First Ride: 2014 Harley-Davidson Low Rider

We're used to 'small people bikes' being beginner bikes. But Harley broke some rules with its new Low Rider, which turns out to be a low bike for all size riders -- except beginners. Why? Because the boys in Milwaukee knew the model needed a refresh, but they weren't okay with leaving it as the Dyna for Little People. They wanted to give it an attitude of its own, bringing it back to its 70s and 80s heyday. At first glance, I thought the bike looked dated, but that's more a function of my age than anything else. Compared to what's being made now, there isn't another bike quite like the new Low Rider.

The knock on the last Low Rider was that it was a “girl’s bike” and lacked badassitude. Details on the new one include things that, to me, are passe´, like wrinkle black paint all over, or the “eyebrow” headlight piece reminiscent of the Sportster's. The old school 2-into-1 exhaust, on the other hand, brings back memories, as does the oversized tank graphic and mag wheels. But masked by these old-timey details are some serious revisions. The old 35 and 39mm Narrow Glide front ends have been replaced by a beefy 49mm Mid Glide. The Wrinkle Black contrasts the bright chrome on surfaces that never got it back in the day, like the battery box and the fender struts. Internally-wired bars finish up the front end nicely and allow the dog bone-style risers to shine.

But what makes the Low Rider unique is that it fits me -- as well as a 5 ft.1 inch tall Asian lady. Having fixed the badass deficit, Harley set out to make a bike that could appeal to a huge range of riders. Key to that was moving the mid-mount controls forward to open up the rider triangle, but not lose shorter riders with true forward controls. The seat has a bolt-in bolster that moves the back of the triangle 1.5 inches forward, but can be removed if you're larger-framed. The biggest mover is the handlebar. With dog bone style risers creating a second pivot point, the bars can move over 4 inches fore and aft.

Settling into the saddle, I felt totally at home. After a half-hour of riding, however, I felt like the bars were a little close, so with a single Allen wrench, I adjusted them to their most forward position inside of two minutes (see video). This also lifted them a bit, but not too much.

Something not usually associated with bikes for smaller riders is a performance bias, but the Low Rider’s aggressiveness speaks louder than its looks. It starts with the pipe, a 2-into-1 unit that makes you listen twice to confirm it’s a DOT-approved unit. An actual tachometer graces the tank -- though it's far too low for a full-face helmet-wearer to see comfortably. Dual disc brakes by Brembo sit up front, acting on a mid-width 19-inch tire that gives maximum grippiness. Perhaps most satisfying is that Harley-Davidson hasn't short-changed this bike in the suspension department. Triple rate springs front and rear do a good job of keeping things under control, though the roads are pretty smooth where we tested it, in Florida.

Thusly equipped, the Low Rider is a very fun and comfortable motorcycle to ride. I hope this is a harbinger of a trend for motorcycles; you don’t need to lose brake calipers and suspension travel to “look cool.” Steering is both tight and light, and I could solidly blast through whatever corners I could find in the Sunshine State, but also keep up with the twitchy rhythms of city riding. The Twin Cam 103 was a joy in this relatively light chassis, with exactly the right character for the bike’s aggressive setup.

To me, one of the coolest things about the Low Rider is the stock dog-bone style bars that integrate with the old-school eyebrow light piece. Since the Low Rider shares a front end with most other Dynas, the really slick solution to address the retro look of the headlight as well as the ergonomics of the bar was to make a single piece to bolt into the existing riser mounts. This is awesome, because it means it’s exceedingly easy to adapt or remove the piece, so Low Riders can have regular lights and bars, or other Dynas can have the dog bone set up. And dog bones are such a 1970s chopper solution to the problem that all sorts of cool customizing is possible, from super-long ape-style bones to swoopy pullbacks.

For me, the only frightening thing about this model is that I like it so much (as did all the other assembled journalists). As a class, the press has a horrible record; we usually like H-D’s worst-selling models the best. Hopefully, this bike bucks that trend.

2014 Harley-Davidson Low Rider Specifications

Base Price: $14,199

Colors: Black, Orange/Black, Silver/Black

Standard warranty: 2 years, unlimited miles

Engine

Type: Air-cooled 45-degree v-twin

Displacement, bore x stroke: 1690cc, 98.4 x 111.1mm

Valve train: Pushrod-actuated OHV, 2 valves per cylinder

Compression: 9.6:1

Fuel system: EFI

Transmission: 6-speed

Final drive: Belt

Chassis

Overall length: 92.3 in.

Wheelbase: 64.2 in.

Wet weight: 666 lbs.

Seat height: 26.8 in.

Rake/trail: 30.5 deg. /5.1 in.

Wheels: 10-spoke cast aluminum

Front tire: 100/90 x 19

Rear tire: 160/70 x 17

Front brake: ? Dual 300mm discs w/four-piston calipers

Rear brake: 292mm disc, two-piston caliper

Front suspension: 49mm fork, 5.1 in. travel

Rear suspension: dual preload adjustable shocks, 3.1 in. travel

Fuel capacity: 4.7 gal

Instruments: Speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge (w/ low fuel light), digital odometer, dual tripmeters, clock, gear indicator, range indicator.