The legend from Milwaukee is still bringing the thunder. Far from being the old man on the block, Harley is building the best bikes it’s ever built, thanks to their faithful traditional pushrod engine and some kind of engineering wizardry.
The 2020 Low Rider S is the latest offspring of its widely-used Softail platform. The S still rolls on the hidden single-shock Softail chassis, but now is in business with a bigger 114-cube engine and a steeper rake, making it one of the sharper steering stallions from Harley’s lucrative stable.
In addition to being a sweet steerer, that Milwaukee-Eight 114 produces a gut-churning 155Nm of torque, and thanks to the twin-discs up front, it will eventually stop should you insist.
The seat is plush yet supportive and the bars are high and wide, fitting the ‘Sons Of Anarchy’ styling. At the factory the Low Rider S is known as Anarchy 2, in tribute to some bikes used in the Sons of Anarchy TV series, which in turn were inspired by the Hells Angels – naturally.
The position of the instruments is in keeping with the Dyna, so you have to look directly down to see them. The trouble for us is the endless speed and safety cameras around, which make us check our speed at every intersection. Obviously the guys at Milwaukee weren’t thinking about the amount of revenue-raising cameras us Aussies deal with daily.
Want traction control? There is none. Also, there’s no adjustability on the forks, no engine modes, and no electronics pampering you as a rider – it’s just an honest and humble hog with kahunas that stick out.
Make no mistake, it’s a thundering animal of a bike which shovels torque at you whenever you need it, and it will gladly torque it up 24/7.
2020 Harley Davidson Low Rider S
Engine: 1868 cc Milwaukee-Eight 114
Transmission: 6 speed belt drive chain
Torque: 119 ft/lbs @ 3000 rpm
Dry weight: 295 kg
Seat height: 690 mm
Fuel capacity: 18.9 litres
Price: $27,995
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