Church of MO: 1997 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic

There’s something about a bike made to recreate the 50’s that you just can’t get from a more “modern” ride. It’s the feeling of never being in a hurry. Never feeling like you have to push the bike to its limits. It’s a liberating feeling. Sit down in the spacious saddle, reach out for those wide comfortable bars and fire the motor. That’s all the effort this bike will ever demand of you. The Heritage is a simple pleasure. You don’t have to be told how to enjoy it. It comes naturally.Before we get any further into this, let me run over some basics for the uninitiated. Believe it or not, there was a time when motorcycles had no rear suspension. As you can imagine, the ride was pretty… well, hard. It isn’t difficult to figure out the derivation of the term hardtail. Secondly, before the advent of modern rubber compounds, motorcycles had their engines mounted rigidly to the frame. This made for bikes that shook like paint-mixers.

Therefore, if you want to re-create a bike from the 50’s you need to mount its engine directly to the frame and give an appearance of no rear suspension.

To accomplish this visual slight of hand, suspensions were designed with a set of twin shocks hidden under the bike. This arrangement allows for the look of a hardtail with the benefits of quasi-modern suspension. Hence, the term Softail.

“It’s hard to cop an attitude when you’re stuck smiling and waving.”I may be the only person in the world to ever say this, but the Heritage Softail reminds me of the little Piaggio scooters I rode around the Greek Islands on my honeymoon. Not because this Harley is almost as quiet, and certainly not because it is light and nimble, but because it is so easy to jump on and bop around town. People may not usually associate Harley’s with “bobbing around,” but that’s what this one says to me. It doesn’t fill me with the urge to head for a far-off coast or to carve up any mountain sides. This bike has a different purpose.

Perhaps the main reason the Heritage gives one the urge to “take it easy,” is its riding position. There’s only one way to sit on this bike, and it’s the same way your piano teacher made you sit. Back straight, feet directly below your knees and arms slightly bent, reaching comfortably out at mid-torso. This position forces you to smile, ride slowly and wave at everyone. It’s hard to cop an attitude or tear through town when you’re stuck smiling and waving. As delivered from the factory this bike is built for cruising slowly and soaking up scenery, which it does extremely well.

And that brings up a very important point. Reviewing a stock Harley is a difficult thing to do because few Harley’s remain stock for very long. The design’s simplicity allows for almost unlimited customizing. So, if after reading this review you walk up to someone with a Heritage and tell them they have a very nice bike for bopping around town, you may then wonder why you got bopped on the nose. Like the animals you see in the zoo, wild Harley’s rarely resemble those found in the showroom.

You have to love the Heritage Softail Classic for what it is and for what it is not. It’s a beautiful rendition of an old classic. The attention to detail does not go unnoticed. People can’t walk by it without saying, “Oh look, it has those old ____s on it. Just like the old ones.” Fit and finish on this ride is also top notch. And where would a retro 50’s bike be without chrome? No where. You can’t beat genuine Harley-Davidson chrome. The Heritage fairly beckons you with its gleam every time you open your garage door. As if to say: “What the hell are you doing that’s more important than riding?” Good question…

There seems to be an unwritten law that if you talk about rigid mounted Harley’s you must talk about vibration. Here’s my recommendation: Smack the next person that comes up to you and whines about Softail vibration. This thing is a dream to ride. And if you ride it like it was intended to be ridden, you won’t ever notice the fact the engine is rigidly mounted to the frame. That means generally staying below 70 mph. It is here that vibration is extremely pleasant, reminding you that you’re on a motorcycle and not a golf cart. However, there is one downside to the rigid mounts. Vibration will mar up anything you put in the saddle bags. Three screw heads protruding inside the bags do quite a number on any hard or soft sided items stored there. To alleviate this headache, either wrap everything you carry in some kind of fabric or cover the screw heads.

What can be said about the tried and true, 80-cubic-inch Evo V-twin that hasn’t been said a thousand times? Bullet proof, stone cold reliable and great looking. Sure it doesn’t have the sex appeal of the old Panheads, but to these eyes the blockhead offers a more powerful, modern look. Kinda like the difference between a modern gridiron athlete and his leather-helmeted counterpart from the past. Harley-Davidson’s 1997 Heritage Softail Classic has all the beauty and appeal of a 50’s Hydra-Glide with most of the 50’s technological shortcomings eliminated. As delivered from the Motor Company, it offers a relaxed, friendly mount for cruising around town and just enjoying the scenery.

Harley-Davidson
Model: 1997 FLSTC Heritage Softail Classic
Price: $15,175
Engine: V-twin OHV Evolution Bore and
Stroke: 3.498 x 4.250 in.
Displacement: 1340cc
Carburetion: 40mm Constant velocity with enricher and accelerator pump
Transmission: 5-speed constant mesh
Wheelbase: 63.9 in.
Seat Height: 26.5 in. Fuel Capacity: 4.2 gal. including .4 reserve
Claimed Dry Weight: 704 lbs.