HARLEY-DAVIDSON HERITAGE CLASSIC (2018 - on) Review

It accelerates very well for a big un and it handles very well, its been through the Alps and Pyrenees and does long sweepers and the switch backs very well. its not a sports bike but I am learning to ride it at a good lick. its different to other bikes I have ridden it has low down weight, its long and it has loads of torque. so its not an average ride but its very involving and a great experience. The vibration is less than on most bikes and we did some 7 hour plus days without many stops in reasonable comfort it is generally worse for pillion comfort. Distances between stops depended on road type I would guess on Motorways 3 hrs was ok but from the off we rode for longer then towards the end of the day we needed more stops. Stops were generally short and where no different or better than what we did on the BMW. The brakes work and stop a heavy bike very well. I have had a little judder from the front but that was going fast into downhill switchbacks and it was nothing significant. so far I am more than happy with them.

It starts, it sounds great, it has tons of torque, open the throttle and it picks up extremely well there are no negative aspects to power delivery. there is less vibration than other bikes I have rides, the cruse control is great and easy to use. its economical about 56mpg, Its fairly accessible and easy to clean. It has used 1L of oil in about 6000 miles

It looks spectacularly good! Initial inspection reveals good quality finishing of paint and chrome, but the plastics don't fit as flush as they might, the seat lets water in and the dealers think that is acceptable. the clock steams up again no dealer support even though its in warranty the pannier rivets are coming loose and the pannier lock fell to pieces near Paris. and finally the domed nuts holding the mirrors are starting to rust as are some of the spoke nuts, its used about 1.0 L of oil so far. but it starts every time and I think I will iron out the niggles as we go along.

well it cost best part of 20K, and I would have expected it to be made in America but it comes from Thailand. it seems to be averaging about 56mpg which I am happy with and there was no significant increase in insurance cost over the BMW 1150 RT I was running. the tyres are not showing significant wear and the oil used was not to expensive. In order to tour I fitted a sissy bar, rack and a sundowner passenger seat. I have a little screen add-on that lifts the wind over the screen so we can ride with open faced helmets at reasonable speed. I bought a 70L dry bag that sits on the rack and also rests on the panniers allowing us to carrie 16.5 kg in the bag and still use the panniers for bits n bats.

I have added a sissy bar, rack and a small screen extension to lift the wind I also fitted a sundowner pillion seat and the bike came with Vance and Hines exhaust and had been appropriately tuned to stage 1. I love the cruse control. The panniers are not practical they are moulded to a set shape with the opening smaller than the inside and they are permanently fixed so they stay outside on the bike when you book into your B&B. also why no remote adjustment to the rear pre-load?

I came from a BMW GS, which has great suspension and brakes. The H-D is fine, but not in the same league. A particular annoyance is having to take the front seat off to adjust preload.

The best bit of the bike. Huge torque, good fuel consumption.

The jury is out. Rattling fuel cap and speedo housing misting up are both known problems on these. I've got both problems and HD are repairing under warranty, but I worry they will not be effective fixes.

I've not had to pay for a service yet, but so far the service dept. has been very helpful when I've made a few modifications.

Cruise control is very good. Not much other equipment.

Dual front brakes would slow the power of the 114 more securely but the stock single is adequate. Ride is nimble and comfortable. The wind screen is too low for me leaving considerable head buffeting so upgrading to a taller screen soon.

Incredible power, smooth and vibration-free, instantaneous acceleration in any gear.

Build appeared flawless and solid.

Hard bags are big improvement and the snap-on backrest and especially Tour-Pak make touring a real possibility.

The new Showa suspension soaks up the bumps and gives great confidence. The single disc up front is adequate but I find I use more rear brake than I'd usually use on a modern machine.

The Milwaukee 8 is the smoothest engine Harley have made. The 114 cubic inch version has torque enough to give acceleration in any gear.

Quality has improved dramatically with the 2018 softail models.

Only needs servicing every two years unless you rack up the miles.

Screen, panniers and LED lights are all standard. Add a top box our Tour Pak as Harley call them and you've enough room for extended touring.

I can ride the bike several hundred miles, take a break and go again. This bike is at its best when you have country roads and then in town.

Backrest and luggage rack would be o.k. My favorite features of the bike are color scheme-denim grey/denim black and handling.