The Harley-Davidson Cruiser Motorcycle That Just About Can Do It All

By Erik Sherman - December 16, 2025

The Harley-Davidson Low Rider S marries comfort, thrust, and spirited rideability in one cruiser motorcycle.

The Harley-Davidson Low Rider S survived the transition from Dyna to Softail. And sport cruiser fans will be glad that it did. The formula? Rather than settling for being another lazy straight-line cruiser motorcycle, the Harley-Davidson Low Rider S adopts more aggressive geometry, a six-axis IMU, cornering ABS, cornering traction control, and cornering drag-torque control to serve as both a customizable cruiser and a weekend toy.

Earlier this year, I headed to Harley-Davidson’s home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the brand’s Homecoming Festival. To my delight, the Bar & Shield loaned me a 2025 Harley-Davidson Low Rider S in Dark Billiard Gray to thrash around Milwaukee’s streets. I owned a Low Rider S back when the sport cruiser motorcycle was still a Dyna. Needless to say, I had high expectations of the monoshock Softail model.

As expected, the Harley-Davidson Low Rider S’s finest point is its 117-cubic-inch Milwaukee Eight V-Twin. The mill’s 128 lb-ft of torque effortlessly shoves the 670-lb motorcycle from a standstill to highway speeds with the slightest twist of the throttle. As an urban commuter, the six-axis IMU, cornering suite, and 31.3-degree lean angle lend themselves well to tight turns on city streets. Outside of the Pan America 1250 ST on grippy street tires or the Sportster S, this is HD’s most capable canyon carver.

Highway voyagers, though, may want to stretch the Harley-Davidson Low Rider S’s factory mid controls to a forward control setup. That, or stretch the budget for the Low Rider ST and its hard-sided saddlebags and fairing. Still, I found the Softail Low Rider S’s Showa monoshock ride comfortable enough for long days in the saddle.

Pricey For an Analog Display

For 2026, the Harley-Davidson Low Rider S starts at $19,999. That’s before the addition of more premium options like Aurora Blue Metallic paintwork for a $650 upcharge. In short, you won’t find many motorcyclists uttering the term “affordable” in the same breath as mention of the Harley-Davidson Low Rider S. Things get a little worse when you take the motorcycle’s instrument cluster into account.

Functionally speaking, the gauge cluster does its job. It delivers information like RPM, speed, fuel level, and warning messages. With an eye-watering $20,000 price tag, it’s not unreasonable to expect a smartphone-compatible TFT screen. Other motorcycles in Harley-Davidson’s lineup get that tech treatment, like the four-inch TFT unit aboard the Sportster S.