Ride report Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic 114
The Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic 114 The new 2019 model year is standing in front of me in the new military style and is to accompany me on an exciting tour to the southwest of Europe. Together with my buddy Hermann and his E-Glide Screamin Eagle, I'm off on my journey.
And somehow the Heritage fits like a glove, because we're heading south along the east coast of Spain. Then we head to the other side to Portugal to spend the weekend at the Harley-Davidson Portugal Rally in Cascais. The tour continues north along the west coast to the Picos de Europa National Park in northern Spain. We then head to France, Brittany and Normandy to Omaha Beach.
Video report on the Heritage Classic
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More InformationWith the Heritage Classic on Omaha Beach in Normandy
This year the 75th anniversary of D-Day at the Normandy and we want to see this place of history. In keeping with this, I went on the legendary Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic 114cui set off on this special tour.
The Travelogue will follow later, now it's about the experiences and the Touring suitability the Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic model range 2019. I drove the Heritage Classic from the beginning of June for 4 weeks over approx. 10.000 kilometers and can say in advance that it surprised and delighted me.
The LED light is a new benchmark
I was particularly excited about the light output, as I am familiar with the LED lighting technology and light output from the Road Glide, which really impressed me. Harley-Davidson has given it the new reflector LED headlights, the additional fog lights give it the very successful Harley military look and give it a certain camouflage look. Camouflage is a keyword that particularly applies to it.
Watch out for deer crossing the road
10,000 kilometers with the Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic
The model from the Softail range is listed at the bottom of the list, but it performed so well in the 10000 kilometer test that it should definitely be represented in the higher Touring class.
At a price of €24690 (as of July 2019), it is not the cheapest Softail, but then again it is not an expensive tourer for what the Heritage comes with as standard.
It has the powerful 114cui engine, a touring windshield, side bags and the new reflector LED headlights. You won't find this on the Road King in the next larger class.
Only the Road King Special has the 1.9 liter engine, but no touring screen and no additional reflector lighting. It could be retrofitted, but that would be too easy and would cost extra.
Why the comparison between the Heritage Classic and the Road King series?
The Road King is a proven tourer that can be ridden long distances, something I didn't expect from the Heritage.
The beautiful Predecessor model from 2016 is more at home on country roads and gets thirsty above 120 km/h. The new Heritage Classic 114cui is in a completely different class in the 2019 model year. Anyone who test drives it will be able to confirm this.
The comfortable seat in combination with footboards and ergonomic handlebars form a perfect unit for long tours.
Understatement - being underestimated is also an advantage
With its 94 hp, the Milwaukee-Eight engine has plenty of power in every situation.
155 Nm are available at 3000 rpm
If you enjoy straight-line driving at 120 km/h and 2700 rpm on the long haul and need a bit of pressure to overtake, you can easily call on the 155 Newton from the torque cellar in 6th gear, which is immediately available via the electric throttle cable.
Compared to the previous model, the tank also has 18.9 liters, with the only difference being that you can now drive more than 300 kilometers, depending on your driving style.
If you push it harder, you will still be able to drive about 250 kilometers to the next fuel stop.
Very low fuel consumption
Harley-Davidson states a consumption of 5.6L per 100 km according to the Euro measurement procedure EC134/2014, which is more than realistic. I consumed even less, despite riding quickly. My consumption on the tour was between 5 and 7 liters per 100 kilometers driven.
Everything is set for touring
The biggest surprise for me is the comfortable riding position, on our tour to Spain we rode 800 kilometers on the first day and over 1000 kilometers on the second.
When everything was broken in, including the driver, we drove over 1400 kilometers on the third day. You can only do that with a proper tourer, otherwise you're completely exhausted by the second day at the latest and I was still feeling great in the evening.
By the way, my buddy Hermann rode a 97 Screamin Eagle E-Glide with the 110 engine.
We were perfect on the road, the E-Glide has a bigger tank but more weight and our range until the reserve light came on was pretty much the same. The Heritage Classic 114 has plenty of reserves
The Heritage is limited from approx. 175 km/h, but this is not the speed for the classic Harley rider. Its territory is 120/130 km/h at 2700 rpm and plenty of reserves upwards.
It wants to be run in and used!
After a mileage of approx. 5000 kilometers, its performance increased even more and from approx. 7000 not only the exhaust slowly took on a different character, but also the engine. The new Milwaukee-Eight engine sounds noticeably nicer after a few thousand kilometers.
The suspension is also firmer and made a great impression in all situations. Whereas in the previous series you were a footboard grinder in every traffic circle, this is now a thing of the past.
The new Heritage can now boast a lean angle of 27.3 degrees on the left side and 28.5 degrees on the right side. I've only ever had it start to drag in a really sporty riding style when cornering.
The saddlebags have a mind of their own.
I couldn't get to grips with the saddlebags at first, they almost drove me mad at the beginning because the fastener would only close directly with a pinch.
But that has changed, after I used it intensively for four weeks, the lid now falls straight into the lock at the end of the test the first time I close it.
The surface of the saddlebags has a leather design, with applications that can also be found on the saddle. The days of rivets and leather fringes are finally over.
On my trips with the Heritage I experienced an extreme ride, I got caught in a thunderstorm with heavy rain on the highway. The saddlebags were not affected by the rain and the inner hard shell remained dry, as it did on other rainy rides.
The name of the Heritage is still the same, but the technical changes and the chassis in particular set a milestone in the Heritage Classic era.
Keyless-go and alarm system
The Harley-Davidson Keyless Go system is very simple, as long as the FOB is always with the rider, you don't have to worry about anything. As soon as you get near the Harley, the alarm system and the immobilizer are automatically disarmed so that you can drive off immediately.
This works in the same way when parking, just always keep an eye on the FOB. If it gets lost, there is an emergency function to unlock the machine manually with a number key. This is described in the manual.
The new fat 130 tire dimension on the front wheel
At the front, the Heritage Classic has a 130 Dunlop tires, which is quite powerful. It ensures that the Softail pulls straight across the track. Nothing can upset it so quickly, yet it is very easy to control when cornering. At the rear, the Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic is fitted with 150 Dunlop tires.
I know the feeling from the Forty-Eight, which also shines at the front with the wide tire.
The Dunlop tire with the Harley-Davidson lettering on the side fits her perfectly in every situation, whether riding in the rain, cornering or on the highway, the tire provided a lot of safety and good contact with the road in every situation.
USB finds its way into the Softail class
Well, the Heritage also wants to meet the demands of modern times. In times when the government thinks that we don't need internet at every milk can, Harley-Davidson is fortunately more innovative.
At the front left of the frame, the Heritage Classic has a USB port, which is powered by the new 48 amp alternator.
If you install a holder on the handlebar, you can supply your cell phone or mobile navigation device with power. However, caution is advised if the cell phone has an optical image stabilizer.
(Observe the legal requirements of the respective countries)
This small, inconspicuous connection is worth its weight in gold, especially on long tours.
The flexible navigation solution
Even when driving in the rain, I had no problems with the water and the USB Connection that is protected behind a cap when not in use.
There are different ways to use the navigation, with Apple and Android the maps are already integrated. There is also the option, for example, of using the TomTom GO Navigation (Apple) (Android) as an APP for €1.99 (3 months €4.99) per month. The subscription can be canceled monthly, the software has up-to-date data and also provides information about speed cameras. It is particularly interesting for journeys abroad because it can be used offline.
Inspection intervals
The first inspection has to be done at around 1600 kilometers and the next major inspection is at 8000 kilometers. In my case, it was later because I was still on the road.
The clutch cable lost some tension
At a mileage of around 5000 kilometers, the clutch cable was a little slack, which is usually retightened by the service department at the second inspection.
Adjust the clutch: That's a great solution, if you know it.
What I didn't see first, however, is that you can quickly adjust the clutch on the Heritage Classic even as a layman, there is a tensioner on the construction cable that is attached to the frame. Now remove the protective cap and you can quickly make fine adjustments.
As already mentioned, the suspension of the Heritage is almost perfect, it also has the possibility to adjust the shock absorber, but not as easily as on the other Softail models.
The damper setting is under the saddle
I couldn't really understand that, because we're standing in front of a real tourer here, and it would be nice to be able to adjust the central shock to the desired firmness with a flick of the wrist.
To do this, the 3 screws have to be loosened from the saddle, the damper is accessible under the seat and can be adjusted with a hexagon wrench. In the end, however, I still found something that wasn't perfect.
The speedometer has a modern design and displays the most important information, while the switch on the handlebars on the left-hand side can be used to tap through the menu.
The information system is without frills
The fuel level and the gear engaged are always displayed, other displays are kilometers driven, stages A and B, range (standard for me), speed, time.
The readability of the digital display is good, in sunshine and with sunglasses it still fits, but the display is best viewed when it gets a little darker, then the beautiful lighting of the speedometer unit comes into its own.
Cruise control is easy to operate
For me, one of the most important features is the cruise control, which is not installed in every new Softail model, but the Heritage Classic still has it on board.
It is a very good companion, especially on long tours. Its working range is from 40 km/h up to 140 km/h, after which the pilot can pull the throttle himself if necessary.
If you have only accelerated briefly, it does not need to be reset; as long as you do not brake, it remembers the last set speed.
How does cruise control work?
Activate: Press the switch in once. In the 40 km/h / 140 km/h range, press the switch down once and it will remain at that speed.
The cruise control icon on the display changes from orange to green. If you press the switch upwards, the Harley-Davidson accelerates up to max. 140 km/h.
Deactivate: Press the switch or apply the brake briefly and it switches off.
The Heritage Classic and the ABS braking system
In general, I can only recommend everyone to try out the braking behavior of their bike on a suitable track. Especially if you are coming from a machine without an anti-lock braking system.
Re-entry courses freshen up!
At this point I would like to refer you directly to the re-entry courses offered by many Harley-Davidson dealerships and also the ADAC, which are particularly suitable for this purpose.
Your braking behavior
The Heritage Classic has ABS and it brakes very well. However, if you think that's enough to just want to brake at the rear in an emergency situation, you're in for a nasty surprise.
Although it slows down the ride, it doesn't lock up, which used to happen quickly during emergency braking. The rear breakaway, as in the old days, is history. The uncontrollable breakaway when braking no longer occurs. It can be braked down very safely and quickly with ABS, but you should definitely have done this once, because it has considerably less braking power at the rear than at the front.
Correct braking should be skillful.
However, it is also essential to fully include the front brake, which has a perforated strong four-piston fixed-caliper disc brake at the front and a perforated two-piston fixed-caliper disc brake at the rear, so the behavior is intentional in terms of safety.
The anti-lock braking system regulates a lot, so it remains controllable even during emergency braking. The myth that a Harley-Davidson doesn't brake properly is history and the very large Harley Tourers in particular decelerate the machine enormously during emergency braking with their electronic brake force distribution.
Conclusion on the Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic 114
This Harley-Davidson is at home in all classes! Long tours, sporty, powerful, very refined running and easy handling characterize it.
If you don't like it at first sight, you should give it a chance and at least test ride it once.
The Heritage is the best entry into the Tourer class
In my experience, it is the best entry-level model in the Touring class. But with the powerful 114cui engine, which was previously only available in the Touring class from the Special models upwards.
The engine, its lightness, the windshield, the good seat and especially the powerful LED light are very good reasons to choose the Heritage Classic 114cui!
Harley-Davidson offers plenty of accessories
Download the accessories parts list of the Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic 2019 FLHCS as PDFDownload
The technical data of the Heritage Classic 114 (FLHCS) Type: ST1
- Heritage Classic 114 (FLHCS)
- Milwaukee-Eight 114 (107 discontinued in 2019)
- 1868 cm3 69 kW (94 hp) / 155 Nm
- Six-speed gearbox
Service data:
Warranty: four years with no mileage limit (Switzerland: two years)
Initial inspection: after 1600 km Service intervals: once a year or every 8000 km Engine oil change: every 8000 km with filter: every 8000 km
Engine oil: Harley-Davidson HD 360 Capacity: Oil tank with filter: 4.7 l
Spark plugs: 6R10
Air filter: Glass fiber filter element Idle speed: 850 rpm
Fuel: Super unleaded
Tire pressure: front: 2.5 bar rear: 2.8 bar
Unladen weight incl. operating materials: 330 kg
Permissible total weight: 526 kg Payload: 196 kg
Tank capacity (reserve): 18.9 l (3.8 l)
Colors: Vivid Black, Rawhide, Wicked Red & Twisted Cherry, Rawhide & Vivid Black, Billiard Blue & Billiard White, Kinetic Green.
Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic 114 FLHCS 2019 PDF Datasheet Download
Features: LED headlights and fog lights, USB port, Cruise Control electronic cruise control system, fog lights, removable windshield, security system (key fob for immobilizer and alarm system), keyless ignition, remaining range indicator, driver's footboards, two covered hard-shell cases (total volume: approx. 43 l), connection for battery charger, maintenance-free AGM battery 12 V/17.5 AH. .
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