Test: Nick Ware Photography: Heather Ware

I’ve never been a big bike person, in-fact the Harley-Davidson Street Glide ST and Road Glide ST were my first look at the other side of motorcycling. First on the list was the Street Glide ST, and I hopped off the big bagger thinking, “Man, how good was that?”

First impressions are intimidating to say the least. It’s a big, big bagger, but man, it looks mean. The deep black dominates the colour scheme, with very little chrome work making it onto the ST. The matte bronze highlights on the rocker boxes, fuel tank and wheels offset the deep black perfectly. Almost everything else, including the controls, engine, gearbox, and exhaust is completely blacked out.

The classic batwing front fairing looks fantastic as usual and is one of the more eye-catching features of the big bagger. The paniers themselves sit above the exhaust and aren’t contoured or tapered like previous years. However, there’s still plenty of room for the laptop and groceries! One of the first things you’ll likely notice is the solo-saddle, which, in hindsight isn’t that big of a deal, but I would have liked to have had the capacity for a pillion. A two-up saddle and pegs are available though.

In terms of rider comfort, the Street Glide ST is damn near perfection on the freeway. While it is a bit of a beast to manoeuvre in slow traffic, once your feet are up on the pegs and you’re rolling it’s as smooth as anything I’ve ridden. The Street Glide ST tracks perfectly at high-speeds and feels rock-solid. The front end feels tight, even at speed. I was concerned initially, given how large the batwing fairing is and the fact that it is mounted directly to the front end, but there weren’t any issues.

At slower speeds, particularly in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the bike is surprisingly well balanced. I found myself making much tighter U-turns than I’d ever have expected. The hill-hold feature, engaged with a hard stomp on the rear brake or strong squeeze of the front brake, is a fantastic addition that got a lot of use. The electronically distributed brakes are a neat concept and pull the bike up surprisingly well even in the wet! The cornering ABS is an added-bonus, but I still found it a little too twitchy in the rain for my liking.

The factory seating position definitely favours the taller rider in terms of bar and control access, I’m 197cm and found the bar positioning comfortable. I’m able to reach the controls and the touch screen with relative ease, however, I found myself operating the majority of the technology with the left and right-side buttons and toggle switches.

Foot-positioning is comfortable while cruising, however, I’d regularly have to lift my leg out to the side and around the big breather that sticks out the side. For the taller rider, I’d suggest extending or lowering the rear pedal, bringing the floorboards forward, or finding a smaller breather angled in a different direction.

The saddle is okay from the factory, if you’re planning on touring, I’d suggest an upgrade, but for an hour or two a day, it’s fine. It’s quite supportive, and the rear props you up nicely, particularly under hard acceleration.

The 117ci powerhouse made light work of reaching freeway speeds, and at 120km/h, it would just idle along, barely trying. In the 3000-4000RPM range there is PLENTY of torque available for the overtakes, just drop a gear and you’re off.

I switched between second and third gear around town, only rarely putting around in fourth if when I’m in a fuel conscious mood. The factory pipes are quiet, so I’d tend to keep it in the higher RPM range just to make sure it was still running!

I’ve saved the audio system for last. To sum it up perfectly, the audio system is ridiculous. While the Street Glide ST lacks the amplifier and bag-mounted speakers typically seen in the earlier models, the audio output is still insane.

The quality and sound, even at freeway speeds, is impeccable. This BOOM! Box GTS system is something special, and if you’re one to crank Springsteen full-noise, at 140km/h in a bandana and singlet, it’s the audio system for you. The system offers some fantastic smartphone integration, and the GPS functionality is incredibly easy to use. The smartphone charging port doesn’t quite fit the larger phones, but I typically run my Quadlock mount anyway.

Overall, the 2022 Street Glide is a badass bike with a big road presence, yet somehow it still manages to look relatively sleek, polished, and well styled while holding its own in the twisties. Harley has nailed this year’s Street Glide; I think I want one….

ELECTRONIC RIDER AIDS

- Electronically Linked Braking (ELB) applies braking effort to both wheels when the rider uses either the hand lever (front) or foot pedal (rear) brake control, which can help many riders achieve better braking performance.

- Cornering Electronically Linked Brakes (C-ELB) takes into account the motorcycle lean angle. C-ELB will alter the proportioning of brake pressure between the front and rear brakes when braking while cornering in an attempt to improve the ability of the bike to maintain the rider’s intended path.

-Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) is designed to prevent the wheels from locking under braking and helps the rider maintain control when braking in a straight-line, urgent situation.

-Cornering Anti-lock Braking System (C-ABS) is a variant of ABS that takes into consideration the lean angle of a two-wheel motorcycle, or the lateral acceleration of a Trike model. The brake pressure required to limit wheel slip when cornering is typically or lower than the pressure required under straight line operation.

-Drag-Torque Slip Control System (DSCS) is designed to reduce excessive rear-wheel slip under deceleration, which typically occurs when the rider makes an abrupt down-shift gear change or decelerates on wet or slippery road surfaces.

-Cornering Drag-Torque Slip Control System (C-DSCS). On models equipped with C-DSCS the action of DSCS may be tailored when cornering, based on detected lean angle (two-wheel motorcycles) or lateral acceleration (Trike models).

-Traction Control System (TCS) is designed to prevent the rear wheel from excessive spinning under acceleration when travelling in a straight line.

-Cornering Traction Control System (C-TCS) is designed to prevent the rear wheel from excessive spinning under acceleration when going straight or cornering.

-Vehicle Hold Control (VHC). The primary function of VHC is to keep the motorcycle from rolling, making it easier to ride away when starting on a hill, a bridge or a parking ramp.

SPECIFICATIONS

2022 Harley-Davidson Street Glide ST

Price: From $45,995 (ride away)

Colours: Vivid Black or Gunship Gray

Warranty: Two-years unlimited km

Service: 1600km then every 8000km

Claimed Power: N/A

Claimed Torque: 168Nm@3500rpm

Wet Weight: 369kg

Fuel capacity: 22.7L

Engine: Air-cooled Milwaukee-Eight 117 V-Twin, 1923cc, 103.5 x 114.3mm bore x stroke, 10.2:1 compression ratio, ESPFI, two-into-one-into-two exhaust

Gearbox: Primary drive: 34/46. Six-speed ratios – 1st: 9.593, 6.65, 4.938, 4.0, 3.407, 6th: 2.875 Final Belt 32/68 Clutch: Wet multi-plate, cable actuation

Chassis: Mild steel; tubular frame; two-piece stamped and welded backbone; cast and forged junctions; twin downtubes; bolt-on rear frame with forged fender supports; MIG welded.

Rake: 26° Trail: 173mm

Suspension: 49mm dual bending valve forks, Premium standard height hand-adjustable rear suspension

Brakes: 300mm rotors, Four-piston fixed calipers (f), 300mm rotor, two-piston floating caliper (r), ABS

Wheels & Tyres: Bronze Prodigy wheels, 130/60 – 19in (f), 180/55 – 18in (r), Dunlop

DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 1625mm

Seat height: 710mm

Ground clearance: 135mm

Overall Length: 2400mm

Lean Angle: 32/31 degrees

Instruments: Multi-language multi-function touch screen digital full colour TFT display, handlebar mounted controls, Central Screen, BOOM! Audio System with GPS and touchscreen, charging port in fairing, LED lighting all around.

Protect your motorbike. Call Shannons Insurance on 13 46 46 to get a quote today.