Heavy, huge, and fitted with the Dr Jekill and Mr Hyde exhaust its phenomenally loud – it’s traditionally Harley with some serious modern quality of life tweaks, and a serious charmer. Let’s try out the Harley-Davidson Low Rider S. It’s quite literally the beauty in simplicity. Is it the epitome of what Harley-Davidson do so well?

The huge Milwaukee-Eight 117 engine is punchy with buckets of torque at your disposal, the riding position is quite ‘large and proud’ with mid-mount pegs that raise your legs and have your arms stretched out at shoulder level. It certainly looks the part, but does that style eat into how it rides?

The Low Rider S is practically everything I picture when I think of a Harley, though it can also be considered quite restrictive – it’s a very heavy 308 kg (listed in running order from H-D, though it’s shipped at 295 kg so I feel like it may be a bit more) and has a long 1615 mm wheelbase, making low speed work and moving it around a bit of a challenge. Not to mention the price which makes it a tad restrictive to acquire, particularly if you’re a younger rider...

With a traditional classic Harley feel, the Low Rider S isn’t worried about technology getting in the way of the Milwaukee-Eight 117 thumping engine, and allows it to be star of the show with minimal intrusion – no rider modes, switchable traction control, cruise control and that timeless Harley-Davidson riding feel – aggressive, with mid-mount foot controls and raised arms.

It’s set up as a solo cruiser with a large 18.9 litre tank for some longer stints between fillups (depending on your riding estimate around 200 miles), and if you want space for a passenger you’ll have to opt-in for the accessory seat and passenger pegs. Despite the traction control, ABS, cruise control, and keyless ignition, overall it does feel rather bare bones - but perhaps that's the beauty of it.

This Low Rider S is exactly what the Bar and Shield brand should do more of with their cruisers - that raw analogue feeling with some essential tech thrown in, and a few niceties, but ultimately it’s just about the feel on the road, and this has character by the bucket load. Modern technology fanatics can always look at the flagship Pan America if they want more!

With a starting price of £19,735 the 2024 Harley-Davidson Low Rider S really does instantly classify itself as a premium machine, though there won’t be any surprises there. For those after more touring potential, the Low Rider ST also comes with a frame-mounted fairing and hard saddlebags starting at £21,295 if you're after a tourer.

As for the Low Rider S as ridden here, there were a few accessories bolted on that bolster the price even further. First is the Sharkskin Blue colour option for £500, then the Dr Jekill and Mr Hyde exhaust (with adjustable valves) for around £3,064 (it is custom configured online). There is also the flat-out crash bar for £346, and switchback hand grips for £150. That brings our total with noted additions to £23,795 - a hefty price tag. Have a check of our best cruisers list if you want some alternatives.

All models will come with bronzed wheels and black trim, the base model is Billiard Gray, and there are options for Red Rock and this Billiard Blue each at £500 extra.

A huge 1923 cc Milwaukee-Eight 117 V-twin features its thunderous torque delivery via a belt final drive, and as a whole, the motor is a serious weapon in the Harley-Davidson armoury – boasting a huge 105 bhp at 5020 rpm and 168 Nm of torque at 3500 rpm. Despite revving low and hard to a 5000ish rpm, each power stroke is monstrous to experience, it's almost frightening when you twist on the power for the first time, careening out of a corner and scraping the peg. Great fun.

The huge thumping twin is so full of character on the road – a fistful of torque at your disposal in any gear, it really is an experience in itself to ride with a massive engine beneath you. At speed, thanks to its substantial weight listed at 308 kg, it’s stable and happy to pound along open stretches of road, and muscling the bike into corners becomes quite enjoyable. I’d imagine marauding across Route 66 on one would be its natural habitat, or enjoying the gentle swooping bends along the PCH of California - or in my case, rampaging around Norfolk and Suffolk.

Does any potential Harley owner care about miles per gallon? I’d assume not, but if you do, the large 18.9-litre tank will deplete at a quoted 50.4 miles per gallon. Depending on your propensity to the addicting feel of a low gear pull, taking it steady should a full tank should last just under 200 miles –good going, though you are lugging the 18.9 litres around with you, adding to the heavyweight.

But don’t get me wrong, you can’t fault a heavyweight cruiser for being a heavyweight cruiser, once you understand the dynamics of the bike it’s a serious treat to enjoy on the road. Any evening spin or weekend tour is thoroughly enjoyable atop this beast, particularly if the ride is accompanied by the Dr Jekill and Mr Hyde exhaust as your proverbial tail gunner…

This custom accessory-fit exhaust is well worthy of a segment itself, the road-legal custom built (online configurator with plenty of options) exhaust from Dr Jekill and Mr Hyde is the definition of a head turner, producing an outrageous raw from the V-twin lump. The price of the exhaust varies depending on the configuration, but for the Low Rider S sits between £2,850 to £4,900 – this one is £3,064.

It’s a beautiful thing to look at, adds to the style ten-fold static or in motion, and can be configured to your liking by picking the exhaust body, end cap, and headers/shields. It’s a fun tool to play with, and with the electronic switch it’s a simple matter of firing up and pressing the button to unleash the engine audio (when you’re ready for it).

That electronically controlled valve opens and closes through three settings, it’ll start every time closed (Dr Jekill mode), you double press the button for 50% open, and press once to fully open it up (Mr Hyde mode) with single presses switching between Jekill and Hyde. In fully open mode the exhaust also gives around a 5% boost in power, which is always appreciated, and is 100% street-legal. This also means you can calmly start the bike and know your sleeping neighbours won’t be rocked out of bed until you press the button – and that’s on you if so…

I’ve already covered how the big ol’ Low Rider S is, yet it's surprisingly manoeuvrable, and if the weight isn’t off-putting (low speed and when parking mostly), you’ll find that the 710mm saddle is a comfortable and happy place to be.

There is no pillion seat or pegs out of the box, but you can always look to purchase those after – though this is billed as a heavyweight solo cruiser, so perhaps be best looking for a purpose-built Harley for pillion riders.

The entire set up found here, the suspension brakes and frame, all contribute to a seriously well made and well-running motorcycle, one that turns heads and always delivers that unique Harley-Davidson feeling on the road – particularly that riding position with your ‘fists in the wind’.

For suspension on the Low Rider S, considering the rolling weight with me on, it is superb. 43mm upside-down front forks with a triple-rate spring up front pairs to a hidden rear coil-over mono-shock, along with hydraulic pre-load adjustment, and 56mm of rear travel. As it’s hidden it almost gives a hardtail look, and keeps you planted mid-corner, soaking up a lot of the bumps and lumps in the road with ease – quite impressed here, considering the Sportster S we reviewed last year struggled a tad with the read shock.

Braking power is solid, too, with a good initial bite and progressive feel to the stopping power, with ABS only kicking in under heavy braking scenarios. Up front is a twin disc setup on a 19-inch wheel, with 4-pot fixed calipers, and at the rear is a large disc on a 16-inch rear wheel with a 2-pot floating rear caliper. Tyres are a Michelin Scorcher 31 Harley-Davidson special and felt perfectly grippy no matter the weather.

This significant 308 kg weight does make low-speed manoeuvres and manual handling a nervous prospect, and once the wheels are moving it’ll take plenty of muscling around sharp bends, and a good understanding of the ‘Keith Code – Twist of the Wrist’ counter steering to get the physics on your side. Once it clicks it’s all good – just be careful when backing it up in tight spaces.

Despite being a £24,000 machine, the Low Rider S is fairly ‘limited’ on outright technology – though I dare say that many riders eyeing one of these will be quite open to the more analogue approach as a design choice. We’ve previously reviewed the Sportster S which has a circular TFT display with smartphone integration, and no doubt if you’re desperate for that technology you’d look at other options. That makes this the analogue choice with plenty of character, and one of the things I enjoyed the most about this Low Rider S.

The switchgear is set up quite a bit differently on this bike, with the indicators on either side of the handlebar with individual buttons – that works well to keep a full grip on the bar with both hands when you’re manoeuvring at lower speed. Though the cruise control switch on the left hand side is basically an indicator switch, pressed in to activate and flicked up or down to adjust the set speed.

Outside of that, you’ll find switchable traction control, ABS, and a toggle for the LCD display to switch between the essentials (fuel range, trip a/b, rpm, and time). RPM is visible on an analogue dial across the top portion, with your digital speed constantly displayed along with the current gear and digital fuel gauge. No rider modes, just fire up and ride away.

The Low Rider S also comes with keyless ignition, with a key supplied to use for the steering lock by the head stock. The keyless system is easy to use, simply flick the ignition switch on and as long as the key is near the bike it’ll allow you to start the motor. Switching the bike back off is a matter of flicking the ignition off and walking away – the hazards will flash to indicate it’s shut off.

Just remember where you put the keys, I did have a heart-wrenching time rooting around looking for them in my bag when I rode into the office… but the bike started up so they were somewhere with me!

Positives

• Love the analogue approach – raw fun.
• Engine is superb – characterful.
• Handling is great – aggressive and holds lines.

Negatives

• Harley-Davidson pricing.
• Heavyweight – but basic!
• Watch out for the hot engine and exhaust… (ask our videographer about that one)

Raw, emotive, raucous – three words to describe the Harley-Davidson Low Rider S. Superb fun, aggressive and emotive, perhaps just in how straightforward it is to ride. It feels like Harley-Davidson hasn’t gone too far into the TFT tech and rider modes, you just walk up to the bike with the key in your pocket, fire it up and ride away – that straightforward approach is something they don’t just do well, they absolutely thrive with here. This is, in my opinion, exactly what you want an American cruiser to be.

Sure, it’s heavy on the foot and a pretty large cruiser, but you can’t fault a heavyweight cruiser for being just that. It’s expensive to purchase new, but that’s what you expect. The positives outweigh the negatives in my mind. The Low Rider S is superb for longer rides with the large 18.9-litre tank, twistier roads are handled with aggression yet ease, the motor is ridiculously fun to spool up, and you’ll turn plenty of heads in town with the style and noise emanating from the bike.

Harley-Davidson has smashed it here, and I loved the time spent with it – it’s precisely what I expected from the bike prior to riding, but so much more in every way.

Cheers to Harley-Davidson UK for the loan, head to their website to find out more about the Low Rider S, including all the specs.