Harley-Davidson Low Rider First Ride Review

Pros – retro design, refinement

Cons – almost 300kg weight feels very apparent at parking speeds, heat from engine can make you sweat

Harley-Davidson have a huge portfolio in India and are selling pretty much everything that they have to offer, however the Low Rider had been conspicuous by its absence, especially amongst HOG enthusiasts. But H-D have been listening and for 2018 they have bought in the latest Low Rider which has been recently inducted into the Softail family. 

The Low Rider has been pretty popular in the international market and that’s thanks to its retro styling that harks back to the 70’s and also because it still serves as the best base for customization. The new bike now gets a new version of the four-valve-per-cylinder Milwaukee-Eight V-twin, stiffened chassis for improved handling and its quicker too.

Now Harley’s haven’t really been synonymous when it comes to quality in the past, but they have mentioned about working hard on the newer models and it shows. This being a media bike and tested by various other journos held up quite well and had nary a rattle emanating from it. Quality of parts looked and felt great too.

Switchgear plastics had nothing to complain about and neither did the high quality chrome parts. The only things which looked out of place on this Harley were the front and rear footpegs which looked more apt for a budget motorcycle and not a 13 plus lakh Harley.

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Harley-Davidson Low Rider [2018-2019]

• 1,745 cc
• 305 kg
;

Last known Avg. Ex-showroom price

₹ 13,66,480

Now I have ridden Harley’s in the past and while most of them were comfortable, they did take a while to get used to. But with the Low Rider, I felt at home almost immediately. While most of the big Harley’s make you outstretch your legs and arms, the Low Rider has a fairly neutral riding position. The low 680mm saddle height means most riders can have both their feet flat on the ground. The wide seat is extremely accommodating and quite plush too.

But what works the best is the combination of the Showa Dual Bending Valve fork in the front and the new single under-seat coil-over unit which has improved performance by offering increased wheel travel, more controlled damping and a larger range of spring preload adjustment. Out on the road, this translates into magic carpet ride quality. The Low Rider absorbs bumps and broken roads beautifully and is ideal for almost all Indian situations. The 130mm ground clearance means the Low Rider manages most speed humps with ease and will at most just graze monster breakers with a pillion. 

Ride quality apart, the engine does get plenty hot and the problem is not the air being deflected at the legs but more about the legs grazing the crankcase cover which feels like its holding lava inside. So one’s got to be a little careful not to fry the calves while riding with jeans or trousers.

Let’s talk about the motor a little. Now this is the new Milwauki-Eight 107 motor and according to H-D sets new benchmarks when it comes to refinement and performance. Talking about the refinement, its evident right from the moment you thumb the starter. It’s now a smooth process like in most big motorcycles and it doesn’t rumble and shake to life. 

First gear engages with a typically heavy clunk. Going through the 6-speed gear box is a breeze thanks to the surprisingly light clutch and the positive shifts and it’s only when you try going through the gears a little too early do they seem a little stiff. 

The Low Rider is made to cruise and that it does. Chugging along lazily at 120 kmph at under 3k rpm, the 1745cc engine has vast reserves of torque, 144Nm to be exact. And should you warrant a quick overtake or a just a sudden rush, whacking the throttle unravels explosive acceleration, enough to make you hold on to the bars for dear life. The 2-into-2 shotgun exhaust evoke a symphonic roar as the Low Rider charges ahead. Manic performance aside, the Low Rider is best enjoyed on the open roads, ridden in a relaxed manner where it gobbles up km after km without any stress at all.

Handling-wise, the Low Rider feels extremely easy to maneuver thanks to the easy ergonomics, but puttering around in traffic at slow speeds, you can feel the almost 300 kg kerb weight and it can get a little difficult to manage. But once you get rolling, the Low Rider is a delight. Straight line stability as expected is brilliant and there’s very little that can upset the bike. 

Approaching corners on a Harley-Davidson is usually a slow affair, but with 29.6 degrees of lean angle available, the Low Rider is more than willing to dance as we found out. Out on the long sweeping corners, the Low Rider goes around without any drama and it’s actually quite enjoyable. As the bends get tighter that’s when the pegs start leaving long rubber trails since there are no feelers. Brakes offer reasonable bite too. While it’s not the best we have seen, the single disc units on the front and rear come with dual channel ABS and do their job well. We just wish, there was more feel to it and that it didn’t feel so wooden.

If you’re expecting a tech-fest you will be disappointed. You have two vertically stacked analogue dials for speed and rpm. Along with those you get a digital fuel gauge, tripmeter, gear indicator and then some. As for safety, you just get ABS. 

The Low Rider gets a 19.1 litre fuel tank and will do about 300 km between city and highway runs which gives it an efficiency of almost 16 kmpl. However if it’s just highways, that figure will definitely get better.

If you like cruisers that reek old school charm and will take you places in absolute comfort, the Low Rider fits the bill to the T. It’s a great base for customization should you need to and it’s got a great motor and dynamics to match the show with the go.

With the Low Rider, H-D aims to bring back the old-school charm associated with the older Harley’s. So it looks bloody good, has a fantastic ride quality which is a big draw especially for our road conditions and it’s got a refined motor that will munch miles with ease. And let’s not forget that this is a full size Harley which is priced at Rs. 13.59 lakh, which means it’s a lot of motorcycle for the money. As for us, Harley-Davidson had us just with the way it looks!

Photography by Kapil Angane