FAST BREAK! 2016 HARLEY-DAVIDSON CVO PRO STREET BREAKOUT

After a brief absence from Harley-Davidson's premium CVO lineup, a Softail is back, in the form of the MY16.5 Pro Street Breakout.

Compared to previous iterations of the Breakout, this latest version takes the Softail-based performance model in a different design direction - drag bike inspired, as the Pro Street name suggests.

The Style

On first viewing, it must be said that the Breakout looks awesome. Continuing the blackout trend started by Harley-Davidson, there's barely a piece of shiny chrome to be seen on the Breakout, but rather than just an abyss of black, there are a number of lighter-toned styling touches, some of which make their H-D debut on this model.

The first of these is 'smoke satin chrome'. Applied to the exhaust pipes, oil lines, pushrod covers, lower rocker cover and other selected engine parts, this finish looks great in the metal, carrying a real depth that you don't get with traditional chrome.

H-D's Senior Stylist, Dais Nagao, explains further: "We worked intensely with our plating suppliers to develop the hue and depth of smoke satin chrome, and we are the first to use it in the motorcycle industry.

"We've carefully placed smoke satin chrome next to a black surface so it creates a layered effect. For example, the top rocker cover is gloss black, and the lower cover is smoke satin chrome. It's on the exhaust header shields next to the black engine and black mufflers. We [also] used smoke satin chrome on the oil lines and fittings to add an unexpected detail."

Complementing this is the lustrous black paint. Dubbed Starfire Black, this shade carries gold metalflake, which gives a bit of sparkle that's visible in intense sunlight. Breaking this up is a hand-applied, gold-edged detail stripe on the tank and rear guard with a marble-meets-woodgrain look and bronze finish.

Those drag-inspired styling cues, like the flat bars, low seat and wide-arse rear end are all there, and all work to good effect. The 'speed screen' upper fairing looks good, too, but the matching chin spoiler divided opinion in the JUST BIKES office; some liked it, others didn't.

Another new visual feature is the 'scorched chrome' finish on the Breakout's 'Aggressor' 5-spoke alloy wheels. The impact of this finish, which is more silver than the smoke finish's brown, isn't as apparent, as it's obscured by the driveline and pipes at the back and the big 300mm twin brake discs up front (more on those later).

Add the subtle instrumentation, warning lights neatly incorporated in the handlebars, 'clean' finish to the top of the tank and restyled covers and fasteners and you've got a pretty attractive package.

Overall, there's a real premium look and feel to all the elements of the Breakout, but you'd expect that on a bike costing $42,495.

However, being a CVO, the Breakout has to perform as well as it looks, and this beast certainly performs, thanks to its Screamin' Eagle engine.

The Heart

At the heart of the Breakout is a Screamin' Eagle 110B v-twin. The most powerful air-cooled engine in Harley's range, the 110 eclipes the regular Softail Breakout's 103-cube capacity via a bore increase to 111.1mm (from 94.4mm) and the addition of a Heavy Breather Elite air cleaner.

The result is 151Nm of torque (at 3500rpm) against the regular Softail Breakout's 130Nm. Power figures aren't provided, but our time on the bike confirms that it lacks nothing on that front, with US online reports suggesting output around the 65kW mark, maybe even more.

The Cruise Drive 6-speed delivers power to the big 240mm section rear tyre via a belt final drive, with the multi-plate clutch featuring an hydraulic Assist & Slip function to help deliver that grunt.

The clutch works well; lever action is smooth and there's enough feel so you know what gear you're in, rather than the less-defined transition you can get from other bikes. Neutral's always easy to find, too.

As most of our test time was in highway situations, the Breakout's standard cruise control was a welcome feature. Easy to operate, the cruise is just as easy to disengage when you need to overtake - and with all that torque, overtaking with the Breakout is easy.

The Ride

Beyond the engine package, other standard elements on the Breakout include a 43mm upside down front fork, redesigned triple trees, LED headlight, a 19-inch front rim (previous CVO Breakouts had a 21-incher) and wider rake; 35 degrees versus the 32.1 for most of the rest of the Softail range.

The monoshock rear is preload adjustable and features 10mm more travel than most other Softails, at 91mm. The bike still feels planted, though, even on crappy country roads.

The seat is described as "race inspired". We're not so sure about that, but it is extremely comfortable and probably the best seat outside of Harley's tourer range. The pillion pad works as lumbar support, too, upping the comfort factor and making you feel more planted in the saddle, especially when you open up the throttle.

The wide bars offer a great degree of control and make manoeuvring easy. Tight turns aren't fun, but that's the knock on any cruiser, really, and while it handles well, we can't imagine anyone picking up a Breakout specifically to take on the Black Spur road.

The pegs are well-placed and although "forward", aren't extremely so. The seat helps here, too, in that you never feel like you lose the pegs under acceleration. Lean angles are 24.8 degrees for the right and 25.5 for the left; not sportsbike stuff, but you don't expect that.

The combination of seat, bars and suspension means the Breakout does tip in and handle through corners better than you think - and certainly better than we expected.

The knurled-finish grips, while they look basic, are actually quite comfortable, but our one knock on the Breakout is its mirrors. Difficult to move, they just didn't provide adequate rear vision, but we're sure there's an acceptable replacement in the Harley-Davidson Genuine Accessories catalogue.

The Road

Our time on the Breakout was all too brief, unfortunately. But we did enjoy it, despite some miserable weather across the period we had it.

Power is very, very good - as you'd expect - while handling and comfort got a tick, too, but the braking was the surprise. The 300mm front discs with 4-piston calipers and 292mm rear with a 2-piston caliper are supported by ABS - which we had to employ on more than a few occasions. It rates as one of the best braking set-ups we've experienced on a bike of this size and type.

The switchless ignition and security fob are well thought-out, and the security system is top notch, too, as one embarrassed JUST BIKES staffer found out when he thought "he'd just sit on the bike".

Switchgear takes a little mastering, and the single gauge packs a lot in, so you need a bit of time before you become familiar with it.

The Verdict

As an out-of-the-crate package, the CVO Breakout really needs nothing. We're sure buyers will switch things like the pipes and pegs (and if they're anything like us, the mirrors, too), but these are all individual preferences and matters of taste, rather than necessities.

One fortnight on the CVO Breakout wasn't enough for us. We're sure those who have already bought one of these limited editions will agree.

2016 Harley-Davidson CVO Pro Street Breakout - Specs:

ENGINE

Type: Screamin' Eagle Twin Cam 110B

Displacement: 1801cc (110ci)

Bore x Stroke: 101.6mm x 111.1mm

Compression Ratio: 9.2:1

Fuel System: ESPFI

Cooling: Air

Power: N/A

Torque: 151Nm @ 3500rpm

Exhaust: 2-2 w/staggered, blunt-cut mufflers

Economy: 5.5lt/100km (combined)

TRANSMISSION

Gearbox: Cruise Drive 6-speed

Clutch: Wet, multi-plate with hydraulic assist

Primary Drive: Chain, 34/46 ratio

Final Drive: Belt, 32/66 ratio

OTHER

Frame: Tubular steel cradle

Rake: 35 degrees

Trail: 196mm

Lean Angle (Left): 25.5 degrees

Lean Angle (Right): 24.8 degrees

Wheels: Alloy 5-spoke 'Aggressor' - 19-inch Fr/18-inch Rr

Tyres Fr/Rr: 130/60B19 61H/240/40R18 79V

Brakes Fr/Rr: Twin 300mm fixed discs, 4-piston caliper/292mm floating disc, 2-piston caliper with ABS

DIMENSIONS

Length: 2330mm

Wheelbase: 1680mm

Seat height: 660mm

Ground Clearance: 120mm

Fuel Capacity: 18.9 litres

Weight (Wet): 332kg

Price: $42,495RRP

Thanks to Harley-Davidson Australia and Harley-Heaven Melbourne for assistance.

You can find out more at HarleyDavidson.com.au.

Auto-Photo - our saviours!

For the bulk of the time we had the CVO Breakout we also had crap weather (thanks, Melbourne!). So, with torrential rain and our time to hand back the Breakout fast approaching, the folks at Auto-Photo came to the rescue.

Located in Maidstone (just near Footscray in Melbourne's western suburbs), Auto-Photo is a fully self-contained, drive-in 'cyclorama' indoor photo booth, specifically designed for photographing cars, bikes and most other reasonably-sized vehicles.

Auto-Photo has a crew of photographers that can shoot your vehicle for you, providing a set of high-quality images (digital or prints) that are ideal to use for advertising purposes, gifts (great Christmas or Father's Day idea) or just as a keepsake of your treasured ride.

The crew at Auto-Photo welcome car/bike clubs and groups, too, so club members can get a set of professional images of their vehicles for club website and other promotional uses.

Professional photographers can also hire out the Auto-Photo studio for their own vehicle shoots.

If you're looking to get your car or bike professionally photographed, then the Auto-Photo '$150 for 15 Photos' package is amazing value.

Auto-photo are located at 207 Ballarat Rd, Maidstone. Open 5 days a week 9:00AM - 5:00PM, with weekends and other times available by special appointment.

For more details, contact Auto-Photo on 1300 737 437, email: [email protected] or go to: auto-photo.com.au.

Special thanks to Auto-Photo for their support with this shoot.