Cycle News - Cruiser Buyer's Guide

Cycle News 2018 Cruiser Buyers Guide

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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Harley calls this one of their two Big Twin entry-level models, but I'm not sure it's an entry, but rather a destination. It is bound to attract the gaze of small riders looking for more than a Sportster or Street. I'm not sure those riders will be looking at much past this, however. May- be the new Heritage if they're looking for a touring bike. For people attracted to the Low Rider's 80s aesthetic, it's also the only one that rocks it New Wave style in this lineup. For me? I prefer the last version of the Low Rider. It's the most recently redesigned of the models reintroduced. It had some groundbreaking size-ad- justable features on it that this iteration lacks, while striking the exact same profile. When queried about the Dyna Low Rider's quick demise and the lack of size-adjusting features on this bike, the answer (from one of H-D's designers) was telling: "Did anybody ever adjust that stuff?" He followed up that the clutch cable (on all Softails) is a two-piece design, to make handlebar changes less complicated and costly. I BREAKOUT Settling into the low-slung cockpit of the Breakout couldn't have felt better. The fat bar has a wide radius bend that puts my hands right where I like them. The seat drops me close to the ground, but is still supportive. And it was the first model I rode with forward controls, which is my preferred layout on a cruiser. This is, essentially, what a Softail has been for most of its existence. Unlike the Softail Custom that was the purest version of the Softail for its first 20ish years, the Breakout is what those Customs became when they were actual- ly customized. With wide tires front and rear, and just the right mix of chrome CYCLE NEWS CRUISER BUYERS GUIDE

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