Most of us live for the weekend. Sure, there are a lucky few who enjoy their work and the inevitable challenges that work brings. But the weekend is when you’re the boss. You can decide to sleep in, go out, or stay in bed all day if you like, every once in a while. Or, you can choose to get on your beloved motorcycle and go for a relaxing ride.
If it is a ride to unwind, you’re going to have to pick a cruiser motorcycle. After all, such bikes like it low and slow, and feeling the wind in your face while listening to the burble of a torquey engine beneath you is definitely a kind of therapy. What would be the ideal cruiser for weekend getaways, you ask? Let’s find out.
10 Reasons Why We Will Miss The Cheapest Harley-Davidson Softail
This was the Harley-Davidson cruiser with the highest torque under $15,000.
The Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic Is The Ideal Cruiser For Weekend Getaways
The weekend can go a few ways when you choose to spend it on a motorcycle. We’ve already established that if you want to take things easy, a cruiser is what you’ll require. Of course, with things like power cruisers and sport cruisers being things today, you do have choices, but a traditional cruiser prefers to take things slowly. So what you’ll need is a cruiser that gives you a great experience on the go. It’s the same when you get off it – it should make you want to look back at it as you walk away. At the same time, it shouldn’t fall short on modern amenities, and neither should it lack in performance.
Considering all these things, the Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic rises to the top in our consideration. Sure, you might find cruisers that have more performance, or ride and handle better. What you won’t get is the Heritage Classic’s combination of vintage looks and modern tech with a dollop of brand recognition and biking brotherhood thrown in for good measure. This is why the Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic is the ideal cruiser for weekend getaways today.
Trusty Milwaukee-Eight V-twin Charm With Dollops Of Torque
The Heritage Classic, like all of Harley-Davidson’s current Softail range, uses the Milwaukee Eight 117 engine. In this form, it has oil cooling for the cylinder heads, and that helps it churn out 98 horsepower and a very impressive 120 pound-feet of torque. This is sent through a six-speed transmission and a belt final drive to the wheel.
|
Engine Configuration |
‘Milwaukee-Eight 117 Classic’ 45 degree V-twin, air-cooled cylinders/oil-cooled heads, OHV, 4 valves per cylinder |
|
Displacement |
1,917 cc |
|
Bore x Stroke |
103.5 x 114.3 mm |
|
Compression Ratio |
10.3:1 |
|
Power |
98 HP @ 4,600 RPM |
|
Torque |
120 LB-FT @ 2,500 RPM |
|
Fuel System |
Electronic sequential port fuel injection |
|
Transmission |
6 speed manual |
|
Final Drive |
Belt drive |
The Discontinued Harley-Davidson Cruiser Bike We Miss The Most
We will miss this old-school Harley’s back-to-basics nature.
Traditional Chassis Design But Modern Suspension
The motorcycles of the Softail range all have a similar frame: a double downtube cradle setup. This tends to make the motorcycle heavier than it would be with a trellis frame, but it lends itself well to customization. And Harley-Davidson offers an almost unlimited range of customization for its Softail range. Getting back to the stock Heritage Classic, it gets beefy front forks from Showa (the dual-bending kind) and a hidden rear monoshock (with preload adjustment) to preserve the hardtail look.
The brakes consist of a single 300 mm front disc and a 292 mm rear disc, where the front caliper is a four-piston fixed unit, while the rear one is a two-piston floating one. It uses a pair of 16-inch rims with touring-friendly tires. Dual-channel ABS ensures you stay upright in slippery conditions.
Key Dimensions
|
Fuel Tank Capacity |
5 Gallons |
|
Length/Width/Height |
95.1/36.6/53.9 inches |
|
Wheelbase |
64.2 inches |
|
Rake |
30 degrees |
|
Trail |
5.5 inches |
|
Seat Height |
26.8 inches |
|
Ground Clearance |
4.7 inches |
|
Curb Weight |
728 LBs (wet) |
Plenty Of Modern Features Bedazzled With Retro Charm
The Heritage Classic leans into its vintage vibe when it comes to features. The instrument cluster is a 5-inch circular cluster dominated by an analog speedometer. At the bottom, a reverse LCD shows the remainder of the important information, like the odometer and fuel level. This display also helps you access the ride modes and the safety suite (cornering traction control and cornering drag-torque slip control). In the long haul, you’ll also appreciate the soft luggage, a detachable windscreen, cruise control, and two auxiliary lights that flank the main headlamp.
The accessories list is appreciably long, and has items like better paint schemes, cross-spoke wheel rims that can take tubeless tires, better seats for touring, backrests, and a top box to go with the standard saddles. These are just the official accessories, though; a whole world lies out there if you choose to go to the aftermarket.
Every 2025 Harley-Davidson Cruiser On Sale
The most powerful 2025 Harley-Davidson cruiser gets a cozier suspension setup for no price bump!
Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic Competition
The Heritage Classic is quite unique with its combination of retro looks and modern tech under the skin, combined with actual history that it draws from to offer an interpretation of its own history in its looks. The closest you can come to something like this is with the Indian Super Chief Limited. It has the distinctive retro look, but packs in even more modern features like a 4-inch touchscreen TFT display with Bluetooth and navigation. The electronics are quite basic here, though.
If you want other options that don’t include an American badge or a V-twin engine for your weekend getaway cruiser, the BMW R 18 Classic makes a strong case for itself. First off, it is significantly cheaper while being larger in size. It doesn’t have the same level of performance, though, and neither does it have handling as nimble as the Americans. Finally, if you’d like to have a cruiser that you can ride quickly as well over the weekend, Triumph will be happy to sell you the Rocket 3 Storm GT. It is a fair bit more expensive than the Heritage Classic, but you do get the world’s largest engine ever fitted to a production motorcycle, and the performance and electronics to match.
Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic Vs Rivals
|
Model |
Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic |
Indian Super Chief Limited |
BMW R 18 Classic |
Triumph Rocket 3 GT |
|
Price |
$19,999 (solo) |
$21,999 |
$18,395 |
$26,295 |
|
Engine |
45-degree V-twin, air-cooled cylinders/oil-cooled heads |
49-degree V-twin, air cooling |
Boxer twin, air/oil cooling |
Inline three cylinder, liquid cooled |
|
Engine Orientation |
Transverse |
Transverse |
Longitudinal |
Longitudinal |
|
Displacement |
1,923 cc |
1,890 cc |
1,802 cc |
2,458 cc |
|
Power |
98 HP @ 4,600 RPM |
~90 HP @ NA RPM |
91 HP @ 4,750 RPM |
179.5 HP @ 7,000 RPM |
|
Torque |
120 LB-FT @ 2,500 RPM |
120 LB-FT @ 2,900 RPM |
120 LB-FT @ 3,000 RPM |
166 LB-FT @ 4,000 RPM |
|
Final Drive |
Belt |
Belt |
Shaft |
Shaft |
|
Curb Weight (Wet) |
728 LBs |
739 LBs |
760 LBs |
699 LBs |