Harley-Davidson Low Rider S

21st August 2019

114ci | Milwaukee-Eight | Softail | £15,825 

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It's no wonder that Harley-Davidson is having so much trouble these days shifting bikes. We get regular press releases from Milwaukee and its minions, and most of them go straight into the trash. That's because said press releases tend to talk and talk and talk, but say nothing; at least, nothing that means anything, and nothing that we ain't heard a hundred times before. Which makes Messrs H-D the masters of serving up the same old same old, but different, and that's not good for press coverage. Not around here, anyway.

But don't misunderstand us. We LOVE Harley-Davidson. We've owned a few and ridden plenty more, so we're well versed in H-D lore, etiquette and marketing spiel. However, if the firm's PR wing indulged in a little brevity and stopped trying so hard to sell, we might find buying a little easier.

All that aside, H-D has sent us some heavy-going stuff about the new 2020 Low Rider S  featuring "A Softail® Chassis, Milwaukee-Eight® 114 Engine Muscle, and Defiant Attitude."

This "S" for "sports" model picks up almost seamlessly from the 2016 Low Rider that recently dropped from the range and flaunts all the latest "Hard Edge Coastal Style" design cues which include ... well slightly raised handlebars that "puts the rider in an aggressive and active position"; "black finishes for an aggressive look", plus wrinkle finish on the tank console, and all kinds of manly finishes to get that testosterone flowing. And yes, many times we've bitched about this kind of over-hyped stuff. But when you've eaten something totally unpalatable, you can't really be blamed for throwing up at least some of it.

It is a nice looking bike, mind, and we'd be happy stuffing this motorcycle in the garage with the spiders. But then, Harley-Davidson pretty much always produces nice looking bikes.

The engine on this clean-cut Low Rider S is the famed Milwaukee-Eight 114 cubic incher. That's 1,868cc for anyone living outside of the USA. Max power is 91hp (93PS/69Kw) @ 5,020 rpm. The torque is rated at 119lb-ft @ 3,000rpm. The V-twin air-cooled motor features dual counter-balancers, four valve heads, dual plugs and the obligatory fuel-injection. The transmission is H-D's 6-Speed Cruise Drive®.

Exhausts are the now familiar 2-into-2 system with offset mufflers. ABS is, of course, standard. The front fork stanchions are 43mm, and the arrangement is inverted. The fork angle, incidentally, is reduced from the standard Low Rider 30-degrees to 28-degrees.

The bike has twin 300mm front discs as compared to the single disc on the standard Low Rider. Tyres are 110/90B19 front, and 180/70B16 rear. The dry weight is 649lbs (295kg).

The base price is a very reasonable £15,825, plus all the Screamin' Eagle performance accessories as required. Expect 'em in your local dealer in the very near future.

Low Rider S - 2016 model

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