humoured him.
As we continued to ride the fantastic roads of south-
ern Tasmania I slipped away into a world of travel and
adventure, thinking to myself that the Harley Davidson
Heritage Softtail would be perfect for both. Would it?
Of course, it would. The big bike would easily eat up
any highway, backroad, or coastal route, not only com-
fortably but also with a lot of fun. Would it take on some
of the roads that I prefer? Probably not! I love nothing
more than getting out into the desert and riding remote
tracks. I have no doubt that the Heritage Softtail would
cope with the more compacted of tracks; those similar
to any country dirt road but through something rougher
at it and I think there could be problems … please some-
one, prove me wrong.
Fully loaded with travelling gear the Heritage Softtail
becomes extremely heavy, you’d probably be looking at
something well above 400kg. I shudder at the thought
of what would happen if you dropped such a bike, I can
pick up a bike as well as any male but there’s no way in
the world I could pick up one of these. I doubt many
males could either.
The Harley was so much fun to ride that the Traverse
editor couldn't keep his hands off of it. At every stop the
key would disappear, and I'd hear him say, "I'll just ride
it to the next stop." Amazingly from a bloke who loves
slinging muck at his Harly riding mates.
Would a Harley Davidson Heritage Softtail 114 make a
good adventure bike? Yes, without a doubt as adventure
is what you make of it. But would I have one as an adven-
ture bike? No, probably not. The Softtail doesn’t meet all
my needs BUT I will say it is a hell of a bike, and a great
ride ... and perfect for travel. The Harley Davidson Heri-
tage Softtail is certainly not the lump I thought it was ...
A huge thankyou to Southern Riders Tasmania for the loan of
the Harley Davidson Heritage Softtail. If you ever want to go
for a ride in Tasmania, check these guys out, they have a great
boutique range of Harley’s all in pristine condition and ready to
take on some of Australia’s best riding roads.
TRAVERSE 69