If the Harley-Davidson Low Rider S is the Milwaukee firm’s idea of a sport bike in cruiser guise, then the Low Rider ST is their take on a sport-tourer. And the new Low Rider El Diablo? That’s Harley’s idea of a sport-tourer cranked up to eleven.
Resplendent in a retina-searing pearlescent red livery, the El Diablo is part of Harley-Davidson’s Icons Collection. The Icons Collection bikes are limited edition models that are only released once, each paying homage to a legendary bike in Harley’s back catalogue. The El Diablo harks back to the 1980s FXRT, and to the Californian custom motorcycle culture of that era.
“[It’s] a modern expression of the iconic 1983 Harley-Davidson FXRT and a representation of the creative times it was born in,” says H-D design head, Brad Richards. “It embodies the spirit of counterculture in Southern California in the 80s in a contemporary package that features meticulously crafted custom paint, including pinstripe trajectories that nod directly to those of the original FXRT.”
At a glance, the El Diablo looks like a regular Low Rider ST with a fancy paint job (and a bigger price tag). In many ways it is… but the devil is in the details.
For starters, the El Diablo’s paint is truly gnarly. It takes cues from the classic FXRT, but adds a fresh spin to it. And it’s no factory job either—each El Diablo is hand painted by Gunslinger Custom Paint in Colorado, the same team responsible for Harley’s stunning CVO paint jobs.
It’s an intoxicating mix of bright red, ‘sunglo’ red, dark red and dark red pearl. That’s complemented by pale gold pin striping, matte dark bronze wheels and black finishes almost everywhere else. Each El Diablo is individually numbered too.
The bike sports the same fork-mounted fairing, and removable high-riding panniers, as the Low Rider ST, but with one notable addition. Peak behind the El Diablo’s fairing, and you’ll spot a complete Bluetooth-capable Rockford Fosgate sound system. The system includes a 250-watt amp, a pair of 5.25” woofers and two remote tweeters, along with a smartphone app to configure it.
Like the Low Rider ST, the El Diablo is propelled forward by Harley’s gutsy Milwaukee-Eight 117 V-twin, good for 168 Nm of torque at 3,500 rpm. It comes with a high-performance camshaft, dual counter-balancers, a bigger air filter system and a two-into-two shotgun exhaust system.
There’s a set of 43 mm inverted forks up front, and the 19F/16R wheels are wrapped in Michelin Scorcher 31 tyres. Ergonomically, the El Diablo runs a deep solo seat with moto-style bars on pull-back risers, and footpegs that are slightly forward of mid. LED lighting, a stealthy handlebar-mounted speedo, a USB charger, ABS and cruise control are all standard equipment.
That leaves only two burning questions: how many are Harley-Davidson making, and what’ll one set you back? 1,500 units, and a mere R455,100. For comparison, that’s R64,500 more than a Low Rider ST, but R181,800 less than a CVO Road Glide. Tempted?
For more information visit: www.harley-davidson.com
