Harley Davidson Low Rider ST El Diablo coming soon

Harley’s new Low Rider ST (above) is the basis for upcoming El Diablo model, due for launch soon

We’ve already seen Harley-Davidson launch the new Low Rider ST bagger in 2022 but an additional version of the machine – dubbed Low Rider ST El Diablo – is due to join it in the very near future.

The name has emerged in type-approval paperwork on both sides of the Atlantic, That shows the El Diablo is a model that will be sold in Europe and the USA, meeting two sets of disparate emissions and road use regulations, rather than a market-specific special edition.

The exact extent of the changes that separate the Low Rider ST El Diablo from the normal Low Rider ST is hard to judge from the limited information presented on the approval documents, other than the name, but the indications are that it will be a higher-spec, better-equipped version of the bike.

The overall dimensions are largely unchanged, sharing the same 2365mm length, 870mm breadth and 1300mm height as the standard Low Rider ST. That means there’s no substantial alteration to the bodywork, including a new-for-2022 front fairing inspired by the 1980s FXRT. The wheelbase, at 1615mm, is also the same as the 2022 Low Rider and Low Rider ST, so we don’t expect to see changes to the steering geometry or suspension height either. The wheel and tyre sizes are also unchanged – 110/90-19 front and 180/70-16 rear – showing that the El Diablo retains the sportier handling intentions of the Low Rider ST rather than going down the custom bagger route of using a spindly, oversized front rim.

The standard Low Rider ST has subdued paintwork, we expect something a bit more eye-catching for the El Diablo version

It’s a similar story when it comes to the engine. The Low Rider ST El Diablo has an identical Milwaukee-Eight V-twin to that used in the standard Low Rider S and Low Rider ST. That means it’s the ‘117’ version – 1923cc in metric measurements – that has previously been used only in Harley’s high-end ‘CVO’ models.

Peak power is 103hp, coming at 4750rpm, and 125 lb-ft of torque at 3500rpm, exactly as on the standard models, and the emissions performance is identical, suggesting there’s no new exhaust system or retuned injection.

In fact, the only notable change in the El Diablo’s bare figures when compared to the Low Rider ST is its weight, which rises from 327kg wet for the ST to 341kg for the El Diablo. That means there’s 4kg of extra kit tucked away on the bike somewhere. A higher-spec stereo seems at least one possible addition, along with more exotic paintwork.

Why didn’t Harley reveal the El Diablo last month alongside the Low Rider S and Low Rider ST? The answer might lie in the popularity of the ‘King of the Baggers’ race series that runs alongside certain MotoAmerica superbike rounds, and which has directly influenced the trend towards sporty-handling, high-performance baggers that the Low Rider ST reflects.

The opening race of 2022 is on March 10-12 at Daytona International Speedway, at the culmination of Daytona Bike Week, which vies with Sturgis to be the biggest, most famous gathering of Harley riders each year. If Harley-Davidson wants to draw the attention of its fans, and riders interested in the fast bagger scene, then there could be no better place or time to reveal a range topping version of its newest bike in that category.