Victoria’s high country, along with the Snowy Mountains region in New South Wales, is a motorcycling paradise. The roads are sensational, the views spectacular, and you can literally smell the fresh alpine air.
And so it was on this occasion. I’d struck a window of opportunity in a week of miserable Melbourne weather when the sun gods were smiling. In fact I couldn’t have wished for a better couple of days. Sometimes spur of the moment rides are the most memorable, and this turned out to be one of them.
With a couple of top-end Harley-Davidson test bikes lobbing unexpectedly in the Motorcycle Trader garage it was an opportunity not to be missed. I grabbed the key to the FLSTC and headed for the mountains, my route via the Princes Highway to Bairnsdale, the southern kick-off point for Victoria’s Great Alpine Road (GAR).
From there it’s a 307km ride to Wangaratta at the north-western end of the GAR - and what a 307km it is – and then 230km back to Melbourne. The GAR is a must-do ride for every motorcyclist, whether you’re a nose-down, bum-up type, or a rider who prefers the bells and whistles of a full luxo tourer. Or whether your preference lies somewhere between the two extremes, be it naked, sports tourer or retro.
The FLSTC, or Heritage Softail Classic to give the model its full title, was an opportune steed for my ride as it sits top of the Aussie sales charts in the Touring Category (Jan 1-May 31 official FCAI figures).
That’s right – an air-cooled V-twin with oodles of sparkling chrome, polished alloy, wire-spoked wheels and studded leather saddlebags with the model name ‘Heritage’ is Australia’s top touring motorcycle.
The FLSTC is more popular than BMW’s K 1200 LT, Kawasaki’s 1400GTR, Yamaha’s FJR1300 and Honda’s ST1300 and GoldWing. In fact it outsells Harley’s own Touring icon, the Electra Glide as well as the Street Glide.
What you get with the FLSTC is a Harley that can be a big-distance tourer on the weekends, but a bike that can still carry off the cafe latte ‘look at me’ act should an owner prefer to remain within the city confines. The FLSTC is more manageable in everyday use than its Electra Glide big brother, helped by around 80kg of less weight to lug around.
The FLSTC lacks the bells and whistles of the Electra Glide, such as hard panniers and topbox, cruise control, sound system, heated grips and big fairing. But it’s also around $7K cheaper - $32,830 for the two-tone FLSTC (plus on road costs).
Its closest competitor in the Harley line-up is probably the Road King, a long-time favourite of mine.
The 283km route from Bairnsdale to Melbourne is what can best be described as a relatively boring transport section along the Princes Highway, with the big Softy burbling along at a licence-preserving 100 to 110km/h.
The FLSTC’s quickly-detachable Lexan screen did a good job of keeping the early morning chills of the Latrobe Valley at bay, an area around Trafalgar to Morwell where thick pea soup fog can often turn a rider’s extremities to icicles in a matter of minutes. No such concerns this time.
Breaking the Melbourne-Bairnsdale journey at the bakery at Rosedale for a quick refuelling of coffee and pastries is always a must-do personal treat. The bakery has two wooden Harley sculptures on display, giving a whole new meaning to wooden brakes and a seat like a plank. No such concerns on the FLSTC though.
The B500, or Great Alpine Road, commences on the eastern side of Bairnsdale and winds through the Tambo Valley to Omeo, 118km away and the kick-off point for the climb skywards to Dinner Plain and Mount Hotham.
The stretch of bitumen that runs alongside the Tambo River is a motorcyclist’s dream, with the FLSTC providing a less frenetic pace than some of my past sportsbike fangs. It was an opportunity to sit back in the big comfy saddle, grab hold of those high ‘bars, and enjoy the view.
With 1584cc and 95Nm of torque there’s no need to be tap dancing on the gear lever – short shifting and riding the torque curve is the recipe for relaxed riding. Sixth gear is more of an overdrive though – ideal for steady throttle on the highways, but not so good for quick over-taking or acceleration out of tight corners.
The motorcycle-friendly Creekers Cafe at Swifts Creek was a chance to grab a coffee and stretch the legs, before moving on to nearby Omeo for fuel – both towns capturing memories of Australia’s pioneering days with their building architecture and friendly down-to-earth locals.
Omeo to Wangaratta is 190km, but with the late start to my ride I planned on staying overnight at either Dinner Plain or Mount Hotham. In snow season accommodation is hard to come by and the room rates are sky high – just like the area itself. But outside ski season there are plenty of options, with Dinner Plain’s Currawong Lodge coming up trumps with a room for $75 just as the sun disappeared below the horizon.
Dinner Plain had looked like an abandoned town from an American movie set when I’d rolled in as most of the lodges are left unattended outside ski season. But some quick work on the mobile phone soon had a bed organised, and a hearty feed at the pub to round out a top day.
Next morning it was up early to catch the sun rise, and then a ride across Victoria’s rooftop before plunging down through the twisty bits to Harrietville, Bright and on to Myrtleford. The scenery was stunning, the brekky at Morrie’s Cafe hearty and filling, and the FLSTC was winning me over with every kilometre.
The ‘bias’ that exists against Harleys from non-Harley riders is stronger than with any other brand. The V-twins seem to be a love it or hate it proposition - although once sampled by a non-Harley rider quite often the views change.
Such was the case with FLSTC, with photographer Stephen Piper tagging along on the Electra Glide to keep me company. A BMW R 1100 RT owner, the last Harley he rode was a couple of decades back, and he’d been reticent about tagging along with me on this trip. But he soon warmed to the big Softie.
So much so that for the return trip to Melbourne from Myrtleford via Lake Buffalo, Wh
If a Harley can top Australia’s Touring Charts, win favour with a BMW owner, and make my 1000km ride through the High Country a truly memorable one, then the FLSTC must be doing something right. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried one.
Test: Ken Wootton Photos: Stephen Piper and KW
SPECIFICATIONS:
H-D FLSTC Heritage Softail® Classic – the technical details
Dimensions
Length (mm)....................................................................................................2405
Wheelbase (mm)...............................................................................................1635
Seat Height (mm)..............................................................................................690
Rake / Trail (mm).........……………………............................................... 31° / 147
Fuel Capacity (litres).........................................................................................19.7
Dry Weight (kg)..................................................................................................326
Powertrain
Engine.........................................................………................. Air-cooled, Twin Cam 96B™
Displacement (cc)......................................................................................1584
Bore x Stroke (mm)..............................................................…...............95.2 x 111.1
Engine Torque...........................................................95Nm / ??? ft lb @ ????rpm
Wheels/Tyres
Front.......................................…………........ Chrome, Laced Steel
……….......................................................................………........ MT90B16 72H
Rear............................................………........ Chrome, Laced Steel
..………...............................................…………............................ 150/80B16 71H
Exhaust System
Chrome, staggered shorty exhaust with dual mufflers
Colour Options
Vivid Black
Scarlet Red
Brilliant Silver Pearl
Flame Blue Pearl
Red Hot Sunglo
Two-Tone Flame Blue Pearl / Brilliant Silver Pear
- MSRP starting at $32,330; two-tone $32,830
CRACKING THE HARLEY CODE
Harley-Davidson’s ‘alphabet soup’ can be confusing for those not au fait with the various Harley models and what the letters refer to. Most motorcyclists know what a VFR800 or VN2000 or MT-01 or GSX-R750 refers to, but throw a FLSTC or XL883N or FXDF in their direction and you’ll most likely get met with a confused look.
The first two letters in Harley’s nomenclature refer to the model type, so the FL in this case is the touring range. The letters after that are for the specific model type. So FLSTC is for Softail Classic.
The Softail range hides the rear suspension from view to give the look of a ‘hardtail’ with rigid rear suspension. Harley’s popular Fat Boy is another to use the Softail suspension design.
The accompanying Electra Glide Ultra Limited on the trip (FLHTK) was also part of Harley’s touring range, but was not a Softail like the FLSTC. The FLHTK uses a more conventional swing-arm set-up.
The FLSTC scores the air-cooled, fuel-injected, 1584cc Twin Cam 96B engine, with a variety of colour options available. The detachable screen is standard fitment, as are the saddlebags.
The FLSTC handlebars look excessively high, but aren’t as extreme once seated in the saddle.
The quality of the paintwork, chrome and polished aluminium is second to none, although some of the bolts and brackets look a bit downmarket.
Fuel consumption on test was 5.3L/100km, commendable for such a large motorcycle.
VICTORIA’S GREAT ALPINE ROAD
The Great Alpine Road cuts through the heart of the Australian Alps National Park. It's classic Australian wilderness - think Man From Snowy River country.
Think also lots of wildlife, especially around sunrise and sunset. I saw kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and grazing cattle – but thankfully no wild brumbies this time around.
Mount Hotham is 1861 metres above sea level, so the climb up and down the mountain is understandably steep in parts with only orange posts to mark the drop-off. It’s not the best place to misjudge a corner!
The road between Mount Hotham and Harrietville is the most hazardous section, so be alert for cars and trucks cutting corners.
An alternative for Melbourne-based riders is to cut out the Myrtleford to Wangaratta section and take the Lake Buffalo road to Cheshunt, Whitfield and then Mansfield via Powers Lookout. There’s a 25km gravel between Myrtleford and Cheshunt, but the scenery is worth the dust clouds.
The respective websites for Mount Hotham (www.mthotham.com.au) and Dinner Plain (www.dinnerplain.com/) offer plenty of information and accommodation options, with Dinner Plain’s Central Reservations (tel 1800 670 019) a wealth of information.
The MT travelling party - all two of us - stayed at Currawong Lodge (www.currawonglodge.com.au/dinner_plain), a typical alpine ski lodge which features ensuite rooms, games room, spacious lounge, kitchen, fireplace and a 10 person spa.