Breakout, ride low, chillax
IT WASN’T until an encounter with Bill Davidson last year that I began to ‘‘get’’ the whole Harley thing. For I’d long wondered why the motor company didn’t make a few bikes that were more suitable for riding on serpentine roads by building in a bit more cornering clearance and longer-travel suspension.
Davidson confirmed that his company would rather make bikes that made people ride ‘‘the Harley way’’ than those that bikers could ride in any style that they were accustomed to.
For him, the trademark long ’n’ low looks of the bikes should always have precedence, even if they forced their riders to ‘‘take it easy and smell the flowers’’.
It’s in this context that the new Softail-based FXSB Breakout appears to be the ultimate Harley. For it is longer and lower than any other two-wheeled piece of mobile art currently found within the H-D catalogue.
The Breakout name is a reference to drag racing, and the bike itself is happy to indulge such imagery with its raked-out forks, outrageously fat rear tyre, and lowermounted handlebars than is the norm for a machine conceived in Milwaukee. It looks absolutely stunning with its alloy wheels finished mostly in black, but with every second spoke painstakingly shaved and polished to mirror the finish of the outer edge of the rims. The same piano-black lacquered finish is applied to the fork sliders, mufflers, and oil tank, providing a contrasting background against which the deeply-chromed engine crankcases, tank badges, forktubes, headlight and rear mudguard supports can truly shine. It’s such a stunner that you could possibly enter the Breakout in some low-profile custom-bike show and end up walking away with the People’s Choice award.
I constantly admired the minimalist restraint that Harley’s designers had applied to the $29,995 Breakout – the simplistic yet adequate instrumentation, a headlight seemingly sized for a bicycle, and clever rear indicators that could perform triple-tasking as brake and tail-lights. Fewer frills definitely equates to more style with this Softail-based model, and many happy minutes passed just drinking in its drag-bikeinspired looks, and finding them as intoxicating and flavoursome as my favourite single-malt whisky.
This euphoric bubble burst only when I finally climbed aboard the Breakout and rode it.
Getting on was the easiest part, as the seat is just 660mm above the road surface. Putting the bike into motion was greeted by the usual sound of a breaking pane of glass when selecting first gear on the motor company’s heavy-duty sixspeed gearbox, the clutch lever pull a little lighter than I remember on one of Harley’s 1690cc Big Twins.
So far, so good then, but the real pain-in-the-hips started when first stretching my admittedly average-length legs to the forwardmounted pegs of the Harley while reaching towards the low handlebars. If you’re old enough to remember Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper riding their choppers to New Orleans in Easy Rider, then you’ll immediately recognise why the latter was the grumpy one of the pair in the movie.
The riding position of the Breakout mirrors Hopper’s chop, bending the body into a constant pike position any champion diver would be proud of. Someone with longer arms and legs than mine might find the FXSB adequately comfortable, and I suspect it pays to be quite a bit taller than the Breakout’s generous 1.7 metre wheelbase to contemplate any long-haul use of the bike. As for pillions and panniers, forget them.
It was a surprise, however, to find that the limitations imposed by the Breakout’s dragster design theme were more ergonomic than dynamic ones. The steering might be slowed a little by the extended rake of the forks and the elongated wheelbase, but it feels more neutral than a Sportster’s and remains consistent over the entire range of lean angles.
Cornering clearance is more limited than with other Softails, but only incrementally so, while suspension and braking performance is more than adequate for the sort of riding style Davidson has in mind. As for the powertrain, Harley’s 1690cc V-twin appears to embrace new emission and noise rules while losing little of its ability to provide plenty of surging force at accessible revs.
The twin balancer shafts keep it smooth throughout the entire 6000rpm rev range, adding to the easy-riding experience most associate with the brand. I just wish gear selection was a little more silent and refined.
So, provided you’re tall enough