Harley-Davidson Softail Cross Bones (2008-current)

It’s a big shock to experience the motor for the first time. The big V-twin looks huge, it has a gargantuan 1584cc capacity and it’s no doubt responsible for most of the galactic all-up weight, but despite all of its massiveness, it’s whisper quiet and lacking any real get up and go. Adding some loud pipes to bring the Harley-Davidson Cross Bones alive is a must for this machine. As well as being quiet, the motor is unbelievably smooth for a Harley, although the gearbox is a clunky affair, like the gear selector inside the ‘trannie’ has been swapped with a sledge hammer. Cruising along in top gear at 50mph is what this engine does best.

Weighing an elephant-like 317.5kg (what the hell do they make these things out of, it’s 7.5kg more than two Honda CBR600RRs?), the Harley-Davidson Cross Bones simply squashes any bumps it goes over, so ride quality is actually very good. The soft suspension and sprung seat serves to make things even more comfortable on bumpy roads. But the sheer weight of the thing means that braking has to be done very early to avoid obstacles. The stronger of the two brakes is the rear. Corners need to be caressed and not attacked, and in a perfect world (like in the US) avoided altogether. A low seat makes the job of paddling the Harley around easier and helps the low-speed handling. This is a cruiser, pure and simple, so low-speed riding is what the Cross Bones is all about.

For your hard-earned you get a maintenance-free belt drive and a hand-stitched leather seat and tank strap. Up front, conventional forks are replaced with a coll, old-school ‘springer’ front end and you can see it bobbing up and down when you cruise along, which is different. Acres of chrome, a cool paintjob and beautiful styling add to the appeal of the Harley-Davidson Cross Bones, but aside from that, the equipment level is quite low, given the price. Compare and buy products for the Harley-Davidson Cross Bones in the MCN Shop.