2023 Harley-Davidson Breakout Review
Trev reviews the 2023 Harley-Davidson Breakout and finds that ten years after it first broke cover the Breakout is now a far better proposition than it ever was.
Harley-Davidson first debuted the Breakout as a CVO Twin Cam 110B model in 2013. Normally things work the other way around, with an existing model getting the CVO treatment as a factory special edition, but this time around they decided to mark the launch of Breakout with the full ‘Custom Vehicle Operations’ treatment from birth.
Breakout then became a mainstream Harley model the following year in Twin Cam 103 form, before CVO again worked their magic with the Pro Street Breakout 110 in 2016.
The mainstream Breakout was then endowed with the Milwaukee-Eight 107 and 114 cubic inch motors when the new engine design came on-line for the 2017 model year. The Milwaukee-Eight mill was a huge step forward for Harley and an engine I have been a big fan of since inception.
For 2023 the Breakout now gets the 117 cube version of Milwaukee-Eight complete with a Heavy Breather Intake.
A thumb of the starter sees the big mill instantly burst into life and settle down to a fast idle of around 1100 rpm, once warmed up it smoothly idles around 850 rpm.
I can’t help but think ‘Heavy Breather’ is something of a misnomer in this case. Not that long ago Harleys actually sounded like a heavy breathing asthmatic struggling to draw breath, especially on start-up, but there is no perceptible intake noise with this latest set-up.
That actually seems a little strange as there is not a whole lot of surface area in the washable exposed element filter. Essentially that Heavy Breather intake serves as the air-box, as after it turns 90-degrees towards the engine, it mates directly to the single 55 mm throttle body which then feeds each of the 961 cc cylinders.
The whole intake run from outside the filter, to the throttle body and then into the plumbing that routes the intake charge between the 45-degree slanted cylinders, right through to the 41.7 mm (1.642-inch) intake valves, can be no longer than a few inches. Thus it is remarkable that this huge engine is so well mannered, so smooth, and so bloody good.
There is still a huge clunk into first gear from a standstill, but once underway the gearbox really works quite well. Despite the long throw of the shifter rod from the forward controls, shuffling up and down the box is fuss free.
At a suburban 50-60 km/h the engine likes to be in fourth, and it will pull effortlessly from there as you enter the next speed zone.
At 100 km/h in sixth it is turning through that long 114.3 mm (4.5-inch) stroke only 2240 times per minute, just purring along effortlessly. Double that and the mill is still spinning smoothly. Only the lack of wind protection that turns your torso into a windsock makes you want to call it a day about there.
All the M8 engines are pearlers, this 2023 iteration of the 117 is the best yet. There is an almost endless list of aftermarket options to make these motors into absolute monsters. I don’t think I would bother, the engine as it is delivers just fine and runs so beautifully. Replacing the mufflers with something that has a little more bark would be about as far as I would go, but I would certainly keep the exhaust on the right side of inoffensive to ensure it doesn’t become tiresome. I also like the lines of the twin mufflers reaching right back past the axle. A long two-into-one would suit me just fine too I reckon.
The handling on early Breakout models was pretty horrendous. With the arrival of the Milwaukee-Eight motor in 2017 all the Softail models got a drastically improved 34 per cent stiffer chassis. The ergonomics also got better with the arrival of the new engine. This year some geometry refinements to the fork angle, along with a few other tweaks make the latest Breakout a much, much better package again.
If you rode a 2014 Breakout back to back with a 2023 you would think the frame on the early bike was broken. The original models felt as though the front wanted to go one way and the rear wanted to go another, and as the frame tried to deal with those combative forces the machine bucked and weaved. I was not a fan…
Now, despite continuing with the seemingly mismatched tyre combo of a 130/60-21 front and stubby 240/40-18 rear, the 2023 Breakout actually tracks remarkably well. It has gone from being what was probably the poorest handling Softail model, to now ride almost as satisfyingly as the best. It just shouldn’t work, but it does…. Of course, all this is relative. It doesn’t handle anywhere near as good as a conventional motorcycle, but it does handle better than you expect, and much better than its predecessors.
We conducted a zoom style web meeting with Luke Mansfield, Harley-Davidson’s Vice President of Motorcycle Management before hitting the streets around Bright (VIC), and I must admit to having a wry smile and stifling a snort when he said, “that 240 mm rear wheel, combine that with a 21-inch front wheel, those are, from a physics perspective, difficult things to work with.
“Typically the V-Rod and Breakouts of old, the handling of those bikes has been compromised by the styling. What you will see when you ride this bike, dynamically, bringing in the rake a little bit and changing the fork angle has helped us to create a bike that actually handles remarkably well, considering that big front wheel and that wide back tyre on there. The bar risers gives you a much better rider triangle, much more comfortable for longer journeys.”
My ride impressions saw those claims ring true but overwhelmingly the Breakout still remains a city bike. Just that the improved ergonomics and tank range now make touring or long country runs a much more comfortable proposition than before.
We covered some pretty bumpy roads in various states of disrepair with large ripples formed by truck traffic, despite that I only got a slight kidney punch once. I found that pretty remarkable considering the 86 mm shock travel, and that I hadn’t ramped up the pre-load via the hydraulic hand-wheel that makes such a task simple. This also suggests the standard pillion perch might actually be pretty useable in the real world.
The bike leaned into a corner and then held that line remarkably well considering the limitations of the tyre-wheel combo that it runs. The spec’ sheet says that lean angle is only a modest 27-degrees, it felt a lot better than that. Even late in the day for a mainly dry run over Tawonga Gap the pegs were pretty easy to keep off the deck. I enjoy that part of the challenge it presents actually, getting around a turn as quick as you can without scraping the undercarriage. Throwing sparks is easy and takes no talent or finesse, the opposite in fact, thus punting the bike pretty hard while not scraping anything is much more of a challenge, and it is pretty rewarding when done right.
You have to ride to it, be sympathetic to its limitations and try not to impose your will onto it, once you get with that program it is still a fun and rewarding ride.
Luke also delved into how the popularity of Breakout in Australia has led to the model being reintroduced this year into their home market in America.
“In the history of Harley-Davidson this is probably the bike most inspired by the Australian customer.
“There is such a demand for this bike in Australia that we have really leaned into the Australian customer as our core consumer for this product, and thus we try to make sure they are getting what they want.
“And on the back of that this product is now crushing it worldwide, more than we expected in Europe and now we are meeting pent up demand in the United States as it comes back into the American line-up with this update to the Breakout.”
Luke also explained how this time around they have changed the blacked out look in favour of chrome.
“We had gone away from the chrome lately, especially in the more custom styles, in favour of blacked out finishes, and so we really wanted to take this back to chrome and bejewel this bike.
“And then all of the improvements we have made, based on customer feedback, the sum of all those small things, in my opinion, and I speak as someone that has just ordered one of these that I am expecting to be in my garage by April, the sum of those small things create a much more impactful impression.
“The five-gallon (18.9-litre) tank, that is something we heard loud and clear from our customers. It also gives it a much more muscular stance compared to the predecessors slimmer profile, it fattens out the front a little bit.”
The Breakout still retains a very stripped back look though, complete with narrow bars and hidden wiring presenting the rider with a very minimalist looking cockpit. The only blight to my riders eye on the standard bike was a somewhat cheap looking finned heat-sink finish on the back of the headlight.
Getting on and off the bike is ridiculously easy thanks to a fairly low rear end that makes slinging a leg over quite easy, combined with the 665 mm seat height it makes the bike really amenable. The spec’ sheet tells us that with a full tank of juice the Breakout tips the scales at 310 kg. It never feels anything like that. Lifting it off the side-stand or foot-paddling it into a tight parking space the low c-of-g and low seat height make it feel easy and light work.
It was wet and a bit chilly when we rode the Breakout in the Victorian High Country so obviously any radiant heat issues were not evident. Obviously sat at the traffic lights on a hot summers day is probably not going to be all that comfortable in full riding gear.
Heated grips and heated seats will be options but the Breakout doesn’t appear to be pre-wired for either devices which suggests that it will not only need extra wiring but also an added switch-block. Yuk.
The small LCD instrument panel inset between the upper bar clamps is actually vastly more useful than I expected. Despite its minimalism it gives you a segmented fuel gauge, clear speed display and also shows the current gear selected. A button on the left bar allows the bottom section to cycle through an odometer, two tripmeters, distance to empty and RPM.
ABS was present on the test bikes as was an easy to use cruise control system. Both work well enough and I was much happier with the performance of that single front brake than I expected to be. The feel is pretty good and the progression through the lever matches well enough to the travel through the 49 mm Showa front forks.
For maximum stopping power prodigious use of the generously sized rear brake is always key when riding any Harley. You don’t have to use that stopper to help slow down the engine in order to get the bike turned as much as you did in yesteryear though.
In the American market traction control will be an optional extra while from around the middle of this year it will be standard in Australia. However, early shipments of the machine will not feature traction control.
The 2023 Breakout is arriving on Australian dealership floors right now from $37,995 Ride Away. If recent years are anything to go by you better get in pretty quick to secure one.
The previous model was Australia’s favourite Harley. Not only that, the Breakout has also regularly been the biggest selling bike in this country over 700 cc almost every year since its inception.
Considering it is now so much better than ever its hard to see it getting knocked off that perch. This one has even won me over, and that’s saying something… Alas I am too much of a practical biker though so it would still be a bagger that would be most likely to win my money, but this is certainly my new favourite Harley model outside the Touring line-up.
2023 Harley-Davidson Breakout Specifications
- Engine – Milwaukee-Eight 117, 1923 cc, pushrod OHV
- Bore x Stroke – 103.5 x 114.3 mm (4.075″ x 4.5″)
- Power – 101 hp (75 kW) at 4750 rpm
- Torque – 167 Nm (123 ft-lb) at 3500 rpm
- Compression Ratio – 10.2:1
- Induction – Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
- Intake – Heavy Breather intake with synthetic media, washable exposed element
- Exhaust – 2-into-2 staggered; catalyst in muffler
- Lubrication – Pressurised dry sump with oil cooler, 4.7 litre oil capacity
- Primary Drive – Chain 34/46 ratio, 1.35 litre oil capacity
- Final Drive – Belt, 32/66 ratio
- Transmission – Six-speed Cruise Drive
- Clutch – Mechanical, 10 plate wet, assist & conventional
- Front Suspension – Dual-bending valve 49 mm telescopic withaluminum fork triple clamps; dual rate spring, 130 mm travel
- Rear Suspension – Hidden, free piston, coil-over monoshock; 43 mm stroke; hydraulic preload adjustment, 86 mm travel
- Lean angle – 26.8 degrees
- Front Brakes – 4-piston fixed front calipers, 300 mm rotors
- Rear Brake – 2-piston floating caliper, 292 mm
- L x W x H – 2370 x 950 x 1085 mm
- Seat Height – 665 mm
- Ground Clearance – 115 mm
- Rake – 34 degrees
- Fork angle – 36 degreee
- Trail – 145 mm
- Wheelbase – 1695 mm
- Tyres – 130/60-21 (F), 240/40-18 (R)
- Frame – Mild steel, tubular frame; rectangular section backbone; stamped, cast, and forged junctions; MIG welded; aluminum forged fender supports
- Swingarm – Mild steel, tubular sections, stamped x-member, forged axle junctions; MIG welded; removable belt spacer
- Fuel Capacity – 18.9 litres
- Weight – 310 kg
- Gross weight rating – 533 kg
- Warranty – 24 months
- RRP – From $37,995 Ride Away
