The Harley-Davidson Low Rider S draws inspiration from the West Coast custom scene.
07 Apr 2020 | 41625 Views | By Firoze Irani, Autocar India
American bikemaker, Harley-Davidson has launched its latest Softail model, the Low Rider S, in India at Rs 14.69 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The bike is available in two colour option, Vivd Black and Barracuda Silver.
The Low Rider S differentiates itself from the standard Low Rider by taking its inspiration ...
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American bikemaker, Harley-Davidson has launched its latest Softail model, the Low Rider S, in India at Rs 14.69 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The bike is available in two colour option, Vivd Black and Barracuda Silver.
The Low Rider S differentiates itself from the standard Low Rider by taking its inspiration from the West Coast custom scene. As it is an S variant, or a Special, it has a blacked-out theme replacing much of the chrome. However, there are few areas where chrome is still used, like on the exhaust tips and engine fins. The bike also comes with a single seat as standard and uses a wide handlebar, giving it the custom style.
Harley has said that the bike has more in common, mechanically, with the Fat Bob than it does with the standard Low Rider. It uses a sharper 28-degree steering rake, a 43mm USD fork, and a twin-disc front-brake setup like the Fat Bob. Another big difference comes in form of its engine; the S uses a larger 1,868cc, 114 Milwaukee Eight V-twin which makes 161Nm of torque at just 3,000rpm.
The wheel-and-tyre combination on the Low Rider S is quite unique. It uses a 19-inch wheel up front with a 110/90 section tyre, while at the rear is a 16-inch unit with a 180/70 tyre. At 308kg (kerb weight), the Low Rider S is quite heavy, but as our first ride review revealed, it doesn’t mind a bit of play.
Brad Richards, vice-president Styling and Design, Harley-Davidson said: “The look of the new Low Rider S is really rooted in the legacy of the Low Rider models of the 1980s, that has a devoted following which has spread world-wide from origins in Southern California, and in the recent Dyna-based Low Rider S model. We’ve applied that coastal style and performance-first attitude to the Softail chassis to create a Low Rider S that’s more powerful and agile than ever, with a heavy dose of tough-as-nails attitude.”
The closest rival to the Low Rider S in India is the Indian Scout Bobber Sixty. However, this hasn’t yet made the switch to BS VI emission norms.