2016 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic: Quick Ride Review

The calmness of a typical Delhi morning was broken by a rumble of an American V-Twin as I whizzed past the neatly paved roads where the political bigwigs of our country reside. Fitness freaks of every age stopped in their path with a smile, captivated by the beauty of the motorcycle. Enthusiastic children try to stick their tiny necks out of school bus windows in awe and wave enthusiastically. Well, that’s the aura of the Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic. It looks the part and is as American as a bacon egg cheese sandwich breakfast. The large proportions, dollops of chrome on the monstrous V-Twin motor, generous saddle and the leather saddle bags give it the quintessential cruiser motorcycle look that every bike in its genre wants to emulate.

The traditional lines of the motorcycle is something that just doesn’t seem to go out of fashion and it does look distinctive in the flesh, especially with those whitewall tyres adding to the classical appeal. The updated 2016 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail gets subtle changes like cruise control, new air cleaner cover, redesigned saddlebags, removable pillion seat pillion and detachable windshield.

No mechanical changes have been made to the 1,690cc displacement behemoth that delivers peak torque of 130Nm at just 3,000rpm. The V-Twin comes to life with a rumble before settling down to a quieter idle, and the bike also now features ride-by-wire which needs a bit getting used to. Power delivery is linear with the surge of torque hitting you like a tsunami as the Heritage Softail Classic gathers momentum. Chugging along in sixth gear at 50kmph, there are no signs of knocking and one has to feed in some throttle as the speedo indicates triple digit speeds. And while you are crunching down miles with the appetite of a hungry lion, it shall be done in utmost comfort.

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The large saddle can give many lounge chairs a complex while the curved back handlebars and forward-set footboards result in a comfortable riding posture. Despite its 347kg kerb weight, the bike felt nimble on its feet in traffic and composed on bends but negotiating a U-turn will give your arms a workout. The biggest drawback of the bike is the heat generated by the air-cooled engine in traffic which is good enough to toast some sliced breads for your breakfast. Local assembly means that the Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail is available for Rs 16.89 lakh, ex-showroom, which is a lot of money for a motorcycle. The only competition that it has in India is the Triumph Thunderbird LT. But if you wanted a true blue Harley-Davidson and plan to go touring on the highway, the Heritage Softail Classic makes a strong case for itself.