Hi everyone. I dont see many threads on the Breakout. Was wondering what your opinion of them is. I like the looks of it, am gonna ride one this weekend. The price tho.... Anyway, just trying to get some thoughts.
Thamk you

 

I posted this in another thread on the bike but its basically a revised Rocker to the point that I normally call it a Rocker 2.0. They took the 240 rear and longer rake and got rid of what everyone hated which was the flip out rear seat and the hideous gap that caused most to get Heartlands conversion kit to get a strut mounted fender with cleaner lines. It's MoCos vision of a "production chopper". I was personally surprised with how well it handled especially in the curves. You can tell they did a good deal of work to get a better balance that you tend to lose with a low sitting bike (especially with a wide rear tire). I personally almost took a dive off the Tail of the Dragon when my Rocker-C was stock but with a 250 tire bc when I leaned into the corner the tire didn't catch the edge. Luckily I was able to work the breaks without skidding to lower the speed enough to catch an edge and avoid the plunge. I don't see having that issue with the Breakout as it felt more than able to lean even harder in the corners than you'd expect. That's my opinion anyhow. I'm sure there are others out there.

 

I bought a Breakout as my first Harley and I absolutely love it. Being a first Harley it probably makes me a poor judge as I'm not comparing it to another one, but seriously, the whole package handles beautifully, sounds and looks awesome and is exactly what I wanted... Go for it!

 

Thanks for this insight. Can you expand a bit on the handling? What is your experience with the "loss of balance from a low sitting bike and wide tire'"?

I thought the opposite! But I never ride these bikes. Road King and Road Glide only for me for the last 5 years. I thought that big rear and that low slung bike would handle like a Porsche.

Do I have it backwards?

Thanks for any insight. My slow and short test ride just did not help. It consisted of 4 right turns, and a very slow left in the dealer parking lot. HA!

This bike is headed straight up the local winding mountain roads when I get it, do I need to be prepared for LESS handling than my Road Glide?

Thanks

 

It helps to have your eyes open when browsing the forum.

 

I've always liked them but they're way out of my price range.

A few months ago, I was going to trade my Blackline in for one but my payments and probably my insurance too, would have went up too damn much. So, I forgot about it.

 

The stock 240 mm rear requires a little more input to start a turn than a skinnier rear tire would.

A YouTube video of test riding the newly released Rocker had the testers stating HD got it right with the 240 mm unlike the Victorys with their 250 mm rear tires.

Once you've ridden it for more than a short test ride, you don't notice it.

Unlike the stretched front end bikes, a U-turn on a narrow street is easily performed and parking lot speed riding is stable and doesn't feel ungainly.

 

Look, I spoke with a salesmen and the biggest difference is the rake of this bike and a bunch of other factors that the smart engineers at Harley was thinking. This has a steeper rake compared to the slim. If you test rode a slim, it is alot more maneuverable in low speeds whereas the steeper rake of the breakout is a lot more difficult. A long and low bike like this has lazy steering so plan accordingly.

 

Take the test ride and have a blast! I ordered mine in May, got it in June, and love it! The handling is great, but does take a little getting used to - like a car that under steers - you just naturally compensate after a short while, and then you no longer even think about it. I was a bit nervous about leaning it too much at first . Then I removed the feelers and am kicking it over in the corners having fun. You won't be disappointed by it. If you have the time and extra cash, go for the ABS option.