‘Touring ready?’
HARLEY LOW RIDER ST 10,392 MILES Saff does the miles to test the ST’s touring credentials
When a staffer at a HarleyDavidson dealership called my bike a ‘mini-tourer’, it got me thinking about how well the Low Rider ST performs in that role. I have done my fair share of miles on it, with many of them on what I’d call ‘tours’, such as up to Scotland and even down to Budapest in Hungary.
Yet in standard trim straight out of the showroom I wasn’t sure if the Low Rider ST could live up to that name because of its single seat and the inability to add any more luggage to its pair of standard-issue hard panniers. Putting myself in the position of someone in the market looking for their first touring motorcycle, I decided to find out if the bike could make the perfect touring companion for someone who doesn’t want the heft or height of a traditional
Harley-Davidson tourer, such as a Road Glide or similar.
When I think of touring, I’m thinking hours in the saddle and long blasts on the motorway to get to a biking hotspot with plenty of switchbacks and some stunning views, so really for me a tourer needs to tick all the boxes when it comes to practicality and fun. But I’m going to focus on practicality, as I didn’t have the chance to swap out my tyres or tickle the suspension and don’t want to presume how that would have changed my riding experience.
Out of the showroom the Low Rider ST comes with a single seat and a bare-back mudguard. Without the rack (for reasons I mentioned in my last update) I thought a two-up seat would be best as it meant I had the facility for not only having passenger, but also giving me an opportunity to add an extra bag without damaging the paint on the mudguard. This allowed me to carry an SW-Motech bag which was vital if I was headed for more than just a few days away. I think I could cope with the two panniers for a weekend break, but they’re not the easiest things to ride long miles with, as their clam-shell mechanism makes it difficult to grab a snack or a drink from inside.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m well aware that Harley-Davidson motorcycles are unique in that accessories are added through the lifetime of the bike – and it’s a pleasure to do so. But if this funky bite-sized Harley is made for touring, I would have loved to see a few more practical bits that make it ideal for such a sport, for example mudguard paint protection and anchor points as well as the ability to add a rack. But the easy-to-use cruise control and effective fairing means it’s well on the way, and in a way, it’s simplistic and unfussy style makes it the perfect starting point for someone to make it into the tourer that’s right just for them.