The Harley-Davidson Low Rider S Is Back!

Harley-Davidson's Low Rider S was the swan song for the Dyna platform. It came with gold mag wheels, upgraded suspension, T-bars, a headlight cowl, and a 110ci Twin Cam engine—it was the aggressive, West Coast-style Harley people had been asking for. Now, taking a page out of its own book, Harley has revamped its Low Rider S model and updated it for the Softail platform.

The 2020 Harley-Davidson Low Rider S will have a starting MSRP of $17,999 and comes standard with the 114ci Milwaukee-Eight engine. Just like the previous Dyna model, the new Low Rider S is blacked out from head to toe. The engine covers, gas tank, and cowl are all a mix of gloss and matte black that contrast with each other nicely while maintaining the tough, black-on-black aesthetic. A large, 5-gallon fuel tank comes standard, as do the gold, or "Matte Dark Bronze," mags that we know and love from previous models, in a 19-inch front and 16-inch rear. The model is offered in two colors for 2020, Vivid Black and Barracuda Silver, both pictured here.

West Coast style, “coastal style,” club style—call it what you want, it essentially translates into tall, straight handlebars and a small headlight cowl like we see here. Mid-mounted foot controls keep the rider’s feet below them, ready to move their weight and prepared for more aggressive riding that forwards typically allow. A seat with a tall, straight back is ready for hard launches, burnouts or wheelies, locking the rider in place. Passenger pegs and a pillion seat can be added later on, but this bike is a solo runner as it comes from the factory.

The rear monoshock on the Low Rider S is essentially the same emulsion shock we see in the rest of the Softail lineup, but the 43mm inverted fork comes with upgraded cartridge internals. Dual front disc brakes with floating rotors come standard up front, with a single floating rotor in the rear. The rake is also 2 degrees steeper than the base-model Low Rider, at 28 degrees. With the tires, steering geometry, big engine, and ergonomics, this looks to be the most sporty Softail yet.

We’ll be heading out to test the full 2020 lineup from Harley-Davidson in the next few weeks here, so stay tuned for a more in-depth first ride review! We loved the Low Rider S before and can only wait to see how the updated model rides!