Harley Low Rider S

I expect this will go one of two ways. Either "yeah I've got a Harley and I really like it. It's different" or "all Harleys are shit. Rode one once for 300 yards and never again".

I've never been a badge groupie and always had an open mind to bikes. And I bought one of these last June. Didn't mean to buy it. Intended to look for a used Sport Glide as a relaxed summer tourer as a contrast to high performance European bikes. I'd ridden one before and they're phenomenally comfortable, practical and fun to ride. But they had one of these on demo so I too it out for a spin out of curiosity and left the shop 18 grand lighter without a Sport Glide. As you do.
5000 miles in already and I love it to bits.

For those who don't speak Harley, it's got the 117 CVO engine, which means 1923cc and comes with a stage 2(ish) slightly lumpy cam so it's more brrrrp than chug. Which in stock form means a seemingly modest 105 bhp but 125 lb of torque pretty much from the get-go. It goes remarkably well and while it's not going to paste a Diavel, it's not slow by any manner of means. Got more shove than a tug boat.

It's stock at the moment, other than the Tall-boy seat which lifts you up and gives you more room, but I'm looking this year at a 2:1 Thrashin pipe, a bigger air cleaner, a properly lumpy cam and a remap. That should deliver about 130-140 bhp and about 140 ft/lb tq.
Handling is good, though the rear shock lacks a bit of rebound, which is fixed relatively inexpensively. Brakes are very good. It's a heavy bike (though light for a Harley) but hauls up as well as anything. Doesn't feel under braked at all. It's long but really quite nimble and you can ride the full width of the tyres without grounding anything out. You're not going to beat a supernaked in the twisties but I've had more than one double take at bike meets from riders of "proper" bikes who couldn't pass me or get me out of their mirrors on the way there.
And it's made almost entirely of machined metal covered with a thick, bottomless paint finish and nothing hidden away behind extraneous pieces of plastic. I wasn't prepared for that aspect of ownership or just how satisfying it feels after so many years on European bikes.

Discuss. (If you want).

 

Pipes are stock. And they're way too quiet - catted of course - and they do strangle the engine. Yes V&H Shotgun pipes are very loud but they don't do anything for performance. People fit them because they're easy to get hold of and supposedly look cool. They are neat I suppose but they don't do much for me and they just sound offensive.

I'll be fitting a 2:1. I don't want it clatteringly loud but a bit more soul would be nice. But it's performance that matters most to me and a good 2:1 is the way to go to get the best out of these bikes. Exhausts for Harleys is a proper minefield actually. You might think it wouldn't make much difference what you stick on but it really does. Those big lazy engines are very susceptible to scavanging problems and reversion where exhaust gases can be sucked back into the combustion chamber killing performance. In many ways exhaust tuning on Harleys is trickier than it is on a Ducati. It goes great now. There's absolutely bags of shove everywhere with the fattest gob of grunt at 2.5 to 4k which is where you ride most of the time. It's genuinely a proper laugh to ride, and I want to maximise that not blunt it just to gain a few extra horses up top.
For some people, if it looks cool and makes the windows shake that's all they care about but I want to get the best out of the engine, so I'll either go with a Thrashin 2:1 or a Jackpot Riot. The Jackpot has a really good reputation for performance and they're only £1000 imported. Neither will be exactly quiet but they won't be stupid loud either and they have tunable baffles that can be wrapped.

At some point in the future I might fit a 131" big bore kit and you need to be even more careful which exhaust you pick for those as well, so I'll be trying to buy something that will accommodate that.

One bind is that virtually all the decent systems have to be bought direct from the US. They're always on back-order and then there's about $300 in shipping costs. But hey, that's still only just over a grand. Try buying a top-end aftermarket system for a Panigale (or any European bike) for £1000...

 

Lol. I've had a new front door fitted since that pic was taken. Without a letterbox. The wind used to howl through that one in the winter.

I forgot about the bins. Mine are kept outside the gate. I'll try to post proper pics in future.

 

I can't stand the whole chrome and tassles thing. Blacked out all the way for me.
Actually, that was partly why I ended up buying this over a Sport Glide. The SG isn't overly glitzy but it does have a fair bit of chrome. And when I test rode one back to back with the Low Rider it was a sunny day and the glare off the bars and clocks got quite annoying.

 

The Fat Bobs are good fun and probably the natural step up from a Sportie. really comfortable with decent handling and they go well. I've even come round to the looks of them with that rectangular headlight. If they came with the 117 engine I probably would have bought one over the LRS.
Not keen on the FB's stock pipes but all stock Harley pipes are crap and everyone changes them anyway.

The old generation air cooled Sportsters are really holding their value now that Harley have stopped making them. In a few years (if we're still allowed combustion engines) they'll be sort after classics.

The new liquid cooled Sportsters don't do anything for me. They go well with proper European levels of performance but they look hideous I think. The old Sporties are cool. Even if you do have to refill the tiny fuel tank every 500 yards.

 

I know. I'm not keen on that. There are numerous options. But it's not a high priority as I can't see it wheil I'm riding and it works. There's minimal wind blast and no turbulence. I can ride at a ton all day long without getting my head blown off.

I'm not keen on the sit-up-and-beg bars either. I want to fit pull back risers and drag bars which will lower the bar ends and bring them closer. The riding position is a bit tricky on this bike. The seat is low, it has mid controls so your legs are quite bent and there's quite a reach to the bars. At first I found it really painful on my back. But fitting a taller seat and rolling the bars back in the clamps to bring them closer (I hadn't done that when the above pic was taken) made a world of difference and it's all-day comfortable now. But I'd like flatter and closer bars to make it better still.

Looks wise, I really liked the twin headlight set-up they used to have on the old twin cam Fat Bobs and I may look into to that. I believe that cowl does hide a few cables and wires though so it will need some thought. But the beauty of Harleys is, whatever changes you want to make, someone somewhere will make the parts for it. The sky's the limit with these things.

 

Very nice. And I like the (Saddlemen?) seat. I notice you've put forwards on yours Richard. How do you find them?

I'm going to fit an Extreme Ventilator breather on mine (is that what you've got?) as the stock breather is restrictive and that would free up the knees for forward controls.
Do you find you can still weight the forward pegs with your feet in bends?

 

It's a nice touch that you've repainted your garage door to match the bike. Class.