This Slick New Harley Cruiser Might Be the Closest You Can Get to a Factory Chopper

We know, we know, there’s no such thing. But the 2025 Breakout has our attention anyway. Here’s why.

Published February 5, 2025

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“It’s not a motorcycle, baby, it’s a chopper.” So explains Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) to girlfriend Fabienne (Maria de Medeiros) before they roar right out of Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 game changer, Pulp Fiction.

While the line probably delighted most viewers, it irked no shortage of hard-core riders, as the bike previously owned by Zed (who, if you haven’t heard, is dead) is a lightly modified Harley-Davidson FXR that is technically more of a motorcycle than it is a chopper.

2025 harley davidson breakout hero — Chopper or not, the Breakout’s contoured silhouette and shiny chrome pipes transport us to another time and place.

Granted, it has big ape hanger bars and a few other aftermarket tweaks. But a true chopper is a specific type of custom moto characterized by extended forks, lengthened frames, big wheels and other qualities — sometimes achieved via cutting and welding (aka “chopping”) — that stretch out the appearance.

Suffice it to say, you sure can’t ride a chopper off the lot. However, if you crave chopper vibes, abundant power and a bit of modern convenience — and don’t happen to own an oxy-acetylene torch — Harley-Davidson’s new Breakout could be your next bike.

Factory flair

If any major manufacturer has the heritage and latitude to build a stock bike doing its best chopper impression, it’s probably H-D.

Angled at 34 degrees and extending the wheelbase to 66.7 inches, the Breakout’s unmistakable rake hints at the almost comical Easy Rider bikes while remaining something you can realistically U-turn on a two-lane road. The trail and chassis are also tweaked to ensure better handling than you’ll find on any classic chopper.

After all, the first choppers emerged in the late ’40s and early ’50s from Harleys via Flathead, Knucklehead and Panhead engines, often pulled from surplus military and police bikes snagged for cheap at auction.

Also, probably the two most famous choppers ever are the “Captain America” and “Billy Bike,” the customized Harleys that co-star with Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper in a movie at least as influential as Pulp Fiction, 1969’s Easy Rider.

2025 harley davidson breakout action — The Breakout’s dramatic rake and big front wheel give off “chopper” much more than this rider’s full-face helmet does.

With that in mind, here’s what stands out about the new Breakout, with particular focus on a couple of chopper-like elements plus its power and some subtle modern tech that won’t be everyone’s bag but is an intriguing part of the package.

1. Rake boss

A few features channel “chopper” right off the bat, including the round (admittedly LED) headlamp, tank flames (in the Midnight Firestorm premium paint scheme) and bobtail rear fender. But the one that immediately jumps out is the unmistakable rake.

Angled at 34 degrees and extending the wheelbase to 66.7 inches, this design element hints at the almost comical Easy Rider bikes while remaining something you can realistically U-turn on a two-lane road. The trail and chassis are also tweaked to ensure better handling than you’ll find on any classic chopper.

2. Big wheels

Any respectable chopper sports oversized wheels, and you’ll find them on the Breakout, a couple different ways. The front wheel’s diameter is 21 inches, a significant jump over other classically styled H-D cruisers. The Fat Boy, for example, comes in at 18 inches up front, while the Heritage Classic‘s front wheel has a 16-inch diameter.

2025-harley-davidson-breakout-rear-wheel

Meanwhile, out back, it’s more about, ahem, girth. The rear wheel measures 240mm (~9.4 inches) wide. Bolted to updated geometry and encased in one husky chunk of rubber, it supports a substantial contact patch that delivers maximum power to the ground when you drop the proverbial hammer.

3. Power play

What’s a Harley without a big, rumbling engine? The Breakout packs a new-and-improved Milwaukee-Eight 117 Custom power train, a 1,923cc beast putting out 104 horsepower and 126 ft-lbs of torque at 3,000 rpm.

Functionally, that translates to plenty of zip coming out of traffic lights, responsive acceleration at speed to fly past jealous cagers and easily accessed, freedom-evoking velocity in the Breakout’s natural habitat, the open highway.

4. Tech touches

Look, as someone who rides a bike with not a gas gauge but a light that comes on when I am down to a quarter tank, I’m the last person to get too excited about a motorcycle’s modern amenities. Still, I feel obligated to tell you that the Breakout offers multiple ride modes, dynamic ABS and traction control, USB-C fast charging and cruise control.

If those features make you gag, I still want to give Harley credit for sneaking all this silly “innovation” into a largely analog, gauge-like 4-inch display between the bars. That means you can pretty much forget about them as you queue up “Born to Be Wild” in your brain, pull onto an open road and crank the throttle of this almost-chopper … baby.

Availability and pricing

The 2025 Breakout is available now at Harley-Davidson dealerships around the world. The bike’s base price is $23,099, with options like the Midnight Firestorm paint scheme shown on this page significantly increasing that figure.