Harley-Davidson repowered its Low Rider S model ahead of MY2022 with its biggest production Mil-8 engine to date. Overall looks remain the same with that West Coast/club vibe in full effect from the front end arrangement. Blackout paint completes the package to lend the “S” even more of a sinister undertone and homemade look.
Much remains the same with last year’s Low Rider S from the tall uprights on the cut-down front fender, a small café-tastic bullet fairing and high-rise handlebar-clamp risers that lift the pilot’s paws into mini-ape territory in spite of the not-so-high-lift handlebar.
Here we find the first real difference from last year. The instrumentation was moved from the tank console up to the handlebar in a round gauge that combines an analog tachometer with digital “everything else” and an array of idiot lights to complete the package. Not only does this make it easier to see without taking your eyes off the road for too long, but it cleans up the flyline as the fuel tank sports a vestigial, low-profile cover instead that has very little influence on the upper lines.
The deep-scoop solo saddle remains the same, but this year, it rides a half-inch higher than its predecessor at 27 inches off the deck once the rear-end squats as you mount, providing you have the requisite 180 pounds of body/gear weight to compress everything out back. Uncompressed, the seat rests at 28 inches high.
As it sits on the showroom floor, the S is completely bereft of passenger amenities, so if you want to share the fun with a friend, you’re going to be on the hook for a p-pad, footpegs, and possibly a different front seat to boot.
Harley doesn’t miss any opportunities to blast away with the blackout paint, the only exceptions are the necessary things like brake discs and inner fork tubes, and the milled cooling-fin edges that keep the engine from disappearing into the black hole under the tank. The rear blinkers are fairly standard with a fender-strut mounting and bullet shape, all in LED of course, and the Zeppelin-style taillight relies on a set of 9 LED projectors for high visibility, day or night.
Back around front, the cyclops headlight turns in the same performance and rocks a DRL ring for improved daytime visibility from the front. This is another example of an old model name that was built on the FXR frame of the ’80s that made the jump to the new, 2nd-generation Softail family. Since the FXR structure is out of production — as well as its immediate successor and latest ancestor, the Dyna-based Low Rider — it falls to this new Softail platform to preserve the name and spirit-of-build.
Mild steel is the material of choice for the frame design on the Low Rider S that emulates the old hardtails both in the fall of its upper lines and the special triangular swingarm that completes the illusion. You could say the kingpost is the rectangular-section backbone that lends it quite a bit of strength and rigidity. The rest of the frame forms the classic dual-downtube/double-cradle structure that fully cradles and supports the engine rather than using the mill as a load-bearing member. Tubular-steel members also make up the swingcage that really sells the whole rigid-frame look.
The factory shifts to aluminum for the tripletree that clamps 43 mm, single-cartridge inverted forks and sets a rake angle of 28 degrees, which is toward the more stable end of the spectrum, as is the 5.7 inches of trail that delivers low-effort cruising, even at superslab speeds.
Cast aluminum wheels round out the rolling chassis with a Dark Bronze finish in a rare break from the monochromatic paint that dominates the finish. Michelin Scorcher 31 hoops come in a 110/90-19 ahead of a 180/70-16 to make the connection to the concrete in an “H” speed rating that’ll tolerate speeds up to 130 mph, which is plenty for the top speed that’s governed at 120 mph.
Yeah, it’s got a lot of go, but that comes balanced against a fair amount of stop with dual, 300 mm discs and four-bore calipers up front, while out back, a twin-piston anchor bites a 292 mm disc to take care of business. ABS protection is optional so add that and you can safely get the most out of the binders.
Oh man, things get exciting indeed in the engine area of the new Low Rider S. For the first time in a non-CVO production model, the Milwaukee-Eight 117 delivers the goods with a respectable 103-horsepower at the top end, backed up by a whopping 125 pound-feet of torque that tops out at 3,500 rpm. That’s a whole lotta’ lovin’ to be sure, even with its 679-pound wet weight.
Bore and stroke mic out at 103.5 mm and 114.3 mm, respectively, for a 1,923 cc displacement and 10.2-to-1 compression ratio that will probably prefer mid-hook pusholine. The valvetrain is pushrod-actuated with all four lifters on a common camshaft, no more twin-cam business, which returns the valve geometry to the classic arrangement for a Big Twin engine.
Electronic fuel injection and built-in exhaust catalysts combine for precise control over the emissions. As for higher ride-control electronics, they didn’t make the jump from the CVO sector along with this potent powerplant, so the Low Rider S remains a machine for riders who need no training wheels or safety nets beyond the vanilla ABS feature.
As usual, The MoCo links paint and price together at the checkout counter. Naturally, the Vivid Black model comes in at the bottom of the price range with an $18,349 asking price. There’s no escaping the monochromatic finish on this family — the Gunship Gray finish is the only other choice on the palette, and it will set you back another $450. ABS and the security suite come stock.
These days, H-D products mainly come with baked-in domestic competition from “the other” American motorcycle manufacturer, and in this case, it’s the Indian Chief Bobber that likely makes for the closest competitor.
While it’s true that the Chief Bobber doesn’t sport a cute little bubble fairing like its Low Rider S counterpart, it does match the homespun look of the thing. True to its name, the Bobber carries heavily bobbed fenders with a mini-ape handlebar that’s lofted even more by tall clamp risers for a healthy helping of that West Coast vibe.
The front end is a bit beefier with its fat standard forks, but more dated looking as well against the inverted stems H-D brings to the table. Indian offers a trio of paint packages from which to choose along with a black model and a gray one to match the Low Rider’s livery, but adds a green Sagebrush Smoke bit to the mix.
Price and paint are linked across the board with an $18,999 sticker on the Black Smoke model and $19,499 on the other two. Indian gets a leg up in the ride-control electronics by slapping on the RIDE COMMAND bundle that delivers a more modern riding experience by comparison.
In true American style, Indian powers its entry with a rather large V-twin engine. Its the ((air-cooled Thunderstroke 116 plant that turns out 120 pounds o’ grunt against 125 pound-feet from Harley’s Mil-8 engine. Forward controls put the rider in the windsock position, moreso than the mid-mounts on the H-D, which I personally prefer since it doesn’t put my jeans in the bug-scoop position, plus the mid-mounts are arguably safer since your heels are closer to being under your knees so you can push off if need be.
Read our full review of the Indian Chief Bobber.
“Indian’s electronics put some pressure on H-D as they deliver a top-shelf ride. It doesn’t have to be that way. H-D proved it can do the same on its CVO and tour-bike lines, it just held that in reserve, possibly to help keep the price out of the stratosphere. As always, there’s always next year...”
My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “In comparison to the previous generation of Low Rider S, the 2022 is a definite improvement. Not only do you have the Milwaukee-Eight 117 instead of the 114, but it’s retuned to produce about five percent more power. I was so eager to check this out knowing it was the Mil-8 117 straight out of the CVO models mounted in the improved Softail chassis. Add that increased power to what was already a more lightweight chassis and the power-to-weight ratio makes for a thrilling ride. This is a power-cruiser, make no mistake. The taller rear shock makes a noticeable difference in ride comfort over the previous gen and allows for more aggressive riding afforded by the higher ground clearance. If you hate dragging the pegs and the kickstand when tackling the curves in the old Low Rider S, you’ll notice the improvements in the new model. This is the cruiser for folks that like to work hard, play hard, and ride hard.”
Source: 2022 Low Rider S & 2022 Low Rider ST | Harley-Davidson
2021 - 2022 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide