![]() ![]() Baggers have taken that performance formula to the open road (and now the race track), but both have had their cornering shortcomings, the feet-forward cruisers moreso. Beefy Big Twin engines have always been fun in a straight line. Harley has taken the classic cruiser/bagger equation and massaged it into something new. inseam, he said he felt the same way I did (but a little less stridently) after his photo model session. ![]() However, when I asked Ryan Adams, who has a 30-in. Maybe riders with shorter legs won’t feel as folded up. Who knows, I could be wrong, and my opinion could just be the result of my 32-in. I would be surprised if Low Rider ST owners would be comfortable enough to set the cruise control and sit back to enjoy the scenery along the highway while the tank drains to empty. While this position can be effective for sporty rides that benefit from the increased ground clearance, touring will require frequent breaks to unkink the joints. Having the rider’s feet high and on mid-controls folds both the knees and back quite severely. The lower body’s position is equally important for comfort, and here the ST misses the mark. The Low Rider ST’s handlebar finds the right balance between long-distance comfort and allowing the rider to manipulate the controls in an effective manner during backroad shenanigans. Perhaps a seat company will step in with an increased height seat for folks who feel the same way I do.Ī touring bike’s riding position is typically quite neutral to help the rider stay relaxed over hours in the saddle. The good news is that the Harley aftermarket is huge and healthy. While I’m not suggesting that a street bike go to that extreme, I do think the Low Rider ST’s riding position would benefit from at least another inch between the rider’s butt and the pavement. Harley’s obsession with low seat heights is completely to blame for this funky riding position, and if you need any proof that the feet high in front is contrary to sport riding, mounting a seat that is several inches taller is a modification race teams are making to their King of the Baggers bikes. Like with the feet-forward position, the rider needs to use arm strength to get their butt out of the seat for big bumps. While the photos of my legs in the riding position show my thighs being parallel to the ground, from the saddle, my knees feel much higher. However, before I move on to discussing how the suspension works, I’d like to take a moment to consider the mid-control riding position. What happens when you throw a third word into the mix? What would you expect from a sport-touring cruiser? Well, the folks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin have done their level best to define this category of motorcycle with the 2022 Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST. The reality of sport-touring motorcycles is that most favor the middle ground, compromising both sporting capability and touring chops, to create a supremely flexible motorcycle. Butt those words together, as in sport-touring motorcycle, and you get a spectrum of bikes that ranges from sportbikes with bags to tourers that can corner better than you think they should. Sporting motorcycles place an emphasis on handling, acceleration, and braking, while touring bikes tend to focus on cargo capacity, rider comfort, and long-range capability. When it comes to motorcycles, the words sport and touring bring to mind two very different kinds of motorcycles. Perhaps what I love the most about the English language is its flexibility, how you can bump disparate words together and create something with an entirely new meaning. ![]()
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