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Motorcycle Investor mag

Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic review

(Feb 2023)

Harley-Davidson’s Heritage Softail series has come a long way since the eighties

To the casual bystander, seeing the Harley roll into frame is a compelling sight. The big pushrod V-twin has ‘114 cubic inches’ emblazoned on the air cleaner, which amounts to 1870cc – enough to make an impression. In case you’re wondering, the full title of this monster is Heritage Classic, aka FLHCS.

1989 harley hertiage

Intended to look like a traditional hardtail bike (i.e. no rear suspension) the Softail series was launched in 1983 for the 1984 model year. Move up to 1988 and we got our first glimpse of the FLST (above) the first of the Heritage series and drawing a visual connection to what you might have bought from the Motor Company as far back as the 1940s.

Harley heritage

Back in the mid-1980s, the big twin was 80ci (1340cc) and produced around 60 horses. Now it’s fuel-injected, is running double the number of valves (eight) and spark plugs (four) and claiming more like 94hp (70kW).

Getting power to the ground is a pretty accurate six-speed transmission and belt drive.

Those of you who might have ridden the early Softails and not updated since are in for a bit of a shock. Aside from having a lot more oomph, they’re much smoother and more responsive. Plus the handling has been tidied up in a big way.

At around 330kg ready for the road we’re still talking heavy cruiser rather than sports bike performance, however there’s plenty there to put keep most people amused.

Handling is benign, with good control from the suspension and reasonably light steering that points accurately enough. In fact, you’d give it a pretty big tick for being user-friendly.

Braking is a single disc at both ends, with a four-spot caliper up front and two-spot on the rear. The single front, rather than a dual, is there for ‘traditional’ looks and seems to do the job well enough.

Harley heritage

Our example ran cruise control, windscreen and locking panniers, plus rider footboards, which gave the thing some solid touring credentials. I'd be looking for an add-on pillion backrest as well.

Like most big H-D twins, it’s remarkably light on fuel, with 20km/lt in reach at a steady 100km/h. That means the 18.9lt fuel tank offers decent range.

Claimed rider seat height is a very low 680mm, which is a dual-edged feature. It means the bike suits small to medium-height riders very well and they’re likely to be delighted to encounter a big machine that’s easy to handle. Taller riders however may be more comfortable on something like a Road King.

Maintenance is pretty straight-forward, as it’s running hydraulic tappets which take care of themselves. There are three oil checkpoints (engine, transmission and primary drive), while belt final drives generally prove to be fairly low-stress.

Reader Carl Batey tells us there is still a fair amount of extra performance potential in the injected motor for the creative tuner. He says: "They have 54 per cent throttle in first, second and third, 76 per cent in fourth and 100 per cent in fifth and sixth gears. You should try one with a pair of mufflers and a good ECU tune."

Harley heritage

Pricing starts at Au$37,995 (US$25,500, GB£21,400) on the road, which is substantial but a long way from being the most expensive cruiser out there. Harley has done a lot civilise this series over the years, while extracting considerably more performance. Based on our experience, that’s a pretty enjoyable package.

See the H-D Heritage Classic page