00:00Harley-Davidson's Lowrider ST has seen massive popularity since its launch, and all for good
00:05reasons.
00:06It's fun to ride, it's versatile with wind management and saddlebags, and it's perfectly
00:10on trend with West Coast and club-style aesthetics.
00:13But could there be a downside to that popularity, and is there a bike that might be able to do
00:18more for less?
00:20Maybe a bike that looks a lot like this?
00:24Meet the Heritage Softail.
00:26Again.
00:30Harley-Davidson introduced the Softail line in 1984, and the Heritage was introduced
00:47shortly thereafter in 1986.
00:49It was then made consistently until 1999.
00:53After that, it sort of came and went from the Harley-Davidson lineup until it was reintroduced
00:57on the new Softail platform in 2017.
01:00Recently we see the Heritage updated from a 114 cubic inch engine to this 117 cubic inch
01:06Milwaukee 8.
01:07Like many Harley-Davidson models, the components that are on this define what the bike is, how
01:12it looks, and how it sort of wants to be ridden.
01:14You see Mini-Ap handlebars, floorboards, a removable two-tone windshield, and these leather
01:20saddlebags that are hard-cased inside.
01:22There's sort of a 1950s silhouette, there's minimal tech, it's a big engine focused on
01:27the ride, the feel, and experience of the road.
01:30On a bike like this that's so based in heritage, it's important what's not on the bike as much
01:36as it is what's on the bike.
01:37There's clean lines at the handlebars, you don't have Bluetooth control or media control
01:41for a screen that doesn't display your media or speakers that aren't there.
01:46There's no extra buttons for heated seat and grips that don't exist.
01:49It's just clean and simple.
01:54At low speeds you can still really feel the weight of the Heritage, but it's also easy
01:58to just throw around.
01:59It's got a low center of gravity and very good clutch and throttle feel.
02:03Managing those at low speeds is easy and it's easy to feel very in control of the bike.
02:09High speed handling feels really good.
02:11The bike feels stable.
02:12The chassis doesn't flex or rock too much for you.
02:15You can run out of rear shock pretty quickly.
02:17There's not a ton of travel there, so it is possible to bottom out.
02:20You know, if you're really sending it, you will hit scrape points.
02:24And the ergonomics aren't completely conducive for very aggressive riding, but it will surprise
02:30you how hard you can push this bike and how much you can get out of it if you want to
02:34go and hoon a little bit.
02:36Like on a lot of cruisers, with the Heritage you have to sort of use a full hand grab on that
02:40front lever to get good brake performance.
02:43It's a single disc.
02:44I do wish there was a little bit more bite.
02:46I wish it was a little bit more reactive, but it's plenty adequate in practice.
02:50Rear brake is the same.
02:52You know, not a lot of feel to the lever, but it's adequate, works pretty well.
03:02On this model, we do have the Mini Ape handlebars, which gives you a wide range of adjustments.
03:06So when I got the bike, I loosened up the risers and pushed those forward just a little bit,
03:10giving me a little bit more range.
03:12And I like how it lines up with the forks.
03:14If you are a little shorter stature, you can do the opposite, pull it back to you, and that's
03:19just a quick, free, easy adjustment.
03:23So when you pull the bike out first thing in the morning, you know, and you wheel it back
03:27down the driveway and you shift it from neutral to first, there's always this little bit of
03:30a clunk into gear.
03:33And for me, that's sort of a classic Harley Davidson thing.
03:36It feels nostalgic of, you know, the past bikes I've owned and ridden to someone else
03:40that might feel a little clunky, might feel a little unrefined, but once you are riding
03:45the bike and shifting through the gears, not just out of neutral, it is smooth, it does
03:49feel more refined, and it does feel like a good system.
03:54Harley Davidson always does a really good job of tuning the touch points on a motorcycle differently
03:59for each model, so how much vibration is relayed through the risers to the handlebars, through
04:04your foot pegs or floorboards, really matches the model and the style.
04:09So this one, I do get some feel to the bars, I do get a little bit of vibration through
04:13the floorboards, I do feel the engine and the road in my seat, but I like that.
04:18It makes me feel connected to the bike, it makes me feel connected to the road.
04:22On a model like the Heritage, I want to feel that, I want to feel that connection.
04:26It just all contributes to the authentic feel of the bike.
04:30So the windscreen on this, it's, you know, obviously it's a one size fits all that comes
04:34on this bike, and I'm a bit taller than the average rider, so it does hit me right sort
04:40of middle of the head.
04:41It's nice on the highway, it definitely cuts all the wind off my body, but I do still get
04:47a little bit of buffeting at highway speeds.
04:49So it's adequate, but if this was a bike I was owning or riding longer term, I would probably
04:55get a bit of a taller windshield.
04:58For the average rider, you know, someone under six foot, I imagine that this would be fine.
05:03I don't think that they would see the same issues that I do here.
05:06I do love that you have the analog gauge on the tank here with a little digital output,
05:11it gives you your current gas levels, your gear shift indicator, while keeping things
05:16at the handlebars very clean, and while, you know, not distracting you from anything
05:22while you're riding.
05:23You know, when you look at the bike, it does look sort of low.
05:26You see the floorboards that are sort of like three-quarter forwards, and when you're out
05:30riding it, it's sort of surprising how long it takes to scrape, and how you actually can
05:36throw this thing.
05:38With the Mini Apes, you're not in the most, like, forward, crazy aggressive position to
05:42really get into it, but it surprised me how hard I can ride this bike comfortably.
05:47The Heritage is a great modern one bike.
05:54It's a good grocery getter with the saddlebags, it's a comfortable commuter, it's a great weekend
05:59canyon jammer or, you know, two-up date bike.
06:02It's got all the style, you know, it has that classic sort of 1936 silhouette.
06:08The windshield pops off quickly and easily.
06:11It's got this sort of understated classiness that grows on me the more I look at it.
06:16You know, it's an easy bike to keep coming back to and keep appreciating.
06:23Riding out to Born Free this year, one of my buddies took his Lowrider ST, and we showed
06:27up at the event for him to park in a row of about 20 other black Lowrider STs, only to
06:33then go into the event and see however many custom Lowrider STs inside.
06:38So yeah, it's cool to be a part of the trend and a part of what's happening now.
06:42But also, in our sport that's so heavily rooted in individual style and individuality, I feel
06:48like something is lost when you're just in a row of the same bike.
06:51So, compared to the Lowrider ST, the Heritage is $1200 cheaper at $22,999.
07:03It also has more versatile wind management with this windscreen that pops off in all
07:08but five seconds.
07:09The ergonomics are a little bit more adjustable with the Mini 8th handlebars that you can roll
07:14forward and backwards, and the floorboards down below so you can move your feet around
07:18if you want to.
07:20Storage opens from the top, not clamshell like on the ST.
07:23And it's a little bit more robust, you have a little bit more room in the saddlebags.
07:27The Heritage is a versatile motorcycle, both in style and performance.
07:31It carries the old torch well.
07:33Sure, it doesn't have the modern performance vibe in line with bagger racing and current
07:37trends, but that's sort of the whole point, is how this thing remains unchanged and so effortlessly
07:43cool.
07:45When you're riding this bike, you're connected to the long lineage of Harley-Davidson riders,
07:49back to the silhouette where this started in 1936 and the connection to all the advancements
07:55and custom through the 50s.
07:56This bike feels that, looks that, and carries it through in a really authentic way, while bringing
08:01modern performance and comfort in a way that only a 2025 bike can.
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