First Ride Review: 2016 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider S

If black is your new chrome and tire-spinning torque is what wakes your brain on that morning ride to work, then Harley-Davidson's design team nailed it with the latest addition to the "S" lineup. The 2016 Harley-Davidson Low Rider S is quite possibly the best Dyna ever to wear the bar-and-shield tank badges. No, check that. This is the best Dyna ever to wear those badges.

A bold statement for sure, but what makes this new addition to the S-series so special? Well, the Low Rider itself has been a favorite of hard-riding cruisers since its debut in the late ’70s. After a solid run spanning more than three decades, H-D pulled the Low from its lineup for a five-year hiatus, using the time to update the powertrain, mix up some contemporary colors, and hype its relaunch. That happened in 2014. The Low Rider returned with the 103-cube Twin Cam engine, a marked improvement over previous Low Rider powerplants but nothing that would curb the desire for a little more torque.

So when Harley-Davidson introduced two new Softail cruisers late last year—the Fat Boy S and the Softail Slim S (see the First Ride review here)—both packing Screamin' Eagle 110 Twin Cam engines, the writing was on the wall. It was only a matter of time, we hoped, that H-D would make the 110ci engine available in other platforms. For once, we got what we wished for.

Part of the design process at HD is to have one foot in the past to understand the legacy and heritage of the brand and one in the future to be competitive in the market. The challenge in creating each new model is finding the right ratio. Prior to the Low Rider S arriving on the scene, that ratio was heavily biased on the past. Not a bad thing for traditional buyers, but what the Dyna-based model was missing was a contemporary hook to get riders shopping the Low Rider along with other modern performance cruisers.

The Motor Company achieved that by dropping the largest-displacement engine that H-D installs at the factory into the Low Rider S frame and combining it with Premium Ride components that includes a cartridge fork and nitrogen gas-charged emulsion rear shocks. It’s more than just displacement, too; the blacked-out SE Twin Cam 110 V-twin gets a forward-facing Heavy Breather open-element air cleaner and matte black 2-into-2 exhaust system making a claimed 115 pound-feet of torque at 3,500 rpm.

Keen observers will recall that the S-series Softails claimed torque is 109 pound-feet at 3.500 rpm. We asked H-D Product Planning Director Paul James about the uptick in torque. He says that though all three engines are Screamin’ Eagle Twin Cam 110 V-twins, the Low Rider S benefits from a different intake and exhaust, and the Low Rider S sports the non-counterbalanced engine in the rubber-mount Dyna chassis. The Fat Boy S and Softail Slim S both have the internally counterbalanced SE 110B in the rigid-mount Softail frame, and driving that counterbalancer costs a bit of power.

We joined H-D for the Low Rider S intro and press ride that would take us out to Newcomb’s Ranch Restaurant, a 77-year-old destination located 5,400-feet up in the Angeles National Forest. The only access to Newcomb’s is via the Angeles Crest Highway, a road favored by Southern California motorcycle riders for its many twists punctuated by the occasional strip of straight highway for “passing.” A perfect road to get acquainted with any new bike.

The nimble Dyna chassis with mid-mount controls shines on roads like the Crest, and the rider’s position on the Low Rider S allows even more aggressive performance when compared to the standard Low Rider. The new bucket-style solo seat provides firm lower back support and the lower drag bars on 5.5-inch risers have less pullback, allowing you to lean forward in a more sporting posture rather than in the classic laid-back, feet-forward cruiser position.

Riding the S model back-to-back with a standard Low (which we did), you’ll feel a firmer street ride with less front-end dive when you squeeze hard on the brake. On the twisty roads, the Low S model’s Premium Ride clearly makes a difference. Although the S fork is the same 49mm diameter, the single cartridge internals eliminate much of the looseness felt in the standard front end with less roll or wallow in higher-speed turns. The rear emulsion shocks do a good job of absorbing bumps with no residual bounce. The Hayes ABS brake setup is adequate but not as strong or fade-resistant as the Brembo-equipped Harley cruisers that we’ve ridden.

There’s a difference between brute torque and smooth torque, and accelerating the Low Rider S through the twisties brings out the grunt and growl that the Screamin’ Eagle 110 is known for with superbly smooth throttle response. No need to downshift that six-speed Cruise Drive trans if you scrub off a little too much speed. Just twist the throttle a little more and the Low S pulls out and goes.

Although wind protection is minimal, there is a small turbulence-free zone behind the speed screen should you feel the urge to tuck in. The screen strikes a perfect stylistic balance with the bobbed rear fender that looks to be pulled from the Wide Glide/Street Bob parts bin. What really sets the Low Rider S off are the Magnum Gold wheels. H-D Senior Stylist Dais Nagao pointed out that while they might look like typical multi-spoke rollers, if you look closely, they’re actually a split five-spoke design powder-coated with a shade of gold that throws you back to the hot rodder’s gold-coated Halibrand mags of the 1960s, or for you sports car buffs, those racy gold Cromadora wheels common on Ferraris of the same era. There’s your foot-in-the-past analogy.

The 2016 Low Rider S comes in one color, the right one: Vivid (glossy) Black and carries a reasonable price tag of $16,699, and that includes ABS, cruise control, and an H-D Factory Security System. That MSRP puts the Low Rider S on the lowest rung of the S model price ladder by a good margin and nine grand less than the closest CVO cruiser (the new Pro Street Breakout). In a market where buyers are becoming increasingly more budget conscious and demanding more bang (and torque!) for the buck, Harley-Davidson’s Low Rider S handily balances that ratio of keeping one foot in the past and one in the future.