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Harley Unveils Low Rider ST and New Big-bore Baggers for 2022


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The Low Rider S is back for 2022, but bigger news is its new Low Rider ST sibling (shown on the left).
The Low Rider S is back for 2022, but bigger news is its new Low Rider ST sibling (shown on the left). (Harley-Davidson/)

Further. Faster. The slogan for Harley-Davidson’s January 2022 new model launch had plenty of people scratching their heads about what to expect but it turns out to be a pretty clear explanation of intentions of the firm’s latest offerings. Harley’s latest unveiling is dominated by three high-performance baggers designed to reflect a trend toward sportier touring bikes and the popularity of the MotoAmerica King of the Baggers race series. The Street Glide ST and Road Glide ST are uprated versions of familiar, existing machines, while the Low Rider ST is a new variant that dips into Harley’s past for its styling inspiration.

Related: 2022 Harley-Davidson Lineup First Look

Along with the bigger M-8 117 engine, the 2022 Low Rider S also gains longer-travel rear suspension to increase cornering clearance.
Along with the bigger M-8 117 engine, the 2022 Low Rider S also gains longer-travel rear suspension to increase cornering clearance. (Harley-Davidson/)

The three “ST” models, along with the updated 2022 Low Rider S, become the first mass-made Harleys to adopt the firm’s 117ci Milwaukee-Eight V-twin, previously reserved for the high-end, handmade CVO models. In putting the biggest engine into mainstream models, Harley draws parallels to the muscle car era, where big motors developed for luxury cars were shoehorned into smaller, lighter, cheaper vehicles. All pure single-seaters, with solo saddles and no passenger pegs, the STs also gain longer rear shocks to add cornering clearance.

Harley PR manager Paul James explained the growth in demand for baggers with better performance and handling, saying: “It’s a generational shift. These customers have a different mindset, many of them coming off sportbikes. They’re aggressive riders. They want a bagger but they’re performance-minded and they’re riding baggers in that way.”

The new Low Rider ST adds hard bags and a new FXRT-inspired, frame-mounted fairing (an optional Rockford Fosgate audio system can be fitted inside).
The new Low Rider ST adds hard bags and a new FXRT-inspired, frame-mounted fairing (an optional Rockford Fosgate audio system can be fitted inside). (Harley-Davidson/)

Let’s start with the most distinctly new model: the Low Rider ST. It’s based on an updated version of the Low Rider S, with both the unfaired version and the ST gaining the 117ci Milwaukee-Eight engine, making 125 pound-feet of torque at 3,500 rpm and 103 hp at 4,750 rpm thanks to a 0.069-inch increase in bore over the previous 114ci version. The two bikes also gain longer rear shocks, adding an inch of wheel travel and, on the S, allowing an extra degree of lean angle compared to its predecessor.

The ST is created by adding the saddlebags from the Sport Glide (discontinued for 2022 in the US), mounted 2 inches higher to allow greater lean angles, along with a new frame-mounted nose fairing that takes its inspiration from the 1980s FXRT, which itself followed styling cues from the ambitious, water-cooled Nova V-4 prototype developed at the end of the ‘70s. On the Nova, those vertical intakes on either side of the headlight fed ducts to an underseat radiator, but on the Low Rider ST they’re designed to help airflow around the rider. Inside that fairing is a two-piece inner panel that allows easy fitment of an optional Rockford Fosgate audio system.

Paul Wiess, lead product development technical cruiser engineer, said: “The fairing has been very functionally designed. It’s informed by CFD (computational fluid dynamics) for the placement and size of the ducts. We have a center duct directly above the headlight and two side ducts straddling the headlight, directing flow to minimize head buffeting.

“From day one we’ve had Parts and Accessories guys on the team with us, co-developing the Rockford Fosgate infotainment system. The bike comes without infotainment but the inner fairing is designed so it can drop right into place. The fairing harness accommodates the connections, so there’s no need to run wiring.”

The cockpit of the 2022 Low Rider S places the instruments—now just a single gauge—up on the riser for better visibility.
The cockpit of the 2022 Low Rider S places the instruments—now just a single gauge—up on the riser for better visibility. (Harley-Davidson/)

Like the other new bikes with the 117 V-twin, the Low Rider S and ST get the Heavy Breather intake, making an instant visual distinction between the latest Low Rider S and its 114-powered predecessor. The previous Low Rider S’ console-mounted gauges are also replaced with a single riser-mounted instrument combining an analog tach with a digital speedo. At 679 pounds in running order, the 117ci Low Rider S weighs the same as its Milwaukee-Eight 114-equipped predecessor, while the ST version’s fairing and bags push that figure up to 721 pounds.

Related: Harley-Davidson Announces First Wave of 2022 Models

Two new performance baggers, the Street Glide ST and the Road Glide ST (shown), join the Touring series for 2022. Both also come with the M-8 117 engine as standard.
Two new performance baggers, the Street Glide ST and the Road Glide ST (shown), join the Touring series for 2022. Both also come with the M-8 117 engine as standard. (Harley-Davidson/)

Shifting over to the Street Glide ST and Road Glide ST models, it’s important to note that both are new additions to the range, sitting alongside the already-announced 2022 Street Glide and Street Glide Special, and the Road Glide and Road Glide Special. As on the Low Rider, the ST designation represents the addition of the 117 engine, rated for a fractionally higher 127 pound-feet and 106 hp in the two Glide models. Again, the Road Glide ST and Street Glide ST gain taller rear suspension to add cornering ability.

Visual cues for the two ST Glide models include slimmer front fenders, giving a lighter look to the front than their less-sporty siblings, plus the Heavy Breather intake, bronze-colored Prodigy wheels, and matching bronze detailing on the engine. At the back, there’s a single seat and no passenger pegs, reflecting the bikes’ King of the Baggers race inspiration, and the saddlebags themselves are the standard-height units from the base 107ci Road Glide and Street Glide rather than the extended bags seen on the 114ci Road Glide Special and Street Glide Special.

Both of the ST baggers also get a hidden antenna for a cleaner look than the normal Street Glide and Road Glide, while the low-slung rear facia and taillight of those machines is gone, replaced with an LED taillight mounted higher on the rear fender.

The 2022 Street Glide ST distinguishes itself from its M-8 107 and M-8 114 Special brothers via slimmer fenders, a solo seat, and different wheels as well as longer rear suspension and the bigger 117 engine.
The 2022 Street Glide ST distinguishes itself from its M-8 107 and M-8 114 Special brothers via slimmer fenders, a solo seat, and different wheels as well as longer rear suspension and the bigger 117 engine. (Harley-Davidson/)

Other than that, the bikes are evolutions of the Specials, featuring the same LED Daymaker headlights and low-profile tank consoles from those models. The performance aspirations of these bikes aren’t limited to their additional power and improved handling, as they’re also both lighter than their smaller-engined siblings. Ready to run, the Road Glide ST comes in at 842 pounds, compared to 853 pounds for the base Road Glide and 855 pounds for the Special. The Street Glide ST, at 814 pounds in running order, has an even greater advantage, down from 827 pounds for the stock Street Glide and 829 pounds for the Street Glide Special.

The 2022 Road Glide ST model features the same upgrades over its base-model sibling, going for a King of the Baggers performance vibe.
The 2022 Road Glide ST model features the same upgrades over its base-model sibling, going for a King of the Baggers performance vibe. (Harley-Davidson/)

Harley-Davidson concurrently also unveiled its 2022 CVO model range, although with the launch of the new 117ci ST models and Low Rider S, those CVO machines (which also run a 117-inch engine) no longer have a capacity and performance advantage over these new models.

Despite having access to larger-capacity versions of the Milwaukee-Eight, right up to the official 131ci Stage IV kit, the 2022 CVO models stick with the 117 motor, targeting customers with high-end, hand-crafted detailing rather than additional performance.

The 2022 CVO line includes the same CVO Street Glide, CVO Road Glide, and CVO Tri Glide models as last year, but the CVO Limited that was offered in 2021 is gone, replaced by a new CVO Road Glide Limited as the most touring-oriented CVO model.

H-D’s 2022 CVO lineup carries over the same models from last year, save for the CVO Limited, which is replaced by the new CVO Road Glide Limited (shown).
H-D’s 2022 CVO lineup carries over the same models from last year, save for the CVO Limited, which is replaced by the new CVO Road Glide Limited (shown). (Harley-Davidson/)

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