I spent four days on a Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail recently, hoping to understand at last the reasons why so many people are so fanatically devoted to the brand. I recapped my thoughts the first couple days out but now I'm ready to speak about my total experience and the conclusions I've reached.
Hint: I'm not converted, but I think I understand more now.
Ease of riding
The No. 1 understanding I came to on the Harley is that this bike is just incredibly easy to ride. Let's compare it to my primary bike, my 1999 Kawasaki Concours.
The Concours is a tall bike to begin with, and with my 30-inch inseam it took some getting used to. The Softail has a much lower seat height, making it very easy for me to plant my feet widely and firmly on the ground at a stop. The Connie also has a 7.5-gallon gas tank that sits way up high, making for a very high center of gravity. Center of gravity on the Softail is very low, which makes the handling much more stable at low speeds. I never once came anywhere close to dropping it, whereas I have dropped the Kawi a couple times.
The power delivery on the Softail is very different from what I'm accustomed to so that took some getting used to. My Kawi has a high-revving engine and it has a ton of power. It's very fast and the gearing is such that you don't have to shift constantly in situations where you're frequently speeding up and slowing down. My first impression of the Softail was that I all too frequently needed to downshift from the upper gears. To a certain extent I think that is true, but what I found with experience is that mostly that's just the low-rev, loping v-twin and it would go along fine at the slower speed but then pick right back up with the twist of the throttle.
The bottom line here is that, while it probably took me two years to become totally comfortable on my Concours, I was right at home on the Softail within an hour or two. Now, having gotten comfortable on the Connie, I'm extremely comfortable on it and like it very much. And with longer legs it wouldn't have taken that long. But I don't think most people are willing to be that patient, so I can see the attraction of the Harley.
Riding comfort
Having a broad, well-padded seat was a real joy for me on that Softail. My other bike, my 1980 Honda CB750 Custom, has a reasonably comfortable seat but after doing a ride to California and back on a trip that included numerous long-mileage days, I swore never to do that again. I went out and bought my Concours. The Connie is a much better touring bike but even its seat gets hard after awhile. The seat on the Softail was a huge improvement.
Another thing I liked was the floorboards. With the floorboards I could shift my foot position a little or a lot, and even stretch my legs out completely straight. The key here is the knees. None of my buddies likes trading bikes with me and I think that has a lot to do with their aging knees. I suspect that sitting with your knees always bent as you must when your pegs are below you is just not something that works for them any more.
I, on the other hand, prefer to have my pegs beneath me because I want to stand up when I go over a bump and let my legs absorb the shock. The first big bump I hit on the Softail threw me way up off the seat and back down hard. I did find, though, that with my feet on the back edges of the floorboards, and a good grip on the handgrips, I could raise myself off the seat for bumps and minimize the impact. I still prefer pegs below me, however, and my knees are still limber enough that I can ride that way comfortably. Besides, highway pegs allow you to stretch your legs out, too. That said, I do, again, see the attraction of the Harley for a lot of folks.
While the Softail's seat was comfortable, and you can get custom seats with better lumbar support, I strongly prefer the riding position on my Connie. Stock, the Connie had an intolerable reach to the grips, so the very first thing I did when I bought it was install risers that brought the grips back and up three inches. That made all the difference in the world. Now I have just a slight forward reach that keeps me in an erect, upright position, which is a good posture for your back. Having the pegs underneath you also helps foster that good posture.
The Softail, on the other hand, encouraged me to slouch. And after four days I could tell. My back was hurting.
Details
One negative aspect of the Softail's low profile is the potential for contact with hot exhaust pipes. I discovered this one rainy day when I noticed black marks on the pipes. Then I noticed a spot on my black rain pants that was clearly melted a bit. Apparently you have to be careful at a stop to set your right foot down away from the bike so as to avoid this sort of thing. I also apparently let the heel of my boot touch the pipes while riding with my feet back on the floorboards, and that got melted, too.
This has never been an issue with my Honda or my Kawasaki. Sitting up higher as they do, there is room for the pipes to go beneath the pegs, and I've never touched those pipes with anything.
Ground clearance is another issue. Riding the bikes I've owned, I had never scraped hard parts until just recently when I took a Harley Sportster for a demo ride. Both my bikes are shaped live a V when you view them from in front or behind, and you'd need to lean a long way over to touch anything on the ground. Not so with the Softail. Swooping through curves on the New Priest Grade Road I scraped the floorboards and I wasn't even leaning all that far. I'm not saying that's a problem, but it's definitely a difference.
I liked the very clearly defined shifting on the Softail. It gave a loud thunk dropping into the next gear, so it was always clear whether you had or had not flicked that shift lever far enough. There have been times on my bikes, particularly between first and second, where I didn't make it all the way into gear and didn't realize it until I let the clutch out and twisted the throttle.
I wasn't impressed with the Softail's brakes. I'm generally heavy on the front brake and only use the rear brake when I need extra stopping power. With the Softail I had to use the rear brake almost as much as the front. The front just didn't do the job. Surely Harley can do better than that.
It took some adjustment for me to look to the gas tank for the instrument cluster. And I didn't like having to take my eyes off the road to do so. Both my bikes have the instruments up on top of the fork where I can still watch the road while checking the dials and gauges.
The Softail surprised me with how smooth it was. I've seen plenty of Harleys that, at idle, shake like a paint mixer but that was not the case here. I definitely prefer smooth. Also surprisingly, it was a bit rougher at highway speed.
Lastly, I liked the idea that the bike won't start without the key fob in close proximity, so with our frequent stops I wasn't constantly inserting and removing the key. I'd use the key in the morning, then all day long I'd just turn the bike off and walk away. Coming back to it I'd just turn the switch and push the Start button. Then use the key for complete shut-down at night.
Harley or cruiser?
While these riding impressions all have to do with the Softail I was on, I suspect most are applicable to any dressed out cruiser. In other words, I'm not certain whether I've gained a better understanding of the Harley mystique or simply a better understanding of the cruiser mystique.
Of course one thing many Harley owners point to with pride is the fact that their bikes are "American iron." That's as opposed to, say, Star's Royal Star Venture, which is made in Japan, I presume. I'll point out, however, that Kawasaki operates a plant in Lincoln, NE, which until recently produced motorcycles. I may be wrong but I believe that's where my Concours was made, so how much more American-made is a Road King with Kiehin carbs and Brembo brakes than my Connie?
So no, I'm not converted, but at least I don't find it such a mystery. The Softail is a comfortable bike that is easy to ride and feel at home on. Presumably that's true for the whole Harley line-up, with the possible exception of the V-Rod. I think especially for aging riders, and there are a lot of those out there, cruisers are absolutely the way to go. Maybe that will even include me one day. But not yet.
Comments
So a Kaw is made in America huh? And what a fine American name. Used to this logic, it is the same I get from folks who drive Nissan, Honda, Toyota, etc.
Our country has allowed foreign plants to operate here, which is part of the problem now with GM, Ford, and Chrysler.
I have owned Harley all my life, and currently have a FatBoy and Road King, with the RK being my everyday transportation. My only other is a Ford F-150.
No- you still don't get it. It is also about history. What history are you riding.
The only way you will really get it, is if they hire a Japanese reviewer to take your place.
Good comparison of cruisers to sport touring bikes, Ken, but your article is a scientific/logical analysis and you totally missed the "love" that Harley riders feel for their machines. It's not about how long your legs are, it's about being cool, bad, and a bit antisocial. Buying a Harley fulfills an emotional need, not a rational one! If you want rational, you would buy a compact car, not a motorcycle!
I agree with Wolff, putting a Japanese factory on American soil doesn't make their products American, and the profits from those products still go straight to Japan.
Harley's forced to use Japanese vendors for certain components because disloyal Americans bankrolled these manufacturers (like Showa & Nippondenso) back in the Seventies when Japanese labor was pennies on the dollar and their products were cheap, which drove many American manufacturers out of business.
And the fact that the Japanese simply copy other countries' designs means they have minimal R&D costs, further undercutting American manufacturers. Supporting Japan's economy over America's should not be a source of pride.
It may be decades before some people realize what many of us have known for years, that it's not in America's best interest to sell our souls for a handful of oriental trinkets.
PS ~ Kawasaki's first motorcycle, the K1, was a bolt-for-bolt IDENTICAL copy of a BSA 500cc A7.
I find that most Harley riders come from a military background. Someone that was willing to shed not only his blood for his country but willing to lay down his life for it. Therefore the 'scientific/logical analysis', although it was thorough, well thought out and well written missed the psychology, heart and mindset of this society that marches to a different drummer.
The fact that Japanese motorcycles have tried to mimic the thumping 'po-ta-to, po-ta-to, po-ta-to sound of the Harley engine and low to the ground design of the bike in some of their models, shows that they finally figured that part out and are trying to attract the not-so-loyal rider that wants that look and sound at a lower price.
This, in my opinion, is akin to single people that have a check list when looking for the love of their life. It's something that meets the rules of intellect but fails to address the agenda of the heart.
I know a lot of hard work went into your article and you address a lot of pragmatic issues that are important. Thanks for the investment of your time and viewpoint.
Mystique....emotional... these are indeed accurate words in describing the appeal of the Harley. These are the only words that CAN describe their appeal. Having owned two, I can tell you that they are inferior machines (remember, they ARE machines) in every measurable category. The icing on the cake, is that they are also just about the most expensive.
There is no technological innovation going on in Milwaukee. Even the V-rod's engine is designed and built by Porsche. There are no offerings of shaft drive, water cooling, sport touring, super moto, dual sport, the list goes on. There are only cruisers powered by air cooled v-twins with belt final drives. Where is the Yankee Ingenuity?
If a monolith like GM can keep the Corvette competitive and updated, surely we can expect the same from H-D....
As a lifelong Harley rider I feel compelled to answer Anonymous' question. Since the MoCo began over a century ago it has constantly improved its product, within certain necessary parameters. While Harleys don't appear very different on the outside (to the untrained eye), every single model year brings numerous improvements.
2010 Harleys are substantially smoother, more powerful and better handling than 2000 Harleys, just as 2000 Harleys were substantially smoother, more powerful and better handling than 1990 Harleys. Stock displacement of OHV Big Twins has steadily risen from 61 cubic inches a few decades ago to 96 cubic inches today (with 103 and 110 versions offered as options). Compression ratio has gone from 6.5:1 to over 9:1 while engine management has gone from hand-operated spark advance and points to fully computerized ignition and fuel injection.
But while the tech-heads who have no interest in Harleys scream for more and more unnecessary complications from the MoCo, true Harley aficionados want less. We like the simplicity of two huge pistons making gobs of low-end torque (more torque at idle than many multi-cylindered foreign bikes produce at redline). We like Harley's signature power pulses that can't be found in soulless, electric-feeling high-tech multicylindered bikes. We have no interest in owning the latest whiz-bang technology. We like being able to get parts for any year of Big Twin, unlike the oriental bikes which change motors every couple of years, rendering them obsolete in a very short time.
If you want proof of the true value of a motorcycle, look in any motorcycle junkyard anywhere in the world for a Harley. This will require digging through mountains of junked late-model foreign motorcycles. If by some rare chance you happen to find a Harley, buy it quick because it's there entirely by mistake.
Once upon a time I owned a Harley (Sportster883) and LOVED IT! I think Harley has done a *tremendous* job of popularizing motorcycling, thereby helping ALL brands.
For YEARS now they've been the industry leaders in reaching out to women, encouraging them to ride, and have made motorcycles that both appeal to them and that fit!! (Check out their Garage Parties where they close the doors to men and let women be instructed and inspired be each other). Harley, in my opinion, invented the idea of the "lifestyle" that many other manufacturers are copying now--just take a look at BMW's promoting the "GS Lifestyle". The mystique is that HD doesn't have to point out that it's a "lifestyle" and make posters to remind people --Harley Davidson simply *IS*.
It is all about the love. When shopping for my first bike my husband (who was an engineer for American car manufacturers) told me whatever I wanted I could get - including an import if that would be easier for me to handle. I insisted that only a Harley would do and I would learn to handle it.
After six years of attending Bike Week in Daytona Beach, a few years ago I finally tested the Harleys. No, not just one, but just about every model there.
Compared with most other bike manufacturers represented that week, Harley had the best registration process for getting the best "biker experience". Except for the V-Rod & Buell, you just picked out a bike, gave the plate number to the attendant and took off on the bike - at your leisure - and just followed the orange signs.
This allowed me to ride several models and go back to those that tickled my funny bone. In short order, I'd picked out my favorite - the Wide Glide. I didn't realize it then, but it had the longest wheel base and accommodated variable riding positions. But alas the model was dropped for 2009 then brought back as 2010 with a frame change and a shortened wheel base - too bad.
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