. And despite it being cumbersome, I even used it to commute to work, returning a very reasonable 40 to the gallon, giving a tank range of around 160 miles.
The Heritage Softail Classic really is nostalgia at its best. Its all-out retro-tourer styling features chrome laced wheels, tombstone tail-light and sweeping fenders. As an option, too, you can protect your bike with Harley's Smart Security System. With a special key fob, the bike automatically arms itself when you walk away. No buttons to push, it disables the ignition and sets the alarm. The indicators are also self-cancelling, based on handlebar turn and angles of lean.
I'd always thought of Harleys in terms of Marmite, you either loved them or you loathed them. But what I discovered in my time with the Heritage is that they're more like a fine wine - you learn to appreciate them. They are so much more than just a bike, they are a life experience and deserve inclusion in every last one of those 101 Things To Do Before You Die lists.
But the funniest thing about having the Harley for two weeks was that my entire family of devout non-motorcyclists were queuing up for a go on the back, and none more so than my eight-year-old daughter. With the Shoei lid she got for Christmas and the safety of the padded backrest, she spent hours happily travelling at low speeds around the countryside. Biking is still sadly a minority pastime, but Harley-Davidson somehow brings it to the masses.
So with £795 in the bank, all I need to do now is find the other £13,000...
Article written: April 3, 2007
The Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic was kindly loaned through Riders of Bath Road, Brislington. For more information about test rides, call Riders on 0117 958 8777. Or see the website at www.ridersofbristol.co.uk
OUR STEER ON THE HERITAGE SOFTAIL CLASSIC
Price: £13,795 to £14,245, depending on colour
Engine: 1,584cc air-cooled twin cam
Torque: 86 ft.lb / 117.0 Nm @ 3200 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed, carbon fibre belt drive
Weight: 326kg
Fuel capacity: 18.9 litres
Top speed: 110mph (est)
Seat height: 622 mm
by Jon Bennett
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