2022 Harley-Davidson Road Glide ST & Street Glide ST Review

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The Road Glide ST and Street Glide ST have a starting MSRP of $29,999, which the Gunship Gray color seen here bumps up by $575. (Brian J. Nelson/)

Somewhere between spinning laps around the very modern Inde Motorsports Ranch and our high-noon meander down the dusty roads of the historic Wild West town of Tombstone, Arizona, aboard the 2022 Harley-Davidson Road Glide ST and Street Glide ST models, it became clear that The Motor Company was bringing together a unique mix of heritage and high performance. But as much as using a racetrack for a model introduction is a sign that H-D is forging into new frontiers, doing so with a pair of touring bikes very much fits the company’s traditional approach of incremental changes to its most popular platforms.

Harley-Davidson has built its legacy on tirelessly producing the finest of the grand touring segment and these bikes still embody that ideal; a traditional American cruiser silhouette, a visceral pushrod V-twin experience, and a long list of long-haul amenities. But The Motor Company promises performance as well as profile, and the ST models target the high-performance V-twin bagger trend that’s gained momentum at the grassroots level for many years. What might have seemed niche just a few years back has been made mainstream by the MotoAmerica King of the Baggers racing series. This year, King of the Baggers has expanded from three to six rounds and will run from the high banks of Daytona International Speedway to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

In fact, Harley-Davidson won the inaugural King of the Baggers championship with a full-factory Screamin’ Eagle entry ridden by MotoAmerica superbike front-runner Kyle Wyman. There’s no question that any performance bagger built by Harley and offered to the public would be inspired by this effort.

On the road, ST models still have all the creature comforts we’ve grown accustomed to in H-D’s grand touring machines. (Brian J. Nelson/)

Which is where the conversation about the ST models began. Brad Richards, Harley-Davidson’s vice president of styling and design, says, “We decided to pivot a little bit away from our touring, comfort-first mentality with our FLs, and thought, ‘What could we do immediately so that our customers could have a great platform to build the performance bagger of their dreams?’”

ST Styling

The Harley Product Development Center team worked to visually differ the ST models from the existing touring rigs with performance-inspired style. The ST is stripped of passenger seat and footpegs, which also removes unnecessary weight, and has been aesthetically trimmed to lighten its appearance. The front fender is cut and H-D used standard length, low-profile saddlebags rather than the extended bags on the Special models to achieve the look, while blacked-out components and bronze details add to the sporty look.

In addition to the larger 117ci engine in each ST model, they also get this upgraded Heavy Breather intake, custom tuned exhaust, and a high-performance camshaft. (Brian J. Nelson/)

The results are somewhat stripped-down iterations of the über-popular Road Glide and Street Glide models. Richards says the bikes offer the most performance available from the touring platform out of the Milwaukee factory: more power, better handling, and purging of unnecessary equipment. And to a degree, that’s true.

ST Power

That means power comes from the Milwaukee-Eight 117ci V-twin, the largest engine available in a production-offered Harley-Davidson, previously only available in CVO models. Because it’s all about performance, H-D took it a step further by fitting the M-8 with high-performance camshafts, a forward-facing “heavy breather” intake, and an exhaust specifically tuned for the application, while still delivering 50-state sound and emissions compliance. The result is a claimed 106 hp at 4,750 rpm and 127 pound-feet of torque at 3,750 rpm. For reference, that’s 6.7 percent more torque than the M-8 114ci in the Special models.

Both the Road Glide ST and Street Glide ST come equipped with a solo saddle and no passenger pegs—you’re on this ride alone. (Brian J. Nelson/)

The engine’s soul-stirring rumble and American-idle shake is stronger than its smaller-displacement kin, but the powerplant settles into delightfully smooth harmony in motion. The ST has no ride modes, just a direct throttle connection. It feels very Harley-Davidson; everything we’ve known about previous touring models, plus a little more. Hammering away from stops and corner exits demonstrates its extra grunt in underlining its high-performance bagger calling. On a practical side, the extra oomph adds flexibility to an already exceptionally flexible powerplant. At 80 mph, the 117 hums along at 3,000 rpm with buckets of torque in reserve.

ST Handling

Because Harley-Davidson is looking for the most performance within the confines of its touring platform and available parts, The Motor Company altered the ST’s shocks for more responsiveness and improved ground clearance. Travel of the dual rear shocks increased more than 40 percent, which sounds impressive until you do the math that it is from 2.1 inches to 3 inches. This is also dimensionally identical to The Motor Company’s full-rig tourers, like the Ultra models. The 49mm dual bending valve fork remains identical in travel and tune.

Low floorboards scrape at the same angle as other Road and Street Glide models, reminding the rider of the bike’s still-inherent limitations. (Brian J. Nelson/)

That change increases the claimed unladen seat height from 27.4 inches to 28.1 inches, counting the aforementioned saddlebags of the base model, which assists in improving maximum lean angle. Harley-Davidson avoided presenting hard numbers, as SAE test numbers at 75 percent suspension compression and potential lean angle remain the same. But the company claims that real-world use suggests greatly improved capability. Notably absent from the ST is an upgrade in braking components, which seems like a relatively straightforward missed opportunity to take performance to the next level.

Hand-adjustable rear shocks on the ST models have 3 inches of travel, compared to 2.1 inches on Special models. (Brian J. Nelson/)

Lapping the track at Inde Motorsports Ranch, the home base for the official ST press introduction, divulged all. Taking the sport-inspired bagger to the edge of its performance envelope demonstrated a minor improvement in lean angle. There are a few extra degrees accessible before the floorboards scrape, we swear, but it’s far from earth-shattering. Still, the touch of added angle improves steering through long, sweeping corners while adding a forgiving degree of safety should you find yourself too hot at the next hairpin. Feel free to slam it down further, but remember that it’s still a touring V-twin and worlds away from the 55 degrees of bank achievable on Wyman’s hot-rod Road Glide racer.

The ST is more responsive than the base-model Road Glide and Street Glide, if only a hint. The increased ride height just slightly reduces the required initial steering effort and input required at corner entry, but that’s the beginning and end of its advantage. A touch of ride height only goes so far in heaving a claimed 814 pounds (Street Glide ST) and 842 pounds (Road Glide ST), each 13 pounds less than the Special models, fully fueled and 64-inch wheelbase through the twisties, which demands physical exertion and respect of its inherent limitations.

Both the Road Glide ST and Street Glide ST weigh 13 pounds less than their respective Special counterparts. (Brian J. Nelson/)

While touring your way to the twisties, the ST’s creature comforts remind you of its grand touring roots. As with the standard Glides, it’s equipped with the Boom! Box GTS infotainment system with two-speaker audio and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. A touchscreen at the center of the dashboard houses the audio and navigation systems. Harley officials say that losing the entire suite on the ST was considered for weight savings, but it was ultimately retained; H-D knows this may be a performance-inspired bagger, but it also knows its touring customer. Cruise control is still welcome standard equipment. Our test units were outfitted with Harley’s optional Cornering Rider Safety Enhancements (previously named the Reflex Defensive Rider System), which includes cornering ABS, linked brakes, traction control, Drag Torque Slip Control, Vehicle Hill Hold, and tire pressure monitoring for an additional $1,025.

All in all, both ST models possess the same basic American V-twin touring spirit as their respective base models, just nipped and tucked to marginally increase its performance and fulfill Harley’s model positioning. This for a $7,500 upcharge over the standard Glides.

Speakers, gauges, and touchscreen Gorilla Glass on the Street Glide ST. (Brian J. Nelson/)

That’s why the ST models raise a hard question: If Harley-Davidson truly wants to deliver a high-performance bagger, why not build two all-out models with actual influence and learnings from its Screamin’ Eagle factory racer with mid-controls, a taller seat height, and trick components like Öhlins-developed shocks and the 131ci Milwaukee-Eight crate engine already available in its parts catalog?

“The ST models are a good step in warming up Harley-Davidson customers and dealers to the high-performance bagger trend before going full on with a true performance race-inspired machine,” Richards says. “It’s part of the beginning of a new narrative of Harley-Davidson and changing the perspective of what the brand can produce.”

The Road Glide ST has a claimed lean angle of 32 degrees on the right and 31 degrees on the left, compared to Wyman’s racebike which is capable of a 55-degree angle. (Brian J. Nelson/)

Richards is referring to Harley-Davidson’s movement to conquer new motorcycling segments and revitalize those that built its legacy. Take the Pan America 1250 Special adventure-touring platform as a remarkable example of fresh, world-class performance engineering from The Motor Company. It was the ultimate first take at a new segment that’s a far cry from Harley’s heritage and stands as proof of its engineering and design capabilities. If Harley-Davidson wants to build it, it can.

At a claimed 842 pounds, the Road Glide ST is 28 pounds heavier than the Street Glide ST. (Brian J. Nelson/)

The STs provide recognition of the company’s new racing success at the MotoAmerica King of the Baggers championship. Perhaps they’re also a clue that a more extreme performance bagger from Harley-Davidson is on the way. There’s no question The Motor Company has the technical know-how, but when such a bike will be here and how far it will take the performance concept is of course unknown. For now, the ST models strongly embrace the heritage side of the Harley equation and aim their big engines and trimmed aesthetics to a new frontier.

Both Street Glide ST and Road Glide ST are expected in dealerships early 2022, so call your local dealer for availability. (Brian J. Nelson/)

2022 Harley-Davidson Street Glide ST & Road Glide ST Specifications

MSRP:	$29,999–$30,574
Engine:	Air/oil-cooled 45-degree V-twin, pushrod-operated; 4 valves/cyl.
Displacement:	117ci (1,923cc)
Bore x Stroke:	4.075 in. (103.5mm) x 4.5 in. (114.3mm)
Compression Ratio:	10.2:1
Transmission/Final Drive:	6-speed/belt
Claimed Horsepower:	106 hp @ 4,750 rpm
Claimed Torque:	127 lb.-ft. @ 3,750 rpm
Fuel System:	Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
Clutch:	Wet, 10-plate, assist and slip; mechanically actuated
Engine Management/Ignition:	Throttle-by-wire, electronic
Frame:	Tubular steel frame w/ 2-piece stamped and welded backbone; cast and forged junctions
Front Suspension:	49mm Showa dual-bending valve; 4.6 in. travel
Rear Suspension:	Premium standard height hand-adjustable rear suspension; 3.0 in. travel
Front Brake:	4-piston calipers, dual 300mm floating discs w/ ABS
Rear Brake:	4-piston caliper, 300mm disc w/ ABS
Wheels, Front/Rear:	19 x 3.5 in./18 x 5 in.
Tires, Front/Rear:	Dunlop D408F / D407T; 130/60-19 / 180/55-18
Rake/Trail:	26.0°/6.7 in.
Wheelbase:	64.0 in.
Ground Clearance:	5.3 in. (Street Glide ST)/5.5 in. (Road Glide ST)
Seat Height:	28.0 in. (Street Glide ST)/28.1 in. (Road Glide ST)
Fuel Capacity:	6.0 gal.
Claimed Wet Weight:	814 lb. (Street Glide ST)/842 lb. (Road Glide ST)
Availability:	Now
Contact:	harley-davidson.com

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