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Common Tread

2022 Harley-Davidson Road Glide ST, Street Glide ST and Low Rider S and ST first look

Jan 26, 2022

Harley-Davidson’s been teasing today’s new model launch for a while with a “Further. Faster.” tagline. Lots of folks, including some on the Common Tread team, expected to see a new Sportster variant or two using the new Revolution Max powerplant, but all of Harley’s new models are Big Twins with a focus on performance.

H-D CEO and board chairman Jochen Zeitz hinted at a Sporty reveal in the near future, but for now, let’s look at Harley’s new releases.

“As part of our focus on stronghold segments, including Grand American Touring and Cruiser, the 2022 product line is designed for power and performance. Each of these new models feature the unrivaled power of the Milwaukee-Eight 117, for those riders who want nothing but the biggest and the best, building on our position as the most desirable motorcycle brand in the world,” said Zeitz. 

2022 Harley-Davidson Street Glide ST and Road Glide ST

Harley-Davidson bills their new ST models as factory performance baggers. If you haven't come across this genre before, performance baggers push touring motorcycles to the sporty side with upgrades to the engine, chassis, wheels, and tires. They frequently feature smaller bags and windshields with taller rear suspension for better cornering. Inspired by their success in MotoAmerica’s unusual King of the Baggers racing series, as well as the custom performance bagger scene, Harley's new touring models are lighter and more aggressive versions of popular predecessors. All these new models are motivated by the Milwaukee-Eight 117, Harley’s largest stock engine that was previously exclusive to the CVO line.

Harley-Davidson Street Glide ST
The Street Glide ST keeps the familiar silhouette. Harley-Davidson photo.

The Street Glide ST wears the standard batwing fairing, plus some low-profile details like a short windshield, a streamlined tank console, and smaller engine guards. The ST models are meant to evoke performance, and to push these large tourers in a sportier direction. Harley lightened them up a little with solo seats, smaller fenders, and downsized saddlebags. The Street Glide STs are available in Vivid Black as the base price or Gunship Gray for an extra $575.

Harley-Davidson Road Glide ST
I half expected a Kyle Wyman race replica version of the Road Glide. Harley-Davidson photo.

The Road Glide ST takes some styling and performance cues from the Screamin’ Eagle Factory race bike from KOTB (which won the title with Kyle Wyman aboard), although it is intended to be a comfortable street mount with improved power and handling over the standard Road Glide tourer. The distinctive shark nose fixed fairing gets a low windshield, a Boom! Box GTS infotainment system, and fairing-mounted speakers. The ST treatment means a solo seat, a shorter front fender, non-extended saddlebags, and smaller engine guards. Like the Street Glides, Road Glide STs come in Vivid Black or the extra-cost Gunship Gray. 

2022 Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST and Low Rider S

Harley also brought the Milwaukee-Eight 117 to two new Low Rider models. The Low Rider S is fairly close to previous versions, but the Low Rider ST is the most unexpected of Harley’s new models, sitting somewhere between the iconic FXRT and the new performance bagger scene. Let’s start with the ST, and then take a quick look at the revised S.

Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST
The Low Rider ST is the most unique of the new models, although it's also a reboot of the FXRT recipe. Harley-Davidson photo.

Harley considers the Low Rider ST to be its sport-touring model, set apart with its high-mount saddlebags, tall rear suspension, and high handlebar behind a frame-mounted fairing. Lighter than the Road Glide and Street Glide, but better suited to long-distance travel than unfaired models without saddlebags, the Low Rider ST isn’t exactly a new idea. At a claimed 721 pounds, it isn't exactly light, either, even if it is the ST line's slimmest model. The Low Rider ST does fill a void in Harley’s U.S. lineup, after the departure of the Sport Glide, for riders who split their V-twin miles between touring and spirited riding. 

“A key element of this model is the frame-mounted fairing, which has a shape inspired by the classic FXRT Sport Glide model fairing favored by West Coast customizers,” said Brad Richards, Harley-Davidson Vice President of Design. Like the other two ST models, seating, storage (53.8 liters), wind protection, and engine guards are reduced from what you’d expect on a traditional Harley tourer. Taller rear suspension, dual front brakes, and a sharpish rake of 28 degrees (same rake as 2021 Low Rider S) encourage a faster pace. 

Harley-Davidson Low Rider S
The new Low Rider S has the Milwaukee-Eight 117 and a relocated speedo/tach. Harley-Davidson photo.

2022 Harley-Davidson Low Rider S 

The popular Low Rider S gets an update for 2022 with the Milwaukee-Eight 117 as the major change for 2022. The chassis has also been altered with the same taller rear shock found in the Low Rider ST for better cornering clearance. In response to customer requests, the speedometer and tachometer have been moved from the tank to the handlebar for improved visibility. The Low Rider S gets a solo seat, mid controls, four-inch handlebar risers, and a color-matched mini fairing. 

Harley-Davidson performance baggers
The ST models and updated Low Rider S kick off the year's releases. What's next for the Sportster? Harley-Davidson photo.

More to come

Harley is expected to release more new 2022 models in the coming months, including “the next chapter of the Sportster story” (implied to be a Revolution Max machine in Harley’s video), so if gray and black performance baggers aren’t your thing, there are still more models on the way. 

This first wave of bikes shows Harley looking to new directions without getting radically into any of them. First, the ST line seeks to bring the performance bagger custom world and KOTB bragging rights into the showroom. With those worlds comes monochrome paint options and a trend towards taller, sharper Big Twins. Have performance baggers gone mainstream, or is Harley making them mainstream now? Of the four 2022 introductions, the Low Rider ST seems like the one to watch as the freshest idea of the bunch. We’ll see what else Harley brings for us as they roll out the rest of the 2022s.

2022 Harley-Davidson Street Glide ST 2022 Harley-Davidson Road Glide ST
Price (MSRP) $29,999 $29,999
Engine 1,923 cc (117 ci), air-cooled, eight-valve, pushrod V-twin Milwaukee-Eight 117 1,923 cc (117 ci), air-cooled, eight-valve, pushrod V-twin Milwaukee-Eight 117
Transmission,
final drive
Six-speed, belt Six-speed, belt
Claimed horsepower 106 @ 4,750 rpm 106 @ 4,750 rpm
Claimed torque 127 foot-pounds @ 3,750 rpm 127 foot-pounds @ 3,750 rpm
Frame Steel tube Steel tube
Front suspension 49 mm dual bending valve fork, 4.6 inches of travel 49 mm dual bending valve fork, 4.6 inches of travel
Rear suspension Preload-adjustable shock, 3.0 inches of travel Preload-adjustable shock, 3.0 inches of travel
Front brake Brembo four-piston calipers, dual 300 mm discs with ABS Brembo four-piston calipers, dual 300 mm discs with ABS
Rear brake Brembo four-piston caliper, single 300 mm disc with ABS Brembo four-piston caliper, single 300 mm disc with ABS
Rake, trail 26 degrees, 6.7 inches 26 degrees, 6.7 inches
Wheelbase 64 inches 64 inches
Seat height 28 inches 28.1 inches
Fuel capacity 6.0 gallons 6.0 gallons
Tires Dunlop D408F, 130/60B19 front, 180/55B18 rear Dunlop D408F, 130/60B19 front, 180/55B18 rear
Claimed weight 814 pounds 842 pounds
Available TBA TBA
Warranty 24 months, unlimited mileage 24 months, unlimited mileage
More info harley-davidson.com harley-davidson.com

2022 Harley-Davidson Low Rider S 2022 Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST
Price (MSRP) $18,349 $21,749
Engine 1,923 cc (117 ci), air-cooled, eight-valve, pushrod V-twin Milwaukee-Eight 117 1,923 cc (117 ci), air-cooled, eight-valve, pushrod V-twin Milwaukee-Eight 117
Transmission,
final drive
Six-speed, belt Six-speed, belt
Claimed horsepower 103 @ 4,750 rpm 103 @ 4,750 rpm
Claimed torque 127 foot-pounds @ 3,750 rpm 127 foot-pounds @ 3,750 rpm
Frame Steel tube Steel tube
Front suspension 43 mm inverted fork; 5.1 inches of travel 43 mm inverted fork; 5.1 inches of travel
Rear suspension Single shock, hydraulic preload adjustment; 4.4 inches of travel Single shock, hydraulic preload adjustment; 4.4 inches of travel
Front brake Dual four-piston calipers, 300 mm discs with ABS Dual four-piston calipers, 300 mm discs with ABS
Rear brake Two-piston caliper, 292 mm disc with ABS Two-piston caliper, 292 mm disc with ABS
Rake, trail 28 degrees, 5.7 inches 28 degrees, 5.7 inches
Wheelbase 63.6 inches 63.6 inches
Seat height 28 inches 28.3 inches
Fuel capacity 5.0 gallons 5.0 gallons
Tires Michelin Scorcher, 110/90B19 front, 180/70B16 rear Michelin Scorcher, 110/90B19 front, 180/70B16 rear
Claimed weight 679 pounds 721 pounds
Available Available now Late March 2022
Warranty 24 months, unlimited mileage 24 months, unlimited mileage
More info harley-davidson.com harley-davidson.com