Harley-Davidson 2007 Softail range

The 2007 H-D Softail range has been given far more than a facelift - brand new 96 cubic-inch, fuel-injected engines with helical-gear, six-speed boxes across the board for starters. Also across the range is a new electronic immobiliser system operated automatically by a fob in the rider's pocket. Fat 200mm rear tyres are now standard on all except the Deuce and the Heritage.

New model prices are within 1.5-2 per cent of '06 levels.

96 CUBES AND SIX IN THE BOX
The new Twin Cam 96 engines, with nine per cent more displacement than the superseded Twin Cam 88s, deliver up to 17 per cent more torque. So it's about efficiency as well as size. We're told that there are 700 new parts in the 96 - only the barrels, rocker arms, rocker covers and a few miscellaneous bits are carried over from the 88.

Central to the change was the need to meet the latest emission standards - the tough Euro 3 regulations in particular. The 96 does the job (no mean achievement for an air-cooled engine) and boosts the bike's performance while it's at it. H-D factory specs show that in a fifth gear roll-on from 95km/h to 135km/h the 96 is a full 3.5 seconds quicker than the 88 - a nice boost smack dab in the middle of a typical highway passing move.

HOW DOES THE BIG 96 GO MISTER?
One of the first improvements you pick up on is the clutch action. It's noticeably lighter to use. The gear box shifts easier with shorter shift throws than last year's Harley. The boosted torque doesn't really declare itself around town, but once you up the ante on the open road it shows. Passing moves are stronger and the H-D is keener to put your licence at risk once it gets the bit between its teeth.

Some of the disparity between in-town and highway performance impressions is tied up with a very high-tech intake and exhaust silencing system. The exhaust system is divided into quiet and loud tracts as is the intake area. Computer controlled valves make the big twin suck air and expel gas through the quiet systems at low throttle openings and in lower gears (when the computer reckons you're probably pootling around town).

Once you give it some stick in the higher gears the computer reckons you're past the city limits so it crosses to the free-flow/fruity-note mode. It's actually more complicated than that but that's the general idea.

Top gear in the new box is strictly an overdrive - at 100-110km/h in sixth there's very little response to the throttle. So fifth is the effective top if you're looking to make any moves in the 90-130km/h range.

FXST SOFTAIL STANDARD
The Standard was my first ride on the launch that started at Armidale in the New England area of NSW. It's the minimalist of the tribe (if you can use that term about a big twin weighing in at close to 300kg), with its narrow front guard covering a skinny 21-inch front hoop and bobtail rear over a massive 200mm boot. 

The road out of Armidale towards Dorrigo winds through fertile tableland country. At close to 1000m above sea level there was an edge to the air temperature that belied the warm look of the sunlit pastures. What a great setting for some Softailing.

The ergonomics were fine on the Standard with its lowish bars relating well to the seat and forward peg locations. It's a nice cruiser, the Standard.

FXSTC SOFTAIL CUSTOM
This is H-D's newie in the Softail line-up. The basics are the same as the Standard but there's a heap of styling differences including black/chrome engine finish, chrome oil tank, one-piece "king and queen" seat and high-rise ape-hanger handlebars.

Not being a huge "apes" fan either visually or functionally I can report that the Custom was quite a comfortable ride over a short distance. The ergonomics are okay as long as you're not planning hours behind the 'bars. As I punted it through the forests on the winding road towards Nymboida the XXXXX itals Easy Rider XXXXXX feelings started happening.

FLSTF FATBOY
The Fatboy ride was generally a spirited dash through dozens of bends descending from the tableland followed by lots of open country riding, with sweepers, across the flats towards Grafton. The comfortable "action man" riding position, behind wide bars, makes this a "let's get on with it and do something" bike. And it's a half decent jigger for a good quick ride. The footboards limit the lean angles but the Fatboy package lets you get a lot of enjoyment out of winding roads (and what's wrong with trailing some sparks from the footboards, anyway, when you're having a go?).

 The solid, low style with disc wheels, fat tyres and full guards gives a tough, pugnacious impression so maybe it's the H-D for your blue-collar rider (or perhaps for your white-collar rider wanting to get in touch with his inner "truckie" or "tradie"). The bike with the silver paint job probably supports this theory better than the other test fleet "Fattie, in lipstick pink.

FXSTD DEUCE
The Deuce is different. It's the Softail that comes from the factory with distinctive and integrated styling. It's long and low - its handlebars and seat are the lowest of the range and the wheelbase is the longest. The stretched tank design adds to the long look.

The name Deuce apparently comes from its styling links with the Deuce (1932 Ford) hot rod coupes and roadsters. An example - the design of the rear guard, with its "shaved" (fittings and fasteners hidden) and "frenched" (tail-light recessed into the guard) look, is pure hot rod.

The ergonomics work. So, as well as a nice look, it's a nice ride. Heading west from Grafton on the Gwydir Highway, on the Deuce, on a fine morning, life was good. As we zoomed over a little stream with a very Australian name - Purgatory Creek - it occurred to me that the desperate pioneering soul who'd named it couldn't have been blatting across the countryside on his favourite motorcycle at the time.

FLSTC HERITAGE SOFTAIL CLASSIC
The Heritage with its olde-worlde dresser style - tall screen and leather panniers - looked to be the staid one of the bunch, the support bike. The "mere" 150mm wide back tyre reinforced that impression. The reality was something else though. For a start it sounds different. The screen captures more of the mechanical sounds from the engine - and that's no bad thing. It does its real job pretty well too, deflecting wind. So there's less wind noise and more bike noise. Then there's the handling. It felt a bit looser on the road than the others, easier to move around, more lively in changing direction. I put that down to the big 200mm tyre on the others making them feel more planted but also making them less ready to change direction. One result was that the Heritage allowed me to nip through the very tight sections of the Gibraltar Range pretty swiftly; it was sweet to see the two wide-tyre Softails chasing me getting smaller in the mirrors for a while. 

THE VERDICT
H-D's latest Softails are undoubtedly the best yet and you get a heap more bike for your money.

For me the front brake requires a huge squeeze to give decent retardation. Overall though, with the support of the back brake the braking package is competent. But it's not rocket science, these days, to design a better front stopper than this one.

MY FAVOURITE(S)
I'm always drawn to "useful" bikes, so I couldn't separate the Fatboy and the Heritage. They both made me feel like having a go. I did. And it was a heap of fun.

TALKIN' TO THE MAN
H-D's Oz marketing manager is Adrian O'Donoughue. We put a few questions to him when the launch ride was over.

MT: A bunch of us has ridden the 2007 Softails and we'll soon be sharing our impressions with our readers. If you were writing the article what would your main message be?

AO'D: There's never been a better time to buy a Harley-Davidson because the new Twin Cam 96 and the six-speed and the value that we've got in the pricing, means that it's one of the best packages you'll ever find.

 There's more of everything. We've got more power. More torque, more engine capacity. More good looks. A better sound with the exhaust note. What more could you want?

MT: Harley obviously dominates the cruiser bike market. But you've got your imitators. Looking at the Japanese cruiser bikes in general, how does H-D view them? Are they potentially serious competitors?

AO'D: I think Harley is pretty much out on its own. It's a unique product, a unique brand. I think that if the competitive cruisers were going to be a threat, they would have been that long ago. And they haven't proven to be a significant threat. There's still a market for them. It's the people with a particular budget. For people wanting the real thing there's only one choice. I think really what it comes down to is that our main competition is probably outside the bike market. It's really home renovations or luxury cars or holidays or other similar things - rather than just competing with other bikes.

MT: So, the H-D brand is so powerful that it creates its own separate market?

AO'D: Yes, I think that's fairly widely acknowledged. It's hard to describe. There's a saying, "If I have to explain it, then you don't understand." That probably sums up Harley-Davidson I guess. It's got its own little niche and nothing else can touch it really.

CAVIAR

SARDINES