Road-testing the Harley-Davidson Softail Springer: "When the front end of a motorcycle knocks you right out of your socks, you know you've got something good". So goes the blurb for the Harley-Davidson Softail 'Springer' Classic.
Forget the reference to socks, they are actually talking about the distinctive front forks on this machine.
The Softail Harleys are meant to echo the lines and style of the "Panhead" Harleys of the late 1940s, with their girder-type forks and a rigid rear end.
The forks on the Softail Springer Classic are a conglomeration of exposed leading links, pivots, girders, and gleaming chrome compression and rebound springs aided and abetted by a rather more modern looking shock absorber unit. This period piece set up is certainly "classic" in looks, to the extent that steam engine enthusiasts would approve.
Now for the Softail bit - when it finally dawned that bikes were not only more comfortable but held the road better when they had rear suspension, Harley-Davidson cunningly managed to provide rear suspension so cleverly concealed that the bike still looked as if it had a rigid rear end. This mechanism, a pair of cast rear frame carriers and twin shocks hidden beneath the gearbox is, on close inspection, about as sturdy as the lifting gear on Tower Bridge. It works well and gives a modern feel to the rear end. Up front it is a different matter. The girder-type forks not only look 1940s, they have pretty much the same feel of a pre-telescopic fork machine, something few of today's riders will have experienced.
Old style crossover exhaust pipes, another 1940s touch, make a re-appearance on this model and to complete the nostalgia the Harley-Davidson badge is back on the oil tank for the first time in 60 years. The long, low-slung silencers look like they would scrape the ground on every bend, but somehow manage not to. They are utterly politically correct, doubtless as a result of ever more stringent noise regulations, to the point that the traditional "potato, potato, potato" Harley sound, which incidentally the factory tried to patent, is cut to a subdued burble.
Wide handlebars, footboards, a rocker-type gearchange, instruments housed in the tank, a deep leather saddle and detachable pillion pad, plus loads of chrome, complete the picture and picture is the operative word because with this kind of machine looks are every bit as important as performance.
When it comes to performance, pleasing best describes it. The Twin-Cam 88B series engine is a fuel-injected 1,449cc vee-twin, with a 95.3mm bore and long, 101.6mm stroke churns out a mighty 104 Nm of torque at a mere 3,750rpm. Driving through a 5-speed gearbox and with the carbon fibre belt final drive cruising in the 100-130 km/h range is effortlessly laid back and civilised.
A top speed of around 175 km/h is attainable, but ultimate speed is not the essence of this machine. The gear change is manfully solid, the gears engage with a solid thunk and the whole package feels as if it would last for ever. Indeed it reminded us of Ettore Bugatti's comment about the 1928 Bentleys, that they were the finest and fastest lorries in Europe.
For those who appreciate classic looks, the whiff of nostalgia, a machine with attitude which pulls crowds wherever it is parked, and one which is pleasingly good in the cruiser-style, the Softail Springer Classic certainly fits the bill.
Never having owned a Harley-Davidson, but down the years, strictly in the course of duty, having ridden most of the many variants, we seem to be actually getting somewhat of an affection for these Milwaukee road locomotives which the Softail Springer Classic helped increase. We handed it back with a tinge of regret. All yours for €22,600 in Pearl or €23,100 in two-tone.TECH SPEC
ENGINE: 1,449cc twin-cam vee-twin 8.8:1 compression, 104Nm at 3,750rpm. 5-speed gearbox, belt final drive
CHASSIS: Girder-style front forks, swinging arm rear suspension. Brakes single front and rear discs both 292mm dia. 16" chrome laced spoked wheels
DIMENSIONS: Seat height: 658mm. Wheelbase 1,630mm. Dry weight: 322kg. Fuel: 18.9 litres
PRICE: €22,600 (€500 extra for two-tone) 24 months unlimited mileage warranty