As we turn the page on another year, there has been much talk about the revamped Low Rider S in the Softail range from Harley-Davidson and will they actually release this bike with touring saddlebags and an FXRT style fairing?
The company have been playing close attention to the Softail segment and have been observant of custom trends over the past couple of years with Softail having bags, uprated suspension, wrap around fenders and of course the FXRT fairing to name but a few.
In fact the Custom Kings, really went to town since first reworking a few Sport Glides in 2019 and this has morphed into creations on the Low Rider S which was seen as the sportier option with the better power to weight ratio, 114ci engine and a loyal following wanting some bare bones riding but seemingly with some practicality thrown in for good measure.
Whether indeed the company will launch this variant and do away with the Sport Glide is all a matter of ,conjecture at this stage, however as the writing has been on the wall for the Sport Glide and Softail Slim for some time, it does seem that the market might look more favourably on a touring capable Low Rider S.
The company are trimming the Softail fat in some regards as they did with the Touring line up and options a couple of years ago. It really doesn’t make sense to have two touring capable or daily practical bikes in the Softail range, so something has got to give and it looks as if the Low Rider S has the nod of approval not only from company strategists but also from a salivating customer base eager to welcome this bike to the fold.
However, is the company about the hammer the final nail in the Low Rider S legacy by doing this as it appears to have already done so with the Slim and the Sport Glide by refusing to go any bigger than a 107ci engine. These bikes were only ever seen as 3year bikes and so with this last attempt to make the Low Rider S an everyman bike…will it last beyond 3 years also and will this touring option even be what the market is calling for?
Many who bought the Sport Glide for its daily use appeal, soon ventured onto the bigger cousin Street Glide for a similar feel but with the increased comfort of the touring chassis. In the US where the open road calls far more frequently and with spacious aspects to welcome the touring chassis much more so that the European roads for example, so this begs the question…will the Low Rider S suffer the same fate?
Will it’s touring customer base realise that they wanted the tourers the whole time in the first place and will leave the Softails behind in favour of touring splendour instead. Only time will tell, but as the Softail range gets a major reshuffle, once has to ask whether the deck was always going to be loaded and the touring Softail concept would only ever be an experiment with indifference to its success?
A few comments on your article. First of all, the current Softail chassis is far better than the current Touring chassis. Monoshock with way more travel that the current dual shock chassis. Lighter weight, more responsive etc. So that’s why you would want a Low Rider S Touring as opposed to a Street Glide. At least if you run solo.
Second, the Low Rider S has never been a ” 3 Year bike”. It was the best selling Dyna, before being ported to the newer Softail platform.
I mainly ride a Pan America, but also have a 114″ Fat Bob which I am likely to sell to buy a new Low Rider S Touring if that is what they indeed release.
Yep how well do you think the Low Rider ST will sell now? Possibly a big hit?