+ Click to Enlarge TRADITION ON WHEELS: Harley’s Heritage Softail speaks of a time when life was a whole lot simpler than it is now - which is part of its charm. Pictures: DAVE ABRAHAMS

April 12, 2001
By Dave Abrahams

In the days before rear suspension came to Milwaukee, all Harleys had hardtail frames. The factory supplied nothing but the basic motorcycle and any customising was a strictly amateur affair. Panniers were usually made by the local saddlemaker and in the south-west that meant conchos - lots of ’em.

Today’s Heritage Softail tries to capture the unstructured look and feel of 1950s cruising but without the bone-jarring ride of a genuine solid frame.

The chassis looks like a hardtail to the untutored eye but the entire rear subframe is pivoted at the top, just above the oil tank, and there are two parallel shock-absorbers with no adjustment whatsoever slung horizontally under the gearbox where you can’t see them. Rear-wheel travel is of necessity very short and the shock action has to be harsh to prevent constant bottoming out, plus there is definitely some flex in the back of the chassis despite the heavy-duty architecture of the components.

The Motor Company has some far better frames on offer but, in a market where looks are openly more important than function, it’s a great basis on which to build the ultimate retro cruiser - and let’s face it, styling director Willie G Davidson practically invented the genre.

The motor, however, is almost pure 1990, It’s the ‘B’ version of the new 1450cc 88 engine with balance shafts so that it runs uncannily smoothly for a big 45-degree twin. I said almost; for reasons known only to the local Harley dealer I have yet to be offered a bike with both the balanced motor and the Saab-based fuel-injection system that worked so impressively on the Road King that IOL reviewed recently.

One or the other, but not both. Don’t ask me why.

Thus the Softail is fitted with the 38mm Keihin CV carburettor adopted when the sidedraught Tillotson unit was legislated out of existence by the EPA pollution police in the 1970s. It’s an efficient carb of its type and I can’t fault its operation - but it lacks the razor-edged crispness and response of the fuel-injected version. It’s just a little reluctant to start on cold mornings and a bit woolly just off idle - but it gives very little away on peak power and the well-damped carburettor is easier to modulate in traffic than the spritzer.

The test bike rumbled up to an authoritative 161km/h, just 11km/h short of the Road King, and the difference in fuel consumption was too small to be reliably measured. The big V-twin runs hot, as do all chromed motors, and a lot of heat comes up to the rider in heavy traffic but the drive-train shows no signs of stress. Certainly, on a compression ratio of just 8.8:1, nobody expects the thing to pink, no matter how hot it gets.

The improved quality control of recent years at Harley Davidson shows in the low level of mechanical clatter and the fact that the new motor is oil-tight. The latest edition of the five-speed transmission is also a lot more consistent than previous efforts from the Motor Company. All the ‘88’-powered models I’ve ridden have had the same shift action - surprisingly light for such a big machine, very positive and seriously vocal at low revs. Neutral is easy to locate, even at a standstill, although holding the lever in at a red light is never a problem; the clutch action is light and progressive, if a little vague.

The Softail frame is one of the longest Harley makes and has a truck-like 1637mm wheelbase. It shares its 41mm Showa front end with the Road King and should be just as stable right up to its top speed, with the removable, handlebar-mounted screen safely stowed in the garage. The Softail, however, displays a slight but definite waver above 140km/h in a straight line, which I have no hesitation in ascribing to the cantilever rear end, especially as it gets worse after a long ride when the underslung shocks have been well heated by their proximity to the pipes and motor.

Add to this the usual wallowing on long sweepers characteristic of any motorcycle with a very long wheelbase and you have a motorcycle which moves around under you like it’s doing the hippy-hippy shake.

To its credit, the Softail chassis seems unaffected by sidewinds or poor surfaces. With the screen off, a roaring South-Easter has no effect on its equanimity and the harsh, tight rear suspension is impervious to Third World roads - although it tells your rear end all about them. In time-honoured cruiser fashion, the front suspension is set softer than the rear, simply because the longer travel allows it to be so, which leads to a minor amount of pitching on the freeway. It’s not disturbing if you know what causes it and seasoned boulevard bolide riders probably won’t notice anyway.

The bottom line (ouch-sorry, Cyril!) is a heavy motorcycle that is incongruously nervous and unsettled when pushed hard but as soon as you relax and let the Softail find its own cruising speed of around 130km/h it settles down and becomes much more comfortable. The bike just rolls along effortlessly, which is what it was built to do. In any case, the world has a better chance to admire you as you rumble by - which is why you ride a cruiser, hey?

Traditionally, the weakest point on any Harley has been its brakes. This has now been addressed with the adoption of the four-pot opposed piston callipers. Even with only one front disc there’s more than adequate braking to haul down the Softail’s 335kg. The front wheel doesn’t lock up or go off line; right on the limit of what the tyre can handle the forks begin to judder, which is a useful tactile warning.

The rear brake has very limited feel for what is going on at the tyre and an injudicious hoof can lock up the rear wheel under stressful circumstances. Unless you’ve practised rear-wheel slides in a deserted parking lot, stay off the back brake in traffic - which is not a bad idea no matter what you ride.

The front elevation of the Softball is dominated by its lights. A huge 200mm headlight in a chrome shell flanked by a light bar mounting two riding lights and, below them, two big round indicators - all in matching nacelles. Cowhorn handlebars sit atop short risers with the trademark Harley tank-top binnacle housing the speedo, warning lights and ignition switch. I’ve always been a little worried at having to look right down in my lap to confirm that the indicators are off - or even whether the bike’s in neutral - but with self-cancelling indicators now standard across the Milwaukee marque and a gearbox that delivers neutral for the asking, this is less of a concern than it was.

The rest of the switchgear is standard Harley stuff. The Motor Company uses the same units on all their bikes, as well it should. It’s beautifully made, solid and chunky, a tactile pleasure to use - although I must say again that to have separate indicator switches for left and right is silly, self-cancelling or not. There are some impressive quality touches: the end of the clutch cable has a miniature Heim joint (that’s a rose-joint outside the States, Cyril) for reduced lever effort and smoother movement, while the interior of the clutch lever is curved to match the grip, making it more comfortable to hold while you wait for the lights to change.

The saddle is real leather and, as we mentioned before, accented with conchos in authentic south-western style, as are the saddlebags. These are also genuine cowhide, thick enough to hold their shape without plastic inserts, unlike the ones on the Road King. The big silver buckles are also real, although they do have quick-release plastic spear-points behind them; nothing on a Harley is ever entirely authentic.

The 1950s look follows through with foot-boards, rocker gear-change, deeply valanced mudguards and a low, slightly amateurish-looking sissy bar (which is right, they were all home-made in those days) and finally, chromed steel rims with spokes laced in the traditional Harley pattern.

The quality of fit and finish is astonishing in a mass-produced vehicle. The two-tone black and yellow paint has red pinstripes where the colours meet - and you can’t feel the stripes with your fingertips, which speaks volumes for the depth and quality of the clear coat. There is no raw alloy in sight on the motor; every part of the engine is finished either in crackle black or chrome - or has a slightly tacky chromed plastic cover that you won’t find until the first time you wash the bike.

The chrome-plating is the best in the world; in 30 years of riding I have yet to see plating of this standard on anything else.

And that’s really what it’s all about; with the Heritage Softail, as with all Harleys, how it looks is way more important than how it goes. Within its comfort zone it has the torque to take all the accessories and attitude you can throw at it. It’s so beautifully put together that you can forgive its archaic chassis and primitive suspension - just embrace the concept that when you travel this stylishly, you have arrived.

Thanks to Ad Keukelaar at Cape Town Harley Davidson for the loan of the test bike. A new one will cost you R167 000.

SPECIFICATIONS
HARLEY DAVIDSON FLSTC
HERITAGE SOFTAIL CLASSIC

Motor: Air-cooled 45-degree V-twin four-stroke.
Capacity: 1449cc.
Bore x stroke: 95.3 x 101.6mm.
Valvegear: Two overhead valves per cylinder, pushrod operated.
Compression ratio: 8.8:1.
Power: 51.5kW @ 5250rpm.
Torque: 106Nm @ 3200rpm.
Induction: 38mm Keihin CV carburettor.
Ignition: Electronic.
Starting: Electric.
Clutch: Cable-operated multi-plate wet clutch.
Transmission: Five-speed gearbox with toothed-belt final drive.
Suspension: 41mm shrouded cartridge forks at front, “Softail” cantilevered swingarm with twin underslung Showa shock absorbers at rear.
Brakes: Single 292mm disc with four-pot opposed piston calliper front & rear.
Tyres: Front: MT90 B16. Rear: 140/90 – 16.
Wheelbase: 1637mm.
Seat height: 673mm.
Dry weight: 335kg.
Fuel capacity: 18.9 litres.
Price: R167 000.