Harley’s heritage is evolving with the times, and the new Heritage Classic reflects that. Its clean, blacked-out look is more than just a facelift; the new attitude is backed up by addictive power and?dare we say it"?sporty handling. You might even say this is Harley’s sport tourer…. Photos by Kevin Wing.
It?s fair to say that Harley-Davidson is one of those brands that leans heavily on its heritage, and perhaps no other model exemplifies that better than the aptly named Heritage Classic. Introduced by Harley in 1986 in an attempt to lure buyers away from cheaper Japanese offerings by tapping into its post-war glory years, the Heritage was a chrome-clad, white-walled monument to 1950s nostalgia, a reassuringly familiar island in a sea of change. And it sold like hot dogs at a baseball game. For our road test of the 2018 Heritage Classic, we meandered up the coast to San Simeon, then turned inland and tackled some twisties as we made our way back home. Photo by Jenny Smith.
Fast-forward 32 years, and with its core market aging out, an industry slump and those confounding Millennials turning out to be a tough nut to crack, Harley dropped the bombshell news that the twin-shock Dyna line would be folded into a new Softail lineup of eight redesigned models?including an almost unrecognizable Heritage Classic. (Read our First Ride Review on all eight new Softails here.) Gone are the acres of chrome (with the notable exception of the exhaust), silver studs, b...