Let’s kick things off by explaining a few things.
Not everyone who works in motorsport likes to ride or drive fast. Some do, of course, and they are the same people who light up their tires when pulling away from a coffee shop or who think it is cool to do donuts in gravel car parks, sending stones flying.
But some of us are simply content to arrive in our own time without having racked up traffic violations, which is just as well in the UK because we have speed cameras everywhere.
We now have nearly 8,000 speed cameras sneakily tucked away across our road network, nearly as many as the whole of the United States, which means you are never too far away from a fine or penalty points.
Consequently, as a whole, us Brits tend to spend more time fixated on the speedo rather than what’s on the road up ahead of us, which is a problem as I will explain with this 2024 Harley Davidson Low Rider ST.
Then there are our roads. We are blessed to have some wonderful country roads that wind their way through the smallest villages with some of the best located around Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix.
Silverstone itself is an old airfield that was used during World War 2. It’s a vast space where it is always windy and the mercury in the thermometer rarely moves above 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
And then there is the weather, which can mainly be summed up in two words—‘wet’ and ‘grey’.
There’s also the notion among American bikers that us Brits ride around on Norton or Triumph bikes from the 1960s. But the UK bike scene is shifting. Despite the speed cameras and those aforementioned roads being peppered with potholes, the sport cruiser is becoming more popular.
But is this offering from Harley Davidson any good for us British riders?
The first thing you notice is that giant front faring and overwhelming sense of black—in another life, it would comfortably fit in with Bruce Wayne’s alternative garage. In fact, everything is black. Harley has ditched its fondness for chrome and painted everything in either gloss or matte black. I like it, but it means that those who like to polish chrome will have to find time doing something else, perhaps tending to the scuffs with black permanent marker, because the power coating is super-thin and prone to picking up blemishes, which otherwise would have been easy to polish out.
When you first sit on the low single seat, the position of the foot pegs thrust your knees into your ribcage and when you reach out to the handlebars, it is uncomfortable, especially if you have a wallet or phone in your pocket.
On fire up, there is an undeniable emptiness. As someone who believes in ‘loud pipes saves lives’ and runs a bobber with straight-through pipes, the sound of the two into two offset shotgun exhaust into giant mufflers is worse than underwhelming.
One morning, on the way into the race track, I was encouraged to give it some beans from one of the fans who was waiting for the F1 drivers to arrive, but in truth, I didn’t have the heart to twist the throttle. The output of the Milwaukee-Eight 117 V-twin sounded so pathetic through the restricted stock exhaust it was embarrassing to even try to show off.
On the subject of which, how has Harley not yet managed to find a gearbox that slips into neutral with ease? It’s staggering. You can find yourself searching for neural for what seems like hours before you lose heart (or any remaining credibility) and just shut off the bike knowing you can address it later when people are not watching.
There are other problems too. The instrument cluster is remarkably poor. And, as mentioned above, seeing the speed is important to us Brits, so the small digital display of the Low Rider ST makes this difficult. If we stick to the subject of seeing, the LED headlight is an improvement on previous offerings from Harley Davidson but still is not bright enough for our country roads.
Again, not that relevant to some US riders, but if you live somewhere with rain, the caps on the front forks are recessed and fill up with water. This may seem minor, but it is most annoying watching two mini water pools swirling around in front of you while riding.
Then there is that front fairing, which has a hole cut into the front. I understand from some comments that it looks good to some people, but in reality, I am not too sure it adds to the riding pleasure. The low screen only serves to increase the wind buffeting, which was uncomfortable on the long five-hour ride home.
So, it is down on technology and comfort—and that rear number plate looks ridiculous for the UK market—is there anything that is a positive?
Yes, and there is plenty of it. Power.
The engine is a beautiful V-twin that is served willingly by a tune-heavy breather air filter that also looks the part. The 1,923cc block produces 105bhp, which delivers plenty of torque low down in the rev range making overtaking a doddle. The suspension is much better than some of the Harleys I have ridden in the past, as is the front brake. The rear brake, however, is inefficient and requires standing on for it to work.
I also liked the panniers, or saddle bags as Harley call them, which were not too wide for filtering in traffic but their design needs a rethink. Inside they are operated by small pistons but they dramatically cut back on the space inside, which was again a letdown.
So, nothing great then? Well, it is very well made but the most suspiring thing was that it was pleasantly economical and, for a big heavy lump, it is mighty quick. But then, when has it ever been about the requirement to drive one of these bikes fast?
For we have our Nortons and Triumphs for that.
