Harley Davidson SuperLow

The SuperLow line carries few changes into the '17 model year, and for the most part can be considered a direct carryover from 2016. Powered by the 883 cc Evolution engine, the XL 883L delivers modest performance and nimble handling. The slammed suspension puts the rider's butt close to the ground where even the shortest inseams can feel confident and in control with both feet down flat. While on the Street 500/750, it is the smallest of Harley-Davidson's traditional designs and typically serves as a trainer bike for folks interested in air-cooled cruisers.

Design

No matter what changes get made for individual models, all Sportster models come with Harley's narrowest frame and front end, just as they have since the K-model introduced Harley's little sportbike to the world back in the early '50s. This leaves us with a fairly narrow bike with a skinny entry and exit, and an almost un-Sportsterlike profile by virtue of its squat rear end and fuel tank that does not quite lend the same lines as the classic peanut tank. If anything, SuperLow looks more like a miniaturized Super Glide; amazing how much difference a few small changes can make, is not it?

A tapered solo seat rests at 27.4 inches off the ground, unladen, and a 180-pound rider will push that right on down to 25.5 inches high. That's pretty low for a family that has traditionally been fairly tall throughout its history, and almost as low as the discontinued Hugger line.

A riser-mounted speedometer bundles an electronic display with an odometer / trip meter, engine diagnostic interface and idiot lights for low oil pressure and low fuel. Mid-mount controls and a pullback handlebar place the rider in a relaxed cruising position with the ability to lean forward and into the turns when you're feeling a little saucy.

Chassis

Mild-steel tubing makes up the double-downtube, double-cradle frame, and the factory takes its usual pragmatic approach with the skeleton. same with the swingarm that runs a traditional yoke with a rectangular cross-section for strength. Steering-head layout really cranks the forks out there with a 31.1-inch rake with 5.7 inches of trail and a 59.1-inch wheelbase. These numbers are in the straight line, so you can expect it to be fairly stable at speed in spite of the short wheelbase but a trifle reluctant in the corners.
Cast-alloy rims mounted Michelin Scorcher "11" tires with a 120/70 ZR-18 up front and 150/60 ZR-17 in back. These tires are made for Harley-Davidson's specifications, and present a sporty profile with deep grooves meant to aid in water evacuation with a sticky rubber formula to boost overall traction. The cast-in, Bar-and-Shield logos serve no practical purpose, but they are kinda cool all the same.

A single, 300 mm disc and twin-pot caliper slows the front wheel with a 260 mm disc and the same caliper to bind the rear. ABS is not included as part of the model equipment, but it is available as an option so you can have that extra safety net if you really want it. I still think it's better for the development of the skills to learn on a non-ABS bike, but I do concede that it's probably safer with ABS.
Suspension is typical of budget-conscious bikes; the 39 mm, cartridge-type forks run as standard, right-way-up assemblies with fixed preload and damping values. Coil-over emulsion shocks support the rear end with only the most basic preload adjuster. Suspension travel at the axle measures out at 4.11 inches up front, but the rear only moves through a mere 2.13 inches, and represents the trade-off necessary to get that low rear end.

Drivetrain

At 30-years old, some may call the Evolution Sportster an "old" engine, and be that as it may, it's also a proven one, and a design that Harley has been perfecting since the mid '80s. The air-cooled mill runs the typical, 45-degree V-Twin configuration with a cast-in, five-speed transmission case integral with the engine cases. Power flows through the standard wet clutch, and a final belt drive carries the power to the pavement.
The undersquare bore and stroke measure out at 76.2 mm and 96.8 mm, respectively, and this layout delivers the kind of grunt of 53.8 pound-feet of grunt at 3,750 rpm. An electronic, sequential-port fuel-injection system manages to wring 51 mpg out of the mill, but the SuperLow comes minus any sort of variable power delivery and now you can not get a Super Tuner so expect this vanilla engine management system to remain adequate, if a bit bland.

Typical of the breed, a one-lobe cam actuates each of the external pushrods to time the two-valve heads, and the compression ratio is fairly mild at only 9-to-1 so you can get away with mid-grade fuel. All-in-all, a simple, reliable engine that produces enough power to make the bike fun for experienced riders but not so much as to make it unfriendly to new riders.

Price

The '16 SuperLow starts at $ 8,499 in Vivid Black - $ 250 over the 2015 price - and goes on up to $ 9,049 for the two-tone paint option. Buyers looking for a '17 model can tack on another bill to the base price across the board, and expect to pay $ 795 for the ABS and $ 395 for the security options no matter which year they choose. California buyers can also look forward to a $ 100 charge for their emissions package.