2022 FXRST Low Rider El Diablo. Photo: Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson has been making the Low Rider in some form or another for decades now, and if you’ve ever had the chance to ride the latest version (I have), you’d probably agree they got the name wrong – or at least it’s a bit of a misnomer.

“Low Rider” to many would seem to indicate a “low” riding posture as on a classic cruiser; a relaxed, comfy perch for cruising to the club or the show and shine event. Trust me, they are anything but.

The modern Low Rider models feature a standard seating position, low (or lower) bars, triple disc Brembo brakes, taught suspension and if you saddle up an “S” model, a fire-breathing pumped-up V-Twin that will surprise you with its power. It’s sort of Harley’s sport bike with the wrong name.

Just recently, Harley added a new Low Rider variant, the ST (Sport Tour), a single-seater that comes with small hard bags and an ’80s-retro homage fairing to conjure up a a fairly tempting Harley-flavored weekend strafer. Now, the MoCo has upped the retro vibe and slathered on some special candy paint for a run of 1,500 “El Diablo” STs that will set you back $27,999. The limited edition ST is part of Harley’s Icons Collection, where they take a cool old (er, legacy) model and update it with modern tech and power while preserving the classic look.

2022 FXRST Low Rider El Diablo. Photo: Harley-Davidson

So it goes with the El Diablo ST, which is a shout out to the 1983 Low Rider with its more minimalist fairing and touring setup. Also, the flamin’ candy paint is a nod to a favorite hue used by west coast customizers, especially down in Cali. “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,” Brad Richards, Vice President of Design and Creative Director, Motorcycles Harley-Davidson, said in a press release. 2022 FXRST Low Rider El Diablo. Photo: Harley-Davidson

2022 FXRST Low Rider El Diablo. Photo: Harley-Davidson

Almost 28 large for a sport tourer is a big bucket of clams, so like the pitchman says, wait, there’s more. The El Diablo comes loaded with all the toys, but the biggest plaything is the factory-tweaked 117-inch Milwaukee Eight V-Twin, which punches out 103 ponies and 125 bits of twist. It’s still air-cooled, but gets some assist from an oil cooler. Rear suspension is a monoshock instead of twin boingers, and lighting is all LED goodness (the spec sheet lists the rear tail light as “LED Zeppelin” – the best typo Ive seen in awhile). The retro fairing has undergone modern fluid dynamics smoothing for better airflow, and the gold and sunglo red paint is hand-applied by Gunslinger Custom Paint in California.

Instead of a big touchscreen or even regular gauges, the ST features a minimalist digital panel in the bar riser for that rebel “we don’t need no gauges” custom look. Audio is a different story as Harley has tucked a massive 250-watt Rockford/Fosgate stereo system in the fairing, and yes, it will Bluetooth to your phone – no word so far on if it will play Led Zeppelin tunes by default.