Time Traveler: 1997 Harley-Davidson Heritage Springer Softail

Back in the late 1940s, when motorcycle builders tried to peer into a murky future and guess what sorts of two-wheeled marvels people would be enjoying in half a century, they probably didn't include the possibility that some of their counterparts two generations later would be striving to recreate the very bikes that they were building. But, perhaps as an escape from the escalation of technology that hurtles us ever-quicker toward an uncertain future, there is growing trend to increasingly nostalgic motorcycles.

To confirm this, you need look no further than the legions of entities who have professed an intention to revive the Indian motorcycles of that era. The return of other old names like Excelsior, the fact that the new Triumph motorcycle company sees its greatest success with its most nostalgic model, and the increasingly classic styling of cruisers from all manufacturers underscores motorcyclists' desire for the machines of a simpler era. And that simply reflects the larger world's fascination with old machines, with everything from old refrigerators to half-century-old bicycles to ancient farm equipment enjoying surges of interest. You wonder why American car makers aren't rolling out modern renditions of '57 Chevys and '49 pick-ups.

Few companies in any business have woven their present with the past the way Harley-Davidson has. The names Heritage and Classic are sprinkled liberally throughout it's model line. But no previous model digs deeper into Harley's illustrious past than this new Heritage Springer Softail, which takes many of its styling cues from a 1948 Harley model.

In 1948, the sound barrier had recently been broken. Harry Truman was president. Jackie Robinson had just broken baseball's color barrier. In Japan, a fellow named Honda had started putting surplus engines in bicycles. For American motorcyclists, once they got past being stunned by the "riots" at a Hollister, California rally, the big news was that Harley's 74-cubic-inch flagship had a new alloy head with hydraulic lifters operating the overhead valves. The style of the rocker covers, which looked a bit like inverted cooking pans, earned these bikes the panhead nickname. The undamped girder-style fork was still used but it was on its way out. Harley had a sleek new hydraulically damped telescopic system about to debut. However, the clean lines of the frame had yet to be interrupted by rear suspension. Harley enjoyed its best sales year in its history to that time.

Half a century later, the Hollister rally is being resurrected, and the newest Harley model seeks to emulate its 1948 forerunner. The familiar 1340cc (80-cubic-inch) air-cooled V-twin has specifications similar that 1948 motor, though every part is different. It's set in the clean lines of the Softail chassis, which mimics a hardtail chassis. For the first time, Harley has mated its modern Springer front end (which enjoys the benefits of damping) with a 16-inch front wheel. Previous Springer models have all used 21-inch front wheels, but the 16-incher is a more authentic match in terms of classic machines.

As with other Springer-equipped machines, the front end provides a smooth ride free of the static friction (or stiction) that plagues telescopic fork legs. As a result, the ride over small ripples and ridges is smoother than what you get with most conventional front suspensions. The hidden-shock rear end is not as compliant over large bumps, especially sharp-edged models, as the front end, which diminishes the overall smoothness. The wide 16-inch front wheel seems to lighten up the steering manners a bit compared to Springer models with 21-inch front wheels, but there is also a very slight tendency to straighten up under braking, which we didn't note with the skinny 21-inch wheel. Steering is otherwise neutral, particularly at low speeds, when the bike is extremely responsive and steady, considerably better than most cruisers. Handling is stable in corners or simply bucking side winds on the open road. Cornering clearance is less than most other Harley-Davidson cruisers, though presumably someone looking for a retro ride won't feel that cornering is much of an issue.

With no counterbalancer and traditional solid engine mounting, vibration is somewhere in the shaky end of the tolerable spectrum. On our test unit, the vibes came at you primarily through the floorboards, but the bars and seat also gave a bit of vibro-massage. For us, the vibration made the jump to excessive at about 75 mph. Though the saddle feels pretty solid when you first settle into it, it's flat and roomy and holds up well on extended rides. The editorial hineys were ready for relief about the time the tank was ready for a refill. We wondered if the chrome rail running around the back of the rider's section (one of the classic touches on the bike) would be annoying after a while, but it never bothered anyone.

The riding position is very user friendly, offering a comfy stance for all our riders. Starting from a fairly low top triple clamp, the stainless-steel handlebar bends upwards about five inches from three-inch risers. The grips greet you with a moderate turn-in at an angle and width that was comfortable both maneuvering in tight spots and running down the road at 75 mph. Part of the reason the riding position worked so well on the highway is the rather high positions of the headlight and spotlights, which divert the air stream around your chest, reducing the pressure on your arms at 70 mph. The floorboards position the rider's legs comfortably too, they are distant enough to let your legs stretch out but far enough rearward to permit you to stand on them across bumps.

Some details of the ergonomics impressed us less favorably, though. The position of the brake pedal made it virtually impossible to apply it with your heel on the floorboard, making control imprecise. For most riders, the normal, comfortable riding position placed the right foot under the pedal, making it slow to get into action. The heel-and-toe shifter can be rowed with part of your foot on the board, but it was least awkward if the rider lifted his foot to shift positively. We have complained about Harley's dual-button turn signals before, and even with the nice handlebar layout of the Heritage Springer, this design is still more awkward than the single-switch systems.

Harley's handlebar levers are definitely built for large hands. Some testers call them bulky. The brake lever has no provision to adjust its distance from the bar and requires a strong squeeze to make it work, though the single-disc front brake will deliver more than enough whoas to lock the front tire if you apply sufficient pressure. We needed to practice hard stops for a while before we felt ready to handle a genuine panic stop on the street. In its favor, the Springer front suspension resists diving during braking, which means that you have suspension travel available to deal with bumps encountered while you stop.

The clutch lever has a similar bulky feel, but clutch operation is smooth and progressive. Prior to this test, we'd been riding a Road King, powered by a fuel-injected version of Harley's 1340cc engine that the company says makes 9 percent more torque than this one and which feels more responsive throughout its rev range. Though we were immediately aware that this bike has fewer total ponies on tap, other aspects impressed even more. This engine seems less willing to rev freely up top, which may be partially a result of the rising magnitude of vibration as revs increase, which discourages you from revving it hard. This engine also feels a bit flatter off idle than the injected model. Assuming you buy a Heritage Springer for its nostalgic potency, neither of these complaints will matter much. You hardly expect to see a vintage motorcycle making power shifts as it accelerates down the road.

In other aspects of engine operation it was willing enough. Given a little choke or a full twist of the throttle on what passes for a winter morning in southern California, the bike would light off promptly and idle without assistance after a passes for a winter morning in southern California, the bike would light off promptly and idle without assistance after a couple of minutes of warming. Fuel mileage with the 92-octane gas that Harley recommends was sufficient to travel over 150 miles before the twin-cap 4.2-gallon fuel reservoir required refilling.

A nicely muffled, somewhat unique note emerges from the dual fishtail mufflers. The exhaust system design is a bit unusual. The right muffler is the main muffler, as you can see by looking at the right side of the bike. The front exhaust pipe plugs conventionally into the right muffler. Viewed from the right, the rear cylinder also appears to dump entirely into the right muffler, with a pipe that runs from the cylinder head down to join the front cylinder's header before it reaches the muffler. So what does the left muffler do? It's fed by a pipe that emerges at right angles from the rear cylinder's header pipe a short distance from the cylinder head. It makes three bends around the rear of the primary case to join the left muffler. You can feel the difference in pressure from the two mufflers when you hold your hands behind them while the engine is running--the right muffler's output is noticeably stronger.

To punctuate the vintage styling of the Heritage Springer, Harley's designers included plenty of retro touches and features in addition to the spotlights, headlight position, seat rail and fishtail mufflers. Full fenders swoop around fat tires with wide whitewalls. A front-tip light glows from the floating front fender, and a classic "tombstone" taillight/license-plate light adorns the rear. Mounting the horn up front with vintage-replica cover emulates past practice and gives the feeble hooter a better shot at being noticed. The speedometer, warning lights and ignition switch reside atop the fuel tank in a chrome panel. All the upholstery--the skirted saddle, the tank divider and the leather saddlebags--carry a basket-weave pattern and blue or red (depending on whether the bike has blue or red striping painted on its tank and fenders) piping around the edges. The saddle's skirts also have conchos and fringe.