The Low Rider ST has been one The Tradie’s favourite Harleys since we first rode one back in 2022. The bike has had some development since then, but our thoughts on it haven’t changed: it’s a pearler.
If we died and went to Heaven, this is the bike we’d expect to find waiting for us there
In 2022 we said of the Low Rider ST: ‘Harley has done an absolutely superb job of getting the heart-and-soul/tech ratio spot on with the Low Rider ST. We’re still glowing with the joy and emotion of riding a bike as good as this one’.
We feel like we can stop writing right now.
That’s exactly how we feel about the 2025 model, except it’s even better.
On a good thing
Whether or not the whole Harley image appeals doesn’t matter a damn. If riding and bikes are your passion, the FXLRST Low Rider ST is a bike that’ll blow your hair back and cause some level of dampness in the nether regions.
If you’re big on Hartley heritage and understand V-twin cruisers and what they’re about…well…this is a family magazine and we can’t give a graphic description of the feeling you’ll get when you ride it. All we can say is, ‘take a pocketful of tissues’.
There’s a distinctive look to a Harley, and the Low Rider ST has captured that look – and feel – as well as any bike on the road.
It has the low-slung mean edge to its appearance which has been a trademark of the Milwaukee company for over a century, and which has been copied by wannabes around the world.
The finish is fantastic, the motor with its air intake at the rider’s right knee is almost a signature, and the panniers, low and tight to the rear of the bike, give the unmistakable profile which, backlit by a sunrise, whispers ‘freedom’.
It’s a Harley alrighty, through and through. And it’s a damn good one.
Stepping up
Harley’s Milwaukee Eight 117 motor is well-proven unit these days, and we’ve loved it on several different models in the Harley range.
But where the last Low Rider ST we rode didn’t have any modes – which we rated a big plus for the bike’s simplicity – the new model has three: Rain, Road and Sport.
As good as the 117 motor is, the addition of the modes has lifted it in a big way.
The 114-horsepower donk has all the glorious understated grumble which is so awesomely fantastic with Harleys, but where the action used to be in the upper midrange on the tacho, a touch of the button now seems to let this motor rev to heights which we wouldn’t have believed possible if we hadn’t experienced it.
And as our eyes started watering with the acceleration, and our eyebrows rose further and further into our helmets as the revs continued to climb, we were ecstatic to find the handling and suspension answered the call of the motor.
The ‘sport’ part of the ‘sports tourer’ designation is totally justified on the Low Rider ST.
It’s stable in corners, it lunges forward with a will when the throttle’s cracked open, and the brakes offer sensational feel as both front and rear keep the hurtling 320-odd kilos of distance-destroying elegance well under control.
Seriously, this is a beautifully designed and well-thought-out motorcycle by anyone’s standards.
We were a little surprised to see the redline intervention was set at 5900rpm, but for a big V-twin, that’s actually right up there, and it proved it was obviously a good benchmark to curb over-enthusiastic journos with unrealistic notions of their own ability.
The other modes we felt were entirely sensible. Rain mode tamed everything down and, having been in the Sport mode, we rode along sulking with our bottom lips sticking out when we tried it. It’d be ideal on wet tarmac. Road was great for everyday commuting and touring, and in our opinion, offered really strong performance.
We honestly wondered whether most riders would have much use for the sparkling rort of Sport mode, but every time we rode the bike we went for Sport as soon as we left the city limits.
It’s just so frigging good!
What’s new
Aside from the modes, the upgrades for the Low Rider ST, listed as ‘new’ by Harley, include:
- Milwaukee-Eight 117 HO powertrain
- Suspension recalibrated to optimise rider comfort.
- All-LED lighting
- Chrome or black trim
- Single exhaust
- Rider safety enhancements
- Ride modes (Road, Rain, Sport)
- Hand controls and adjustable brake lever
- Four-inch instrument display, and
- USB-C charging port.
It seemed to us the most important thing – how the bike felt to sit on and ride – hadn’t changed much from the last Low Rider ST we’d enjoyed, and that’s 100 per cent positive as far as we’re concerned.
The mid-positioned footpegs and controls we thought would make things a little cramped for our 175cm rider turned out to be damn near perfectly positioned, as were the ’bars, which we were sure were too tall when we first looked at them.
In fact, we really couldn’t fault any aspect of the ergos and comfort on this bike – and that’s for sightseeing or going the rat chasing a mate on a 900 Triumph through some winding backroads.
On the label
Harley’s promotional material says: ‘The Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST model is a weekend escape machine, an American V-Twin sport-touring bike for the rider who digs clean-and-lean West Coast club-style, craves outrageous performance and is ready to cross a few state lines.’
As far as we’re concerned, it delivers all of that and more. It’s a heart-thumping, groin-pumping, leg-humping winner and we’re locked-on fans.
There’s an Aladdin’s Cave of genuine Harley accessories available to make it into whatever anyone wants it to be, and the performance and comfort will make pretty much any goal achievable.
It’s everything a V-twin sports cruiser should be.