Harley-Davidson Breakout in test

Probably the most decisive argument for buying the Softail Breakout is the inspiring, powerful look of this cruiser bike, especially in the color green, which has been supplemented in various places with squiggly ornaments, making the bike shine in terms of color concept. Apart from the color, the bike sits low, looks elongated, the engine looks powerful, the shiny chrome takes a central place in the look of the Harley and at the back waits a powerful rear tire, which also looks so powerful because the fender, the rear of the bike has been shortened to the minimum allowed by law, which makes the rear tire stand out strongly. In addition, the gasser wheels provide the dragster look. Not only is the handlebars, which were specially shaped for the Breakout®, visually pleasing, but they do a good job of optimizing the handling of the machine. Overall, the Harley is visually convincing in all respects.

Smaller riders in particular will be pleased to have both feet firmly on the ground, as the Breakout has a seat height of just 66 cm. The roughly 320 kg weight does not feel heavy, especially for cruiser bikers who have become accustomed to the weight class of such bikes. For a 1700 cubic machine, I then also expected a sound that is powerful, something that had disappointed me in an earlier test of the Harley V-Rod Muscle. So, push the electric starter without giving it throttle, because it's a fuel-injected engine, and a powerful roar and subsequent seething "Tutututu..." rings out, coming from the air-cooled Twin Cam 103B™ engine, which is the Softail Breakout's sound reference. "Clearly better," I think than the Harley V-Rod Muscle, but weaker than a Suzuki Intruder 1800 or Triumph Thunderbird, both in the same cubic class. Sound-wise, there is still room for improvement, but if necessary, the Harley dealer can certainly help.

Made for cruising

The Breakout is made for cruising along the beach, long sweeping curves and straights are made for it. It is not a motocross machine or enduro to explore off-road terrain, nor is it a corner racer to break speed records when laid low on its side. The Breakout is the comfortable, relaxed, but also powerful companion that stands confidently above the bike bubs who still have to prove themselves. In particular, the wide 240 rear tire also makes the bike a bit bulky at first, especially around tight corners. The same effect is experienced with the Suzuki Intruder 1800, which has the same wide rear tire. It feels like it takes a few days to get used to the bike, but then it feels easy and you no longer have any trouble with the special "dimension" of the bike. Also, the footpegs very soon ensure in an unpleasantly annoying way that there is an end to sideways position when you have reached a certain angle of inclination on the side. "Stop rushing, I'm a cruiser bike and not a racer" the bike tells you clearly with its behavior. Impressive is the ultra-comfortable suspension, which expresses itself very pleasantly on bumps and shocks on the road, clearly 1a! And even highway driving is no real fun, because as with any cruiser bike, the upper body behaves like a sail in the wind and must absorb the full force of the wind, which can be unnecessarily tiring over long distances. Here would have to be a windbreak, which the optics but in any case does not allow.

Strong features à la Harley

Harley-Davidson does not have an unmistakable reputation for nothing, because the guys from Milwaukee do many things differently than other brands and often simply better. The Harley key is used to unlock or lock the ignition and to operate the steering lock; it does not need to remain inserted, as is the case with the Japanese. This runs the risk of losing the little key, as has happened to me, but instead you have one key for two locks, nifty. Blinking à la Harley means a turn signal lever for each side, which has to be pressed once so that the turn signal starts and usually stops blinking by itself as soon as you have left the bend again: "The bike has artificial intelligence!". If you have shifted up into the 6th and thus last gear, you will see a lighted 6 on the speedometer, which signals to the driver that he is in the 6th gear and that he can no longer shift up, very elegant. Apart from the warning lights, as known from the passenger car, the Harley impresses with the indication when the gasoline is running low. As soon as the reserve tank is tapped, not only does the fuel pump symbol light up on the instrument panel, but a remaining range is automatically displayed, starting at 50 km remaining range, which reliably shows the rider how far he can still get with the remaining tank volume: Extremely convenient!

Overall, the Harley-Davidson Softail Breakout is a beautiful cruiser bike with enough oomph under the hood to enjoy riding. The great look and the numerous strong features, which the bike has, speak clearly for the sovereignty of this high-class cruiser machine. Only the sound could be improved a bit. Who now strikes, comes in addition into the pleasure 10-20% discount on the catalog prices, which start at CHF 23'900.00, to get.