The Sport-Bike Refugee's Harley

Harley sells a lot of motorcycles to the "I grew up on Harleys" crowd. The Low Rider S is for a different buyer. The rider who's been on super sports and liter-nakeds and has decided they want big-twin character without giving up some sport-bike DNA. It's a 1923cc Milwaukee-Eight 117 V-twin with 114 hp / 128 lb-ft, mid-controls (not forward), a low-ish seat (27"), and a chassis that Harley has genuinely tuned for riding rather than just cruising.

Chase's read, 30 seconds in: "That V-twin punches you in the gut with that power. I love it." From a guy whose garage includes an MT-10, that's a meaningful endorsement. The Low Rider S is one of the few Harleys that actually makes Chase's "I'd consider owning this" list.

Performance highlights

1,923cc Milwaukee-Eight 117 V-twin, 114 horsepower, 128 lb-ft of torque, 670 lb wet, 27" seat height. Throttle response scores 8, "The torque of this bike is intoxicating." No software-neutering gimmicks, no weird lag, just big-twin power delivered directly to the rear wheel. Three modes (Rain / Road / Sport) with meaningful differences between each.

Acceleration earns 7. The 40-80 pull in second gear was "controllable and fun and effortless and enjoyable." The torque is what carries this bike. The horsepower is secondary. A naked liter-bike would outrun it on top-end; nothing in the class beats it on roll-on torque.

Agility is 6. 670 lb feels heavy at standstill. No sugar-coating. Moving, the low-slung weight disappears. "It does not feel like that heavy of a bike when you're on the road." Direction changes take a beat (it's a long-wheelbase cruiser), but once committed, the chassis is confident.

Brakes rate 6. Harley-branded calipers with strong stopping power. Chase's request: "More brake feel at the lever and a more fine-tuned braking experience." The brakes work. They just ask for commitment rather than finesse.

Suspension is 7. Showa front, adjustable rear. Harley's tune is the right balance. Soft enough for the rough city pavement, firm enough to lean into corners without wallow. Chase explicitly called out the balance as a strength.

Rider experience & tech

Comfort is 4. The 27" seat height sounds great, until you realize the mid-controls put your legs crunched up for anyone over 5'10". Chase specifically flagged he'd consider forward controls if Harley offered them. The seat itself is okay, but rides thinner than it looks. Wind protection is zero, which is why Chase kept pivoting to recommending the Low Rider ST (same bike, fairing, saddlebags) for actual touring.

Tech scores 4. Cruise control, three ride modes, basic traction control, analog speedo with small digital info panel. No TFT dashboard, no phone integration, no keyless start (well, keyless as in wireless-fob, but you still hit the power button). For $20,499, this is Harley choosing classic feel over feature density. Honest, but a lot of competitors give you more.

Ease of use is 4. The heavy clutch pull is the big deduction. In stop-and-go traffic, Chase flagged the clutch as genuinely fatiguing. His two-finger preference doesn't work on this bike; you need four. The bike is otherwise approachable: low seat, predictable power, simple controls.

Versatility is 4. City: workable but the heavy clutch makes it tiring. Highway: stable and comfortable short-term, but lack of wind protection + crunched-up legs makes it fatiguing past ~2 hours. Canyon: legitimately fun (the big surprise). Touring: no, buy the ST for that. Fun-for-the-money is 4, not because the bike isn't fun but because $20,499 is real money and the ST model at ~$24k includes the features most buyers will actually want.

The Chase Score & final thoughts

With a Chase Score of 54/100, Meh Tier, the Low Rider S is a case of "the ride score alone is Good-Tier, and the usability score reflects that this isn't the right Harley for most people." 34 ride points + 20 usability points = a bike where the engine and chassis are genuinely strong and the bodywork/feature-set is narrow enough that the ST variant is almost always the better answer.

Buy it if you've come off a super sport and want a big-twin's torque without ergonomic exhaustion, if you specifically want the "mid-controls, no fairing" cruiser aesthetic, or if you've already got a touring Harley and want this as bike #2. Skip it if highway riding is a big part of your use case (buy the ST), if your inseam is longer than 34" (the crunched legs will kill you), or if $20k needs to do more. Chase's close: "If it were me grabbing this for $20,500, I think I'm going to go with the ST model." Honest answer. The Low Rider S is almost the right bike; the ST completes the thought.