2023 Harley-Davidson Breakout 117 Review

[Hugh Janus]

Back in Harley-Davidson’s lineup for 2023, the Breakout 117 returns with the largest version of the Milwaukee-Eight powerplant. (Jeff Allen/)

There is just something about the stance of the Harley-Davidson Breakout 117 that visually sucks you in, especially the rear three-quarter view. The super fat 240 rear tire with an ultraclean bobbed fender with minimalist indicator/brake lights and the softail rear end just looks so right. Apparently we aren’t the only ones who think so, as Harley-Davidson has brought the Breakout back into its lineup after a couple year hiatus.

We’re particularly fond of the Breakout from this view. (Jeff Allen/)

The last time the Breakout was on the books was in 2020, and back then it sported a Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine, but has now been upgraded with the 117 version of that V-twin. Other new highlights include a larger 5.0-gallon fuel tank (up from 3.5), a 3/4-inch taller handlebar riser, standard cruise control, and available traction control. This custom cruiser is all about style, but that doesn’t mean it sacrifices substance.

117ci Milwaukee-Eight Engine

As mentioned, the Breakout gets the 45-degree, counterbalanced Milwaukee-Eight 117 V-twin, which is the largest engine currently offered in regular-production Harleys. Yes, The Motor Company just announced the upcoming 121, but for 2023, this is the top of the food chain. The Milwaukee-Eight has been around since 2017, and was first available in 107ci and 114ci displacements. Those have since grown with the 114 becoming the standard size and 117 the larger offering in select models like the Breakout. Can we assume that in 2024 that will creep up to 117/121? History says yes.

The largest engine currently offered in standard production H-D models is the Milwaukee-Eight 117. (Jeff Allen/)

Back to the Breakout; the Milwaukee-Eight 117 (1,923cc) has 103.5 x 114mm bore and stroke dimensions respectively with a 10.2:1 compression ratio. The “Eight” in the name designates the fact that it’s an eight-valve engine. A single four-lobe cam actuates a pair of pushrods on each cylinder, which in turn operate a pair of rockers in each head. Hydraulic roller tappets maintain valve clearances. Oil is supplied via a dry sump and is circulated through a cooler.

On the Cycle World dyno, the Breakout produced 94.2 hp at 4,790 rpm and 118 lb.-ft. of peak torque at 3,250 rpm at the rear wheel, which is very close to Harley’s claimed numbers of 101 and 125.

One of the design goals that was pursued with the Milwaukee-Eight was heat management. A shallow combustion chamber helps dissipate heat quickly, while the bridge between the exhaust valves is cooled by passages that circulate oil to a mini radiator. Additionally, all Milwaukee-Eight engines feature the Engine Idle Temperature Management System, which deactivates the rear cylinder at a preset temperature if it starts getting too hot.

The engine is fed air through a chromed Heavy Breather intake into the throttle body with fuel delivered via Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection. A pair of spark plugs, one in the center of the combustion chamber and one offset on the side in each cylinder, light it up. Burned gases exhale through catalyst-equipped 2-into-2 staggered exhausts wrapped in chrome heat shields.

Exhausts are catalyst equipped. (Jeff Allen/)

Power is transferred to the compensator in the primary drive and via chain to the wet multiplate clutch that features assist functionality, making the pull lighter at the bar. Then power is doled out to the six-speed Cruise Drive transmission and onto the rear wheel via belt final drive.

Chassis

The Breakout is long and low, with a steel backbone frame and swingarm. The softail design features a hidden shock with 3.4 inches of travel and provision for spring-preload adjustment via a remote toolless knob. Up front is a 49mm conventional (right-way up) fork with 5 inches of travel. Wheelbase measures 66.7 inches with the rake angle set at 34 degrees with 5.7 inches of trail. The seat height is a super low 26.2 inches. Claimed wet weight is 683 pounds fueled up and ready to roll.

Key to the Breakout’s styling are the contrast-cut, 26-spoke wheels. Up front is a 21, and out back a wide 8-incher. (Jeff Allen/)

Key to the Breakout’s stance are the wheels and tires. Up front is a 3.5 by 21-inch 26-spoke cast-aluminum contrast-cut wheel with a 130/60-21 Michelin Scorcher 11 tire. Out back is a monstrous 8 by 18-inch matching wheel mounted with 240/40-18 tire. Braking is handled by a conventionally mounted four-piston caliper pinching a 300mm disc in the front, while at the rear is a twin-piston caliper and 292mm disc. ABS is of course standard.

Up front, the Breakout uses a conventionally mounted four-piston caliper and 300mm disc. (Jeff Allen/)

Electronics

The view from the cockpit is dominated by the straight, chromed handlebar set on a slightly taller riser (+3/4 inch) than the previous Breakout and is topped by the small LCD instrument screen and a couple rows of warning/indicator lights underneath. The Breakout has keyless ignition with a fob, while all gauge info can be accessed from the left-handlebar-mounted pod. Love them or hate them, the turn signals are still split, with the left on that side and the right on the other. The bike’s standard cruise control is operated on an intuitive multifunction switch on the left, while the optional TC can be turned off on the right-pod switch.

This minimalist LCD screen and double row of warning lights provide all the basic information. (Jeff Allen/)

Lighting up front is from a roval-shaped all-LED headlight, while the turn signals/taillight combo setup still use incandescent bulbs instead of LEDs. There is a USB power outlet that puts out 2.4 amps that will keep a bar-mounted smartphone topped up while navigating.

The headlight is an all LED unit. (Jeff Allen/)

Riding Impression

Custom-style cruisers are seemingly one-trick ponies, motorcycles that appear to be happy only cruising the local boulevards. But things aren’t always as they seem when you dig a little deeper with the Breakout; so like our mothers told us, don’t judge a book by its cover.

For sure, it’s quite fun launching the bike from stoplight to stoplight, treating every green light like a “tree” at the dragstrip. The fact that the 117 delivers a ridiculously flat torque curve from 1,750 to 4,000 rpm makes it hard to keep from chucking the clutch lever out and letting it catapult off the line, especially when a Tesla is lined up in the next lane… But there’s more to this bike than just straight-line performance.

The Milwaukee-Eight 117 has heaps of torque and a totally linear horsepower curve. (Dynojet/)

With so much low-to-midrange torque on hand and a perfectly linear climbing power curve, there isn’t much benefit to revving the thing to the moon. Short-shifting just a bit and staying in the meat of the curve is quite rewarding and actually impossible to avoid. With a nice feel from the clutch and solid shift action from the transmission, keeping the bike on the boil is quite fun.

Our Breakout came with the optional traction control ($200), which seems like a no-brainer. Sure, it’s fun to turn it off and let the rear tire smolder off the line a bit, but with all that torque, if you want it to hook up, the TC definitely helps. Besides, we imagine that the 240-section tire is on the pricey side!

Out on mountain roads, the Breakout surprised us with its stability and fun pace. (Jeff Allen/)

Speaking of that tire. Around town, the Breakout’s massive rear tire definitely keeps the bike from “snapping” into corners. Instead, it requires a firm countersteer at the bars to initiate the turn and let the lean work its way up onto the edge of the tire. The tighter the turn, the more effort is required, but it doesn’t take long to get accustomed to.

With the low 26ish-inch-tall seat, finding firm footing at stops should be easy for most and helps easily manage the bike when maneuvering into a parking spot. While the forward foot controls help by staying out of the way of lower legs and feet when stopped.

The Breakout definitely doesn’t snap into corners, but it does offer predictable handling that is easy to gauge. (Jeff Allen/)

Speaking of things that aren’t as they appear: One look at the stretched seating position—with feet thrown out front—makes one wonder if it could possibly be comfortable for more than 20 minutes. After spending a long day riding the Breakout around town and in the mountains we walked away surprised how fresh we felt. One of us, who is 5 feet, 11 inches, felt like the seat with its deep pocket offers really good back support, while the reach to the flat handlebar is quite relaxed. Our tall and lanky Bradley Adams (6 feet, 3 inches), however, reported that his long legs make his right appendage ram uncomfortably up against the air intake.

Despite a comfortable riding position, our tallest tester found his right knee interfering with the air intake. (Jeff Allen/)

While around-town handling feels heavy and requires some extra effort at the bars, the Breakout is very at home on big sweeping mountain corners. Rather than feeling like the rear tire is fighting you, it instead offers a ton of midcorner stability. Hairpins are another story and replicate the sluggishness of the urban setting, but when the road is a series of big sweepers, the Breakout is really fun. Since the bike likes to meander over onto the side of the tire instead of snapping from side to side, it’s easy to gauge that last bit of lean before the pegs start grinding into the asphalt. When it starts to grind it’s easy to pick it back up a touch and save your boot from the heel getting smoked off.

The hidden rear shock has provisions for spring-preload adjustability via this toolless adjuster. (Jeff Allen/)

Another area that the Breakout gets high marks is the suspension. With just 3.5 inches at the rear, you might wonder how the bike reacts over crappy pavement, but the combination of the softail rear end and the deep and plush seat make the ride quite comfortable. Our testing loop definitely served up plenty of bad pavement, but the long stable chassis and 5 inches of front-end travel kept the Breakout composed through the gnar.

Once comfortable with the bike’s handling and composure and a much quicker pace, it was nice to discover that that the single front brake was easily up to the task of getting the near-700-pound machine whoaed down. Feel at the lever isn’t in any way sportbike aggressive, but power is predictable and progressive.

Conclusion

Harley-Davidson’s Breakout 117 sucks you in with that long and low custom-cruiser stance, but the best news is the bike delivers on so many levels beyond its image. The Breakout is also a survivor, as it really doesn’t have any direct competition any longer. The only bike we can think of off the top of our heads is Honda’s Fury, but that bike is virtually a middleweight by comparison and more of a raked-out chopper-style machine.

Packed with a lot of style, the Breakout still impressed with performance. (Jeff Allen/)

There is no denying that The Motor Company has this formula down pat, and although the Breakout and Fat Bob are the only two bikes in the lineup with a custom-cruiser profile, Harley-Davidson has delivered a style-heavy machine that performs in a manner that its competitors past and present have never been able to replicate. Function really does match form.

Yeah, the Breakout doesn’t have the broadest range of capability—you’re not likely going to go touring on it—but for what this bike was designed to do, it impresses. The Milwaukee-Eight 117 is awesome, making the Breakout a stoplight-drags hero, the cockpit and riding position are surprisingly comfortable, and there is no question that the over-the-top styling stands out in the sea of matte-black and muted colors that are so popular right now. In short, if you love the look, you’ll be stoked with the performance too.

The clean bobbed rear fender features integrated turn signals and brake lights. (Jeff Allen/)
For 2023, the Breakout gets a 3/4-inch taller handlebar riser. (Jeff Allen/)
The left handlebar pod has cruise controls, info toggle, and the left-hand turn signal. (Jeff Allen/)
The right handlebar pod features the control toggle for the optional traction control that our bike was fitted with. (Jeff Allen/)
Fuel capacity has increased from 3.5 gallons to 5, providing an average range of around 200 miles. (Jeff Allen/)
The Breakout is back and better than ever. (Jeff Allen/)

2023 Harley-Davidson Breakout 117 Specs

MSRP:	$21,724 (as tested)
Engine:	Pushrod-operated, 45-degree V-twin; 4 valves/cyl.
Displacement:	1,923cc
Bore x Stroke:	103.5 x 114.0mm
Compression Ratio:	10.2:1
Transmission/Final Drive:	6-speed/belt
Cycle World Measured Horsepower:	94.2 hp @ 4,790 rpm
Cycle World Measured Torque:	118.0 lb.-ft. @ 3,250 rpm
Fuel System:	Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection
Clutch:	Wet, multiplate w/ assist
Engine Management/Ignition:	Electronic
Frame:	Steel backbone
Front Suspension:	49mm telescopic fork; 5.0 in. travel
Rear Suspension:	Single shock, preload adjustable; 3.5 in. travel
Front Brake:	4-piston caliper, 300mm disc w/ ABS
Rear Brake:	2-piston caliper, 292mm disc w/ ABS
Wheels, Front/Rear:	21 x 3.5 in. / 18 x 8.0 in.
Tires, Front/Rear:	Michelin Scorcher 11; 130/60-21 / 240/40-18
Rake/Trail:	34.0°/5.7 in.
Wheelbase:	66.7 in.
Ground Clearance:	4.5 in.
Seat Height:	26.2 in.
Fuel Capacity:	5.0 gal.
Average MPG:	41.5 mpg
Cycle World Measured Wet Weight:	682 lb.
Contact:	harley-davidson.com

GEARBOX

Helmet: Shoei RF-SR

Jacket: AGV Sport Palomar

Pant: Rev’It Jackson 2 SK

Gloves: Alpinestars Crazy Eight

Boots: Sidi Arcadia

Source

[Buckster]

[XTreme]

[Marcel le Moose Fondler]

16 minutes ago, Buckster said:

It's still a coffee shop machine...can't really ride a bike like that long distance...

[Pedro]

Ugly Harley