Sundown, on my last day with the Low Rider S.
My conclusion is… I love it . Drop-dead gorgeous, effortlessly powerful – it’s the kind of machine you want to live with. The kind I don’t want to give back at sunrise tomorrow.
But screw tearful goodbyes. There are a few cold riding hours between now and dawn. And this Harley… isn’t afraid of the dark.
In the long history of the Motor Company, only three models have peaked my interest. The FXR, the XR1200, and this Low Rider S.
So Harley-philes, what am I getting at? The FXR was a stripped down FLT with more power, less vibration and cornering suspension. The XR1200 was a style throwback to the famous flat tracker. And the Low Rider S … is a perfect bit of both.
It’s a Dyna on a diet – getting the same sport treatment as the original FXR. But it’s also a style symbol. The humpback seat, taken straight from my beloved flat tracker. The Heavy Breather air intake, also a nod to the racers.
But the night reveals more . Blacked out parts and control buttons, bikini fairing, tall risers, drag bars … that’s an homage to the dark side. Like the club-style Dynas you’ll see parked outside sketchy nightclubs. Or in police impound lots.
Ripping off Jax Teller’s ride from Sons of Anarchy was a clever move for Harley. They say the S series is going to attract a younger customer – someone who might outlive the current crop of grey-haired hog enthusiasts. And with this dark beauty … I think they’re right.
My only visual complaint is the cast aluminum wheels. Harley calls them “scorched chrome” … a colour you’ve probably known for a while as “brown.” They look dull and cheap – not nearly glossy enough to match the inky black tank nor the shimmering gold logo.
The thing about riding in the middle of the night is … there are a lot of lonely roads .
Lonely roads to fill with 115 ft-lbs of torque … more than any other S series bike and 15 more than the standard Low Rider. And because it’s a Harley, horsepower is somewhere between “who cares” and “good enough.”
In the civilized world we’d say that the Low Rider S has a 1801cc V-Twin. But this is a ‘murican machine, I have to call it a 110 cubic inch Screamin’ Eagle Twin Cam .
Oddly enough, the beefy powerplant doesn’t feel more powerful than the 103 that the other Dynas get. The only difference I noticed is that this engine flexes its muscles further up the tach. Where the 103 hits its stride around 3000rpm, this 110 loves to sit above 3500.
Problem is, the limiter is set at a tame 5500rpm, so I always find myself bouncing off the glass ceiling. It’s as annoying as a two-period hockey game. Just when things start to get exciting … it’s over.
But raising the rev limiter is a simple aftermarket ignition fix, and once that’s done, the Low Rider S fills the night with smooth, heart-pounding power.
Chinatown. A labyrinth of neon alleyways. Not the place for a cumbersome Harley.
But the Low Rider S has a nimble triangle – minimal pullback at the bars, mid controls, 27-inch seat. Hitting all three corners means leaning into a flickable riding position.
And I’ve got the premium ride suspension to back it up. Emulsion shocks that are quicker to turn in, more planted in a corner, but also more comfortable on rubbish roads.
Now I didn’t want to say “for a Harley” anywhere in this review. But the truth is that 305kg only passes for “lightweight” at a Harley dealership. In the same way, these brakes are good for a Harley. I have upgraded, dual 300mm discs that do stop quicker than most hogs. But I still have to squeeze the shit out of the front lever and balance that with a few pumps on the rear.
It’s typical Harley numbness, and the doctor’s orders are the same as usual: steel braided cables and better pads.
On that note, it’s important to understand what a “sport” package does to a Harley. It makes it handle better in the everyday sense – obviously. But the Low Rider S is still no canyon carver.
The lean angle ain’t much, and it isn’t even consistent. Bank left and you’ll scrape the footpeg at 30.5 degrees. Bank right and you’ll scrape the exhaust at 29.5.
And of course the wheels are a long way apart with a ton of weight in between, so the chassis squirms around in a corner. With a 30.5-degree rake, the front end feel is also predictably vague.
Chop shops … ship yards … bad neighbourhoods…
Tonight they make me nervous, because everything on the Low Rider S is worth money.
Harley starts with a standard low rider – 17 thousand and change here in Canada. Then they add the 110 engine, premium ride suspension, 5.5-inch risers, fat 49-mil forks, side-mount license plate, chopped fender, ABS, cruise control, a Heavy Breather air intake and the 2:2 Tommy Gun exhaust from a Fat Bob.
It’s a fortune in parts, and that gives the bike a real worked-on look. In fact, it’d be a 30,000-dollar custom, if you were to build it from the parts catalogue. Yet somehow, the Low Rider S is only $20,699 off the factory line.
I wouldn’t change much of it either. The exhaust doesn’t look anything like a Tommy Gun, if I’m being honest, and it doesn’t breathe that well anyway. So I’d hack it off and install something with less back pressure and more ground clearance. That way I’ll actually reap the potential power gains from this Heavy Breather, and get an extra degree of lean angle while I’m at it.
Then I’d swap these stubby 2.1-inch shocks. It’ll kill me, because they’re worth 800 bucks and I’ve never actually bottomed them out. But taller suspension will give me another lean angle or two, plus it’ll raise the seat so my knees don’t have to make such a sharp bend.
Only problem is, the sun is about to rise. And this little key fob – that disables the stock alarm system and starts the bike – well it doesn’t belong to me.
My hands are still numb from the vibration of that rubber-mounted engine. My right leg, still warm from the header pipe, which gives off a stupid amount of heat.
My neck is still sore, from craning to view a tachometer that sits miles below the line of sight. And in my pocket, I still have this rain sock for the ridiculously exposed air filter.
It’s hard to forget the Low Rider’s flaws. Weird thing is… I don’t want to.
So, I blew off my meeting with the Harley rep. And I’ve got myself one more day with the Low Rider S.