2022 Harley-Davidson® FLHXST - Street Glide® ST

Somewhere between spinning laps around the very modern Inde Motorsports Ranch and our high-noon meander down the dusty roads of the historic Wild West town of Tombstone, Arizona, aboard the 2022 Harley-Davidson Road Glide ST and Street Glide ST models, it became clear that The Motor Company was bringing together a unique mix of heritage and high performance. But as much as using a racetrack for a model introduction is a sign that H-D is forging into new frontiers, doing so with a pair of touring bikes very much fits the company’s traditional approach of incremental changes to its most popular platforms. ST Styling
The Harley Product Development Center team worked to visually differ the ST models from the existing touring rigs with performance-inspired style. The ST is stripped of passenger seat and footpegs, which also removes unnecessary weight, and has been aesthetically trimmed to lighten its appearance. The front fender is cut and H-D used standard length, low-profile saddlebags rather than the extended bags on the Special models to achieve the look, while blacked-out components and bronze details add to the sporty look.The results are somewhat stripped-down iterations of the über-popular Road Glide and Street Glide models. Richards says the bikes offer the most performance available from the touring platform out of the Milwaukee factory: more power, better handling, and purging of unnecessary equipment. And to a degree, that’s true.

ST Power
That means power comes from the Milwaukee-Eight 117ci V-twin, the largest engine available in a production-offered Harley-Davidson, previously only available in CVO models. Because it’s all about performance, H-D took it a step further by fitting the M-8 with high-performance camshafts, a forward-facing “heavy breather” intake, and an exhaust specifically tuned for the application, while still delivering 50-state sound and emissions compliance. The result is a claimed 106 hp at 4,750 rpm and 127 pound-feet of torque at 3,750 rpm. For reference, that’s 6.7 percent more torque than the M-8 114ci in the Special models.
The engine’s soul-stirring rumble and American-idle shake is stronger than its smaller-displacement kin, but the powerplant settles into delightfully smooth harmony in motion. The ST has no ride modes, just a direct throttle connection. It feels very Harley-Davidson; everything we’ve known about previous touring models, plus a little more. Hammering away from stops and corner exits demonstrates its extra grunt in underlining its high-performance bagger calling. On a practical side, the extra oomph adds flexibility to an already exceptionally flexible powerplant. At 80 mph, the 117 hums along at 3,000 rpm with buckets of torque in reserve.

ST Handling
Because Harley-Davidson is looking for the most performance within the confines of its touring platform and available parts, The Motor Company altered the ST’s shocks for more responsiveness and improved ground clearance. Travel of the dual rear shocks increased more than 40 percent, which sounds impressive until you do the math that it is from 2.1 inches to 3 inches. This is also dimensionally identical to The Motor Company’s full-rig tourers, like the Ultra models. The 49mm dual bending valve fork remains identical in travel and tune. That change increases the claimed unladen seat height from 27.4 inches to 28.1 inches, counting the aforementioned saddlebags of the base model, which assists in improving maximum lean angle. Harley-Davidson avoided presenting hard numbers, as SAE test numbers at 75 percent suspension compression and potential lean angle remain the same. But the company claims that real-world use suggests greatly improved capability. Notably absent from the ST is an upgrade in braking components, which seems like a relatively straightforward missed opportunity to take performance to the next level.
While touring your way to the twisties, the ST’s creature comforts remind you of its grand touring roots. As with the standard Glides, it’s equipped with the Boom! Box GTS infotainm