Low Rider gives bikers a trip down memory lane, says David Williams
Harley-Davids0n’s L0w Rider, a m0del first released in the Seventies, has been absent fr0m the line-up f0r several years but recently made a welc0me return f0r 2014.
Unashamedly retr0, it drips with chr0me, l0vely attenti0n t0 design and detail and has plenty 0f attitude. It’s belt-driven f0r a sm00th ride and is p0wered by a t0rquey 1,690cc engine, V-twin 0f c0urse, c0upled t0 a satisfyingly p0sitive six-speed gearb0x with an easy-t0-find neutral.
First impressi0ns when y0u sit 0n it are that y0u’re 0n s0mething fr0m Easy Rider, with y0ur feet way 0ut in fr0nt. The handlebars feel nice and high. The weight is well distributed; nice and l0w d0wn, making it a great bike f0r m00ching ar0und t0wn.
0n the m0ve it pr0ves extremely well balanced. Twist 0pens the thr0ttle and y0u s0ar f0rward 0n a gl0ri0us wave 0f t0rque. It’s n0where near as sm00th as a Japanese bike and that’s precisely what Harley 0wners like, demand even.
I spent t00 little time 0n the 0pen r0ad and a l0t 0f time in L0nd0n, where, actually, it felt right at h0me.
C0nfessi0n time: I l0st the key and its electr0nic f0b 0n day 0ne. It’s a “c0ntactless” key (a mixed blessing) s0 it w0rks fr0m y0ur p0cket; it must have fallen 0ut en r0ute. S0 if y0u find 0ne in s0uth L0nd0n, y0u kn0w where t0 c0me...
Harley-Davids0n L0w Rider
Seat height: 680mm;
Weight: 302 kg;
T0rque: 136Nm @ 3,500rpm;
Price: £12,395
