“Ahh, so that is what they imply after they use the ‘shot out of a cannon’ cliché,” I believe to myself because the 2025 Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST I’m clinging to rockets ahead with unforgiving pressure.
With the throttle pinned, the bike delivers the kind of roaring, cacophonous soundtrack that Individuals appear to take action properly. Talking as an American, I’ll concede that the stuff we make isn’t at all times the quickest or finest performing, however, man, it seems to be and sounds cool.
Onerous acceleration on the Low Rider ST locations you within the centre ring of a hurtling two-wheel circus of sound: the whine of consumption, the clack of pistons, the deep and menacing roar of exhaust, dashing wind, and your personal maniacal laughter.
As all that is occurring, your butt presses into the (very comfy) seat, your again and neck pressure to maintain from flopping backward. Forearms tense in clinging to the ‘bars. The Low Rider ST can rocket you from standing nonetheless to 60 mph in 4 seconds.
2025 Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST
When it comes to cease, go, and dealing with, it’s simply the very best of Harley-Davidson’s Softail line-up. It might very properly be the very best of all of Harley’s huge twins. Whereas the Road Bob I rode not too long ago is the right cruiser for individuals who already love cruisers, the Low Rider ST is a motorbike that would probably convert somebody from exterior the cult of American V-twins.
It’s, for my part, one of many only a few bikes on the market that’s price its (moderately spicy) asking value. Right here’s how and why:
Some background
Let me take you all the best way again to 1983, when Harley-Davidson, having freed itself of AMF’s unenthusiastic possession, was determined to shake off the unhealthy repute it had earned in earlier years. It wanted one thing nice – one thing to wow clients. One thing that riders would drool over 4 many years later.
Leaning on the design prowess of Willie G. Davidson and the engineering abilities of a younger man named Erik Buell, the MoCo got here up with the FXRT Sport Glide, a light-touring machine that dealt with markedly higher than something that had come earlier than.
2025 Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST
The bike’s standout function was its distinctive fairing, borrowed from the (sadly) deserted Nova challenge, which might have seen Harley-Davidson providing a V4 motorbike.
Think about. A V4 cruiser. Who would try this?
In Harley circles, they communicate in regards to the FXRT (and police-focused FXRP) with the kind of tone one may use when speaking about your first kiss: excited, reverent, sensual, charged. The bike was produced for simply 9 years – 1983 to 1992 – however many Harley followers nonetheless listing it amongst the very best the corporate has ever produced. And loads of aftermarket corporations have made good cash promoting FXRT/FXRP-style fairing to imitate the look on trendy bikes.
In 2024, Harley lastly obtained the message and delivered the FXLRST, aka Low Rider ST. It was immediately well-received and acknowledged as iconic. If you happen to’ve seen the TV collection “Peacemaker” you’ll be aware that the Low Rider ST serves as the bottom for the Peace-Cycle.
In 2025, Harley made the bike even higher, equipping it with the brand new 1923cc Milwaukee Eight 117 Excessive Output V-twin, particularly tuned for arduous acceleration, and geared up with the three new using modes I spoke about within the 2025 Road Bob overview.
2025 Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST
First impressions
Magnificence is within the eye of the beholder however I discover it arduous to consider there’s anybody who would actually describe the Low Rider ST as ugly. Excessive, possibly. “Not my factor,” certain. However ugly? No. You’re simply trolling at that time.
The old-school fairing attracts your consideration immediately. It offers the bike presence and notable sense of dimension over the remainder of the Softail line-up, with out having the ‘Can that really slot in my storage?’ girth of Harley’s touring machines.
The fairing, mini T-bars, colossal air consumption, and slim panniers give the bike a distinctly West Coast really feel. It’s the kind of bike an individual sporting a Dixxon Flannel shirt would experience (If you happen to don’t know what I’m speaking about, look them up; you’ll see what I imply).
Throw a leg over, and your bottom can be met with a surprisingly comfortable seat – on par with the all-day butt pads that Harley places on its touring line. Seat top is a simple 715 mm (or 28 inches), so getting toes solidly down isn’t a lot of a problem for a 6-foot-1 rider like me. You’re straddling the bike’s Lincolnshire-sized engine, although, so those that are shorter of leg should discover themselves on the balls of their toes.
2025 Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST
Out of the field, the Low Rider ST comes with mid-set controls. Sadly, the mannequin I rode was geared up with accent ahead pegs. So, I’m not capable of inform you whether or not your legs scrunch up as a lot as some reviewers declare.
I’d assume, although, that the seating place is just like the Low Rider S, which I’ve additionally ridden. It’s true that my knees had been a bit excessive however I don’t bear in mind any discomfort.
In a overview of that bike (for a unique web site), I wrote that “the ergonomics remind me a bit little bit of the Road Bob, however extra comfy. Not fairly ‘indignant monkey,’ extra ‘perturbed primate.’ Raised bars and mid-set pegs make for a using place that’s aggressive, however not a lot that you just couldn’t keep that means some time.”
The writer on a 2020 Harley-Davidson Low Rider S
Again to the Low Rider ST: what I can inform you is that ahead pegs on this bike are a horrible concept. In stretching your leg ahead, your knee is positioned subsequent to the colossal air consumption, which then forces your leg out and makes it extraordinarily tough to entry and function the rear brake pedal.
Contemplating the truth that the rear brake is historically fairly essential when corralling the low, rearward weight of a cruiser, the ahead pegs create a state of affairs that’s markedly lower than ideally suited.
Arms, in the meantime, fall comfortably to the T-bars. Once more, the seating place is Road Bob-esque right here, along with your arms stretched kind of straight in entrance of you.
Regardless of fairing that would cover a lot extra stuff, the show in entrance of you is similar clock-like 4-inch set-up seen on the Road Bob and different Softails. The show is dominated by an analogue speedo. Under that may be a digital readout that gives a wealth of knowledge, together with gas gauge, and chosen using mode. You may click on by way of for information on mileage, journey meters, time, tyre strain, vary, traction management setting, and cruise management.
On the left grip you’ll discover the cruise management settings, a button that serves because the left flip indicator and horn – relying on precisely the place you press it – and the up-down button/swap that operates the show. That latter facet will annoy you when trying to set the clock.
2025 Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST
On the appropriate grip you’ve obtained an up-down button/swap for the ignition, an identical button/swap that operates each the hazard lights and traction management settings, and a button that serves as the appropriate flip indicator and modes button. Sure, Harley does that factor of placing an indicator button on either side of the handlebar. No, they’re by no means going to alter this, as foolish as most of us assume it’s.
Trying straight forward, the fairing doesn’t occupy an excessive amount of of your imaginative and prescient. The bike’s magic tinted display stops under your eyeline.
Lifting the 304 kg Low Rider ST off the stand, you’ll discover the load. Particularly when trying to duck stroll about, or shove it round in a parking lot/storage. Thankfully, the load is sweet and low, so it by no means feels unmanageable; you simply need to put your legs into it.
Engine and transmission
As talked about, the Low Rider ST is pushed by a 1923cc Milwaukee Eight 117 Excessive Output V-twin engine that claims peak outputs of 112 bhp at 5020 rpm and 127.5 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm.
Harley-Davidson Milwaukee Eight 117 Excessive Output V-twin
One of many huge modifications that Harley made to the Softail line for 2025 was to start providing three totally different engine tunings, to boost and distinguish the character of a given mannequin. These three tunings being: Traditional, Customized, and Excessive Output.
The Traditional engine guarantees “easy road efficiency with a flat torque curve” and has the bottom peak outputs of the three, exchanging numbers for usability. It’s the engine utilized by the Road Bob.
The Customized engine affords a bit extra oomph and is “engineered for intense acceleration and easy freeway cruising,” in line with Harley-Davidson. It’s the tune used on the 2025 Harley-Davidson Fats Boy.
And this engine, the Excessive Output, in line with the MoCo is “ideally suited for riders who crave excessive efficiency within the higher rev vary.”
2025 Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST
These totally different tunes are paired with three new using modes: Sport, Street, and Rain. You may most likely guess the distinction between every. For my cash, the aggressive throttle response of Sport mode suits the Low Rider ST’s temper completely.
The Milwaukee Eight is an incredible engine, with partitions of energy and torque like a tidal wave: fluid however plain. And the soundtrack it delivers is unimaginable.
The Excessive Output tuning of the Low Rider ST means that you can rev a bit tougher than one may on different cruisers. You may make it growl that for much longer. And in consequence, you can be looking for out roads with numerous roundabouts simply so you possibly can tear out of them.
The engine’s stable for the long-haul, too. The times of a Harley struggling to cruise at enthusiastic motorway speeds are a distant reminiscence. The Low Rider ST’s powerplant may be very completely happy to take a seat all day at 80-85 mph with out fuss or extra vibration.
The six-speed transmission is about nearly as good as you’re ever going to get from an enormous twin. Gears are achieved with a life-affirming thunk, nevertheless it’s no much less agricultural than an outdated Kawasaki Versys 1000 transmission. As has at all times been the case, clutch pull requires a powerful left hand.
2025 Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST
What it is prefer to experience
Pushing the Harley round a parking lot could have you saving cash on a gymnasium membership. However the Low Rider ST’s weight all however disappears on the go.
I’ve ridden a lot of the Softail line-up and the Low Rider ST is well the very best dealing with. Sure, it maintains a way of avoirdupois presence – particularly in corners – however I reckon it’s about as near “flickable” as an enormous Harley could be.
Total, the suspension does a very good job of staying calm on sharp bends and absorbing a lot of the imperfections of British roadways. The bike is notably extra bump-tolerant than the Road Bob, for instance.
Issues do get a bit unsettled, although when you go too arduous on the entrance brake. As with all the Softail line, the entrance is inclined to dive. It is a function, I assume – not a bug. And the twin entrance discs imply you at the very least get a very good quantity of whoa from the entrance, which is useful if the air consumption is obstructing your entry to the rear brake pedal. (However, once more, the ahead pegs that created this drawback aren’t on the usual mannequin)
2025 Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST
You get 31.3 levels of lean angle on either side, which is respectable for a cruiser. Follow license-keeping speeds and also you’re unlikely to ever contact a peg down.
Fact be informed, I can’t think about the Low Rider ST could be anybody’s first or second selection for going nuts within the twisties. That’s not a criticism; no bike needs to be all issues. However I do assume it’s foolish that the MoCo has chosen to provide the bike its “ST” designation. Why overpromise like that? “Low Rider GT” has simply nearly as good a hoop to it and could be extra trustworthy.
There’s undoubtedly extra of a ‘grand touring’ spirit right here than ‘sport touring.’ The relative lightness of the bike in comparison with Harley’s touring fashions makes it extra manageable, whereas the fairing does a superb job of retaining the climate off.
The Low Rider ST’s display is without doubt one of the finest I’ve ever encountered. You look over it moderately than by way of it, but it one way or the other places your helmet in an undisturbed cushion of air.
2025 Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST
Add an all-day comfortable seat, a good 18.9-litre tank, and a spot-on cruise management set-up, and the Low Rider ST is a wonderful selection for cross-country jaunts. Maybe the one factor going towards it on this enviornment is the scale of its panniers. Formally, they’ve a mixed capability of fifty liters however the form and inside clunkiness means you’ll be fortunate to get 20 litres a facet.
And, hey, 40 litres is lots for a two- or three-day solo journey, however when you’re going to be out for longer you’re going to wish to spend money on some extra baggage. As an apart, I do know from expertise that Kriega luggage strap simply to Harley Softail pannier mounts. I additionally know from expertise that the straps can scratch the paint when you’re not cautious…
Technowhizzbangery
Harley has quietly been rocketing ahead by way of using aids lately. Cornering ABS, cornering traction management and ‘Drag Torque Slip Management’ (which prevents extreme rear-wheel slip throughout deceleration) have been explicit recreation changers inside the cruiser context. This yr additionally sees the introduction of the aforementioned using modes.
A wonderful cruise management system, together with tyre strain monitoring, additionally comes customary. And a cleverly hidden USB-C port is just under the tank.
What’s notably fantastic is that none of these items jumps out at you. Some bikes put on their tech as a badge of honour. And that’s high quality. However I really like the best way Harley manages to cover all of it. It’s there, however the bike seems to be genuinely old-school.
Verdict
If you happen to haven’t guessed by now, I really like the Low Rider ST. It’s full-fat Harleyness blended with simply sufficient practicality to make it the right do-most-things bike.
Need to look cool crawling alongside the seafront? Low Rider ST. Need to take pleasure in curving roads whereas retaining your license? Low Rider ST. Need to go to Austria? Low Rider ST. I wouldn’t select it for my day by day commute, nevertheless it might try this, too, when you’re the kind to commute on a £21k motorbike.
2025 Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST
The bike’s price ticket could also be its solely Achilles heel. However probably I’m solely saying that as a result of I personally don’t have the £21,295 wanted to satisfy its beginning value. In fact, the Low Rider ST might be price what Harley desires for it.
Certain, you could find the identical options in a extra inexpensive bundle. However that bike received’t look, sound, and really feel like this one.
That bike received’t be the kind of machine that you just’ll be inclined to carry on to for all times, the type that you just’ll brag about within the outdated of us’ residence, the type that your children will maintain up footage of you using and say: “Look how cool my dad was.”
The Low Rider ST provides you with all that and extra.
For extra motorbike information and opinions written by motorcyclists, stick to Visordown.
|
STARTING PRICE |
£21,295 |
|
ENGINE |
1923cc air/oil-cooled Milwaukee Eight 117 Excessive Output V-twin |
|
POWER |
112 bhp @ 5020 rpm |
|
TORQUE |
127.5 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm |
|
TRANSMISSION |
Six-speed |
|
WEIGHT |
304 kg |
|
FUEL CAPACITY |
18.9 litres |
|
SEAT HEIGHT |
715 mm |
|
WHEELBASE |
1,615 mm |
|
TIRES (FRONT) |
110/90B19,62H,BW |
|
TIRES (REAR) |
180/70B16,77H,BW |
|
BRAKES (FRONT) |
Twin disc, four-piston caliper |
|
BRAKES (REAR) |
Single disc; two-piston caliper |
|
SUSPENSION (FRONT) |
Single cartridge 43 mm inverted |
|
SUSPENSION (REAR) |
Coil-over monoshock; 56 mm stroke; hydraulic preload adjustment |
