Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST . Review

Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST . Review

Wayne Vickers’ 2022 Harley Lower Rider ST Test – Images RbMotoLens

Cruisers are a bit deceiving I think. The expectation is that they are relaxed and comfortable. Luxury places to be – lounge chairs really. I don’t usually see that, especially when you’re first jumping up after jumping off something like an Adventure bike (My Tiger). This is a typical case. Although the sitting position is quite straight, your knees are significantly higher than your hips so your lower body is not in a position that is too different from that of an actual sports bike. That’s what my hip flexors told me anyway.

I find this Harley to be one of contradictions. This is probably my favorite model out of all the recent Harleys I’ve ridden (including Sports WILL and night walker), but also one of the biggest flaws. And yet, despite those flaws – and in one case maybe because of it, there’s something about this bike that I find appealing. Even adorable.

The first impression beyond the huge size of the front screen is the weight of the bike. It is impossible to ignore the fact that it is very heavy. Good grief. I just looked at the spec sheet. 327 kilograms! That’s why it feels that way. It takes a lot of steering effort to change direction and even then you feel like you’re just shifting the front wheel if you need to change direction to get around an obstacle quickly. Moving it around the deadlock is a chore. This is clearly a *ho mans bike *cough.

Still, it’s the engine I’d expect – as an occasional Harley racer – perhaps a Harley engine would be. Note the trademark exhaust from the big 117 cubic inch donk, idling like a tractor and probably also pulling a whole tree with 168 Nm of torque. As I parked it behind my much-loved gray fergie, I swear the fergie squealed with envy… For those unfamiliar with cubes – that’s a thousand nine hundred twenty-three cubic centimeters. That’s umm, pretty much.

Very nice fuel, surprisingly so. It will occasionally have a slight delay in throttle opening if you happen to do so at the wrong time between loud bangs, but it’s mostly true. Not abrupt, just a nice cruiser engine. Must have a hand crank the weight of a small child. No need to speed it up, it doesn’t feel too powerful but humpy enough. Harley’s marketing talks about it having ‘outstanding performance’ and the right attitude. I didn’t find that at all. I found it quite journeying and docile and better for it.

Agricultural special gearbox. It does NOT like being rushed at all. Doing so will cause it to rattle, but squeeze the clutch a bit, especially on lower gears, time it just right and it fits nicely. Just like 3rd through 4th on the gray Fergie… As you adjust yourself to the bike’s mechanical demands and slow down accordingly, continuing the ride will be a bonus. strange.

Now, Harley buffs probably won’t like me making this comparison, but I feel as much enjoyment riding this bike as I do on my old Fergie. I love my old Fergie. It’s hard to pinpoint why, but it’s simple, can’t be successful and you have to tweak yourself and work on it to make it work well. When I started to adopt the same mindset with the Low Rider ST, I liked it even more. So while the gearbox is hardly a technical achievement – ​​it somehow added to the experience for me in this case. Contradictions I know.

Brake is fine. The front is pretty good. Nice two-finger lever feel. You’re pretty well aware of the aforementioned weight… and the rear brake needs to be properly pedaled to function properly. That air intake somewhat obstructs my right shin whenever I need to undress my size nine which is a bit normal in terms of packaging. I don’t think you really want to be distracted by anything when you need to brake. Especially something heavy like this. That’s the weight of three dirt bikes. Or my dirt bike and adventure bike combined. Or my dirt bike with the owner and my two teenage kids on board.. Hopefully I can skip mentioning that.. She doesn’t read the reviews anyway. mine.

The front screen has a larger frontal area than the mailbox and somehow doesn’t work. For me, the crash was massive – as bad as any bike I’ve ever ridden, which in the words of Ralph Wiggum is impossible with a lot of plastic area up front. Talk about mailboxes. That front slot is letter-sized. Good thing they don’t make these in red, I think… Yeah. I bet you can’t ignore that now either. Sorry, not sorry. If it stuck in my head, you can have it too.

Honestly, I would have liked this bike better without the front screen. I know it’s reminiscent of ’80s style that will excite some old Harley fans. But for me, since it doesn’t really work, it should probably stay in the 80s. Or just be tested and tweaked until eros works. Currently, it is not. That means I might prefer four thousand cheaper The Low Rider S version that Trev tested recently…

Behind that tiny moon-sized screen is the tiny LCD dash that seems completely lost and almost looks like an afterthought. With all that space for a proper dash, I can’t see why this one won the gong. It’s hard to read in most light and is in stark contrast to the rest of the bike characters. Normally, you would use a small screen for the sake of saving weight, but they obviously weren’t worried about making this bike light… so I can’t quite figure out why.

However, the overall suspension works exceptionally well and is easily the nicest of recent Harleys I’ve ridden. Luxury on shifting and bumpy surfaces but not bad on larger hits. Everything underneath your butt works really nicely. The saddle is nice and generously padded, which works well with the rear suspension to absorb bumps and even large bumps reasonably. It may be the weight of the bike that plays a role in subduing bumps, but whatever it is it seems to actually work very well. Liked there. Two thumbs up in fact.

And while Trev doesn’t like the centered footrest setup, I didn’t mind at all once I got used to it. Beautiful panniers too. Sorry, Harley calls them ‘saddle bags’. Even though they are hard plastic. They are the other difference between the ST and S (along with the giant front screen).

The bags are easily removable and have decent storage in them. With or without them – this is not a commuter bike. Super wide and frustrating when you can’t squeeze through traffic (and it’s surprisingly quiet with those stock pipes).

I must say, however, that I quite enjoyed this bike on the open road as I got used to the overall, windless feel. If I could sort it out it would be a good machine. You can get a higher front bezel, that’s definitely worth a try. Or simply pick up the cheaper S and add some storage bags. Sorry.. Saddle bag.

One thing it is not, is cheap. Thirty-five and a little big. And you don’t really get much technology for your dollar. It seems hard to justify honesty but it is very much. Even so, a fair bit of metal for your dollar. Is it comparable to other bikes in dollars per kilogram? That will help for sure. You just need to find the right data and you can justify almost anything

I want a gray one. It will go well with my Fergie.

I like the Harley Lower Rider ST because:

• The engine is really nice. Cruisey, relaxed but grumble when you want to.
• The suspension actually seems to work pretty well
• Oddly enough, the rather agricultural gearbox somehow really adds to the experience

I would prefer a Harley Lower Rider ST 2022 if:

• It’s even nicer if that front screen works and doesn’t shake your head too much.
• And give it a proper dash
• Is it really worth thirty-five big ones?

Specifications Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST 2022

• Engine – Milwaukee-Eight 117, 1923 cc, OHV . lever
• Diameter x Travel – 103.5 x 114.3 mm (4,075″ x 4.5″)
• Power – 103 hp (77 kW) at 4750 rpm
• Torque – 169 Nm (125 ft-lb) at 3500 rpm
• Compression Ratio – 10.2:1
• Induction – Electronic sequential port fuel injection (ESPFI)
• Intake – Heavy duty air intake with synthetic media, washable contacts
• Discharge – 2-in-2 compensating pistol; catalyst in muffler
• Lubrication – Pressurized dry storage tank with oil cooler, oil capacity 4.7 liters
• Primary transmission – 34/46 scale chain, 1.18 liters of oil capacity
• Final drive – Belt, 32/66 . ratio
• Gearbox – Six-speed cruise drive
• Clutch – Mechanical, 10 wet discs, power & conventional
• Front suspension – 43 mm single telescopic fork with aluminum triple clamps; three-speed spring, stroke 130 mm
• Rear suspension – Free-piston, hidden form, single coil shock absorber; stroke 56 mm; hydraulic preload adjustment, stroke 112 mm
• Tilt angle – 31.3 degrees
• Front brake – 4-piston fixed front caliper, 300 mm . rotating disc
• Rear brake – 2-piston floating caliper, 292 mm
• Length x Width x Height – 2365 x 870 x 1300 mm
• Saddle height – 720 mm
• Ground clearance – 150 mm
• Rake – 28 degrees
• Fork angle – 28 degrees
• Trail – 145 mm
• Wheelbase – 1615 mm
• Tires – 110/90-19 (F), 180/70-16 (R)
• Frame – Mild steel, tubular frame; backbone rectangular section; joints are stamped, cast and forged; MIG welding; aluminum forged fender support
• Swing arm – Mild steel, tubular section, stamped x members, forged shaft joints; MIG welding; Detachable padded belt
• Fuel capacity – 18.9 liters
• Weight – 327 kg
• Total weight rating – 526 kg
• Warranty – 24 months
• Sublease Price – From $35,250