Harley Davidson Heritage Softail Classic Review: Opulence Motorized

HANDLING, RIDE QUALITY AND BRAKING

We have already spoken about the intimidating size and weight of the Heritage Classic and the efforts needed to squeeze it out of tiny spaces. Also as mentioned above, the Heritage Classic displays amazing poise in a straight line. However any undulations in your way during triple digit speeds does tend to unsettle this burly cruiser. The well laid Pune-Bangalore highway had its own set of bumps along the way that induced the Heritage’s front to twitch, and we had a few seconds of nervousness trying to calm down the motorcycle.

Later diverting from Nipani towards Goa and from wide open highways, we were riding through the internal narrow roads with the Amboli ghats throwing up a perfect opportunity to test the Harley Davidson Heritage Softail Classic’s handling capabilities. The Harley Davidson branded Dunlop tyres offer adequate grip to the motorcycle and the Heritage surprisingly is easy to handle. It makes no fuss going around the corners, till the time you keep an eye on the lower ground clearance. We pushed the motorcycle to its limits and though it didn’t weave out of its desired line of cornering, we had the footboards grinding against the tarmac. Overall, the Heritage Classic corners well considering its size and weight.

The ride quality is an absolute delight on the Heritage Classic. The wide handlebars, a well contoured leather seat and rubber matted half moon footboards render a perfect long haul cruising position. The full length footboards offers the rider different positions to place his foot based on his comfort preference. The front suspension is soft and has enough travel to soak up the rough surfaces, and any compromises on comfort due to the lesser travel on the rear suspension is compensated by the splendid and cushy leather seat.

Coming to braking, a 300+ kgs motorcycle calls for strong brakes. The Harley Davidson Heritage Softail Classic features a four piston caliper mounted over the front 292mm single disc and a similar size rotor with two pot caliper at the rear. ABS comes as a standard feature. Unfortunately, the Heritage Classic similar to the Fatboy pleads for a twin disc brake setup upfront. Though braking during sedate speeds is not an issue, but slowing down the Heritage from high speeds gives a faded and spongy feedback from the discs. A harder squeeze on the levers is needed to bring the Heritage to a decided halt, but you would generally end up overshooting your desired spot. Riding the Heritage Classic was a treat indeed and it was only the braking that left us disappointed.

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