Harley Davidson Heritage Softail Classic Review: Opulence Motorized

PERFORMANCE

ENGINE & GEARBOX

Powered by a fuel injected 1690cc v-twin, the air-cooled Twin Cam 103B is the same motor that powers the Fatboy too – albeit in a slightly different state of tune. Though the horsepower figures remain similar at 61 bhp, torque figures on the Heritage Classic read 130 nm @ a lower 3000 rpm compared to 132 nm @ 3250 rpm on the Fatboy. All this torque to the pulley mounted on the rear 150 section tyre is sent via a maintenance free belt drive through a six speed gearbox.

The Harley Davidson Heritage Softail Classic is for sure an intimidating bike to look at first, especially if you haven’t ridden Harleys earlier. Swing your leg over, dab on the electric starter to get the Heritage burbling to life. All apprehensions come to life while getting the Heritage out of the parking lot- in our case, we had to cautiously squeeze it out of extremely narrow spaces. The weight is surely overwhelming and with the wide handlebars, the Heritage Classic does put you to task.

Fortunately, the anxiety is short-lived as the Heritage with the humongous torque being cranked within its cylinders makes light work of its 341 kg. Hit traffic and you’re back to square one- the Heritage just doesn’t belong to clogged streets! Negotiating the motorcycle is one factor and then there is the heavy clutch! Prolonged riding in stop and go situations would leave you with an aching left wrist. Hit the highways and everything will be forgiven- for the Heritage Classic though nowhere close to sportsbike performance, pulls with utmost ease and authority for a motorcycle of its size and weight. Except the clunky first gear slot, the rest of the gears shift with relative ease.

The Heritage Classic is an absolute charmer on the highways. The weight aids impeccable straight-line stability to the motorcycle and the Heritage feels like a locomotive on rails. Again acceleration is not the Heritage’s forte (rather the case with all Harleys except the V-Rod) and it would be incorrect to expect sports bike performance from this rumbling cruiser. However the torque buildup is quick and linear with a sudden boost of torque just before the peak rpm- not to mention the exhaust note is a pure aural treat.

The engine feels composed and vibe free until the needle crosses the 140 kph mark. The Heritage can be ridden at a constant 140 kph in fourth gear which we were assuming to be the top gear- such was the relaxed nature of the engine. The sixth gear is essentially an overdrive and anything below 120 kph in top gear induces knocking. Post 160 kph, the speedo needle would refuse to move any further, and that point can be well considered the Harley Davidson Heritage Softail Classic top speed. With the king-sized windscreen in place to save your face from the howling winds, the Heritage Classic could well be considered as a 140 kph all-day cruiser. But there’s a catch. Read on.

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