Classic 1997 Harley-Davidson Softail Springer

THERE’S something about the good old days of design, particularly American vehicle design, that was more about form than function. Just take a look at any 1950’s era Yank Tank with their huge fins, massive chrome bumpers and space-age dash boards. The same can be said of American motorcycle design of that era with its curvaceous, sweeping lines, fat fenders and bulbous fuel tanks.

But modern times have trimmed the fat where everything has a purpose or it’s deleted, which does make some sense, but is BORING! However, if you subscribe to the point of view that ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ then change for the sake of change seems pointless. 

Harley-Davidson has always had a very recognisable look due in part to this philosophy, and you don’t survive in business if you don’t give your customers what they want. So it’s fair to say that the people have spoken and they’re saying ‘change isn’t always necessary.’

Familiarity and nostalgia combined can be strong influencers for designers and to drive people’s buying decisions. So if you could get a bike that is modern and reliable, but looks like the bike grandad used to ride, it would be a good thing, right? 

Harley-Davidson must have had this in the back of their minds when they designed this 1997 Softail Springer. The classic lines of the early H-Ds with rigid frames has been recreated through clever design via the Softail, so how to bring even more of a classic look to an already nostalgic chariot — a springer front-end of course!

With everything on show on a motorcycle, design is paramount, and Harley-Davidson struck a formula early on that has stood the test of time; and with the advent of modern manufacturing methods and improved materials, components of an older design can be tweaked to have that old skool look but with reliability and modern functionality built in.

Here we have a perfect example of this philosophy in Harley-Davidson’s Softail Springer, Willie G, old boy. This Limited Edition Softail Springer from 1997 is one of only 1000 made with this colour combination and is a sought after item because of its rarity. But that doesn’t mean it’s hidden away — the owner, Jamie Owens, uses it as a daily rider! 

Some of the details that are unique to this model include the thatched look upholstery on the sides of the seat and the tank trim, along with leather fringes and tassels. Of course, the unique paint is worth a mention, with white base colour and red accent stripes, outlined in black on both sides of tank and mudguards.

At the front-end is H-D’s in-house designed, fully chromed springer, made with both looks, comfort and control in mind. 

Whitewall Dunlops keep the show on the road, and 1940’s styled mudguards protect the bike and rider from the road grime as the 80 cu in Evo gives it forward motion. 

The early styling is evident throughout, along with the seat with the tank badges harking back to the early to mid-40’s.

The rest of the bike is almost standard apart from a few items to personalise it. The ape-hangers were purchased on a trip to the USA, but it was discovered at the airport that they were too big to have as carry on luggage, so an emergency excess baggage fee needed to be handed over! After the VIP trip from their home country, they were fitted for the owner’s riding pleasure which required the removal of the OEM screen normally fitted to this model and replacing brake lines, throttle and clutch cables to accommodate the height of the new hangers. 

More compact rear view mirrors were fitted, whilst retaining the original chrome switch blocks.

New exhaust pipes have been fitted, but the standard configuration of a pipe each side is retained keeping the bikes nice ‘balanced’ look. They give a throaty note without drawing too much attention from the local plod squad! 

Overall this bike represents a mild customisation of an already classic bike and will remain collectable as time goes by, and you know what they say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”

Words: JT of Crotch Rocket Motorcycles; photos: iShootPix