H-D plays the power game
CVO performance goes mainstream
Until these ST models turned up, if you wanted to get hold of Harley’s largest and most powerful engines you had to buy a CVO model. But as well as bringing increased performance, those bikes also brought fancy paintschemes, loud stereos and a giant pricetag. If you just wanted some more oomph, without attracting the attention of the whole neighbourhood you either had to do it yourself or not do it at all. Now the ST bikes are here you can have all the shove of a CVO with the low key aesthetic.
“The idea was to use our largest production V-twin, previously only available on CVO, and aim it at customers who are very interested in performance,” says Paul James, Harley’s PR Manager.
So as the name suggests, the 117 is a 117ci displacement, which is 1923cc – a 55cc or so jump. That might not sound like much but it’s all in the bore, which combined with the Heavy Breather air intake and 117 specific camshaft (again both taken straight from the CVO) delivers peak torque of 125lb.ft @ 3500rpm (up from 119lb.ft in the 114 motor). The Low Rider ST also goes without the compensator in the primary drive, which gives an edgier feel and more visceral punch to the torque delivery. Most importantly though, for a Harley-Davidson, they’ve also made it sound better.
‘The exhaust internals are from the CVO’
“As well as the Heavy Breather, the exhaust internals are also shared with the CVO but modified to fit the STs,” adds Paul Weiss, Technical Lead of Product Development. “This brings it closer to the noise limit, just like the CVO.”