The Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic 2016 in the 5000km test

It's not the best seller at Harley-Davidson, it appeals to a very specific target group: people who want to be on the road with passion and like to see modernity combined with nostalgia. Where better to do this than on the Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail, it still carries the legacy of history and plenty of adventure in it today, it was already available as a Panhead, Shovel, Evolution and also in the new V2 injection engine.

What they all have in common are the rivets on the leather bags, the saddle and the beautiful sissy bar is also part of it, a window and the double headlights decorated with chrome round off the nostalgic package. The leather jacket with the long fringes is also part of it, but that's just it. The beautiful whitewall tires and spoked rims go particularly well with the Heritage, the nostalgic light on the front fender and the high handlebars are the most noticeable features.

The Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic comes to your home from an authorized Harley-Davidson dealer for around €22,365. It has extensive equipment, starting with ABS, high-quality leather bags, a large removable window and the running boards, which are particularly popular for touring. The headlights radiate a wide beam across the road and the high beam is responsible for the very good illumination of the road in accordance with the large main headlight.

This year I rode over 5,300 km with the Heritage and it completely convinced me. I rode 600 km of routes continuously twice. If I have to, it's possible, but the big Harley-Davidson tourers have me for these routes in one go of course more convinced.
The strengths of the Heritage Softail are all tours of up to 300 km, there is no pressure and the seating position is really very comfortable. Equipped with cruise control, it also masters the motorway stages with confidence.

At first I was a bit skeptical about the high handlebars as to whether my arms would get longer after a decent tour, but that was never the case, the handlebars are very well curved, whether in curves or on long distances, they always give you a safe feeling. it just fits. However, you shouldn't be alarmed; if you lean into the curve a little more, you'll be startled by the scratching of the running boards. That's not a big deal, but maybe a little unusual.

That's the only negative thing I noticed on the 5000km road test, the Heritage doesn't have any bad qualities, it's a nice Harley all around. It has a great chassis built into it, it cushions very comfortably even on bad roads, but it's not too soft either. So far I've only seen a similarly good chassis from the 2016 Harley-Davidson E-Glide.  

What I particularly like is the dented oil line from the oil tank to the engine. In the style of the old Heritage Softail models, they have a high-quality chrome finish, and the intermediate chrome-plated steel flex line is decoupled from the engine. The illuminated fuel gauge is located in the left fuel tank cap, which is not a fuel tank cap; the fuel is only filled via the right fuel tank cap. All relevant information about the range can also be accessed via the digital display. Consumption is around 5.5 to 6 liters when driving quickly. On fast motorway journeys, consumption can also increase slightly due to the windshield.

The top speed is 170km/h, which is completely sufficient for the Heritage. It has good acceleration, and if it gets tight when overtaking, it still noticeably accelerates at around 3300 rpm. But it's not that sporty, it has reserves, but actually the Heritage wants to be ridden comfortably and that works great, you start with the running boards, put your feet comfortably on them and let yourself sink into the saddle, it couldn't be more comfortable . It weighs about 350kg, but that sounds more than it is, it is very easy to drive and the window and additional headlights make it look a bit more. In this version it had an olive-gold metallic paintwork, the paint came through well, especially in the sun. I was surprised that the unusual paintwork was also well received in petrol discussions with friends. Conclusion: A great machine that comes ready from the factory, a Harley-Davidson that doesn't want to be changed much, the sound is not loud, but good. A great chassis and a very comfortable seating position guarantee nice, comfortable tours on a beautiful Harley-Davidson.

Technical data: (manufacturer information)

Price €22,365 (2016)

Seat height 690mm
Front tires MT90B16 72H
Rear tires MU85B16 77H
Tank capacity 18.9 l
Empty weight ready to drive 347 kg
Displacement 1,690 cc
Torque (according to Euronorm EC95/1) 130 Nm
Power 74.8 HP / 55 kW @ 5,010 rpm
ABS