A kind of highway heaven

Like all things Harley, the tourer is big and bold. The US-bred equivalent of a Honda Goldwing, at about 380kg, is a lot of bike.

That translates into an amazingly stable ride on the highway, where truck “bow waves” and crosswinds fail to have an impact on your comfort or the bike's handling.

The only air you'll have to deal with is that deflected off the windshield into the top of your helmet. Once you adjust to it, you can sit back, set cruise control and enjoy the output from the four-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system, with CD player and MP3 input.

Many owners prefer to listen to the distinctive Harley exhaust but it's somewhat muted on the Ultra Classic and will send enthusiasts searching for an aftermarket system.

Rolling off the freeway on to secondary roads will cause the rear suspension to struggle at times as it tries to deal with rippled tarmac and the weight of two riders. Again, it's nothing a beefed-up shock won't iron out.

The Ultra isn't as much fun around town, where its low ground clearance and relatively high centre of gravity mean you need to set a smooth line through tight city roundabouts or else scrape the precious metal.

It's a trait common to many tourers and takes a day or so to adjust your style to suit.

The bike has been criticised for the heat venting on to your legs from the air-cooled 1584cc engine. Although noticeable, it's never going to singe your pants and quickly dissipates as the speedo climbs — and it climbs effortlessly, with 122Nm ensuring the roll-on acceleration is more than a match for inertia.

Ratios on the six-speed gearbox are a good match with the engine, the overdrive sixth ensuring the Twin Cam 96 is doing little more than ticking over at 100km/h.

Fuel economy is impressive, the big tourer averaging about 7 litres for 100km.

With a 19-litre tank that makes it a great ride for weekend cruises on the open road.

The bike will need its first service at 1600km, then every 8000km after that.