Harley-Davidson Street Glide ST and Road Glide ST 117 with Screaming Eagle Performance
The Harley-Davidson ST models, are the high-flyers in model year 2022. In the series version, the Street Glide ST and Road Glide ST Models with the strong 117 Milwaukee-Eight engine. This also applies to the Low Rider ST from the Softail series, it is even slightly sportier on the road.
I have spent the last few months with the Harley-Davidson Street Glide ST 117 on the road in Europe. It was about 8500 kilometers in the sporty way, one could confidently say. The machine had previously been used by the non-public Excavator Party Race and had to prove herself on the race track, I didn't go that far with her.
The Street Glide ST converted to a tourer
I also had to use it as a tourer, so I fitted the passenger footrests and, as usual, a sissy bar and the removable luggage rack, because I still want to go on the big tour with it.
The Street Glide ST is compatible with the new Euro 5 Screaming Eagle exhaust system The system from the Harley-Davidson factory tuner Screaming Eagle makes noticeably more sound and is legal, it is not a flap exhaust system, but works without these electronically controlled flaps. The DB eater can be removed for racing purposes. It sounds very throaty and sporty, this whole combination, starting with the sporty Heavy Breather air filter, which is included as standard, the drag seat, the Öhlins suspension and right through to the Screaming Eagle exhaust system, make the ST a really sporty motorcycle.
The original exhaust system is a lot quieter, but it feels louder than on earlier models, and yet in this case the Heavy Breather Air Filter rather the dominance in the sound.
The Harley-Davidson Drag seat
To the Harley-Davidson Drag seat I had to get used to it first, I'm not normally that sporty on the road. However, I have found that it really gives a very good grip, and anyone who likes to ride sportily through bends will appreciate it. If you're a bit taller, you can adjust the rear attachment backwards, which is a really good solution.
It gets a little softer after a few thousand kilometers, I personally would replace it with the Hammock Touring seat for long tours, this is done quickly with a screw.
But it really depends, maybe I just need to lose some weight, because in conversation with André Jäger (Harley-Davidson District Manager) that I had with him on the island of Mallorca, he had a different opinion. You can watch the whole conversation on the Harleysite YouTube Channel listen.
Screaming Eagle Performance Öhlins suspension
Trying out the Screaming Eagle Öhlins was a real experience for me. With the right settings, I've generally always ridden well with the original suspension, although at high speeds and with a lot of luggage, you do notice that you're at the limit.
Now you might think, who rides that fast on a Harley, you should be surprised, many people do. I wouldn't have thought so either, but when some people on Facebook found out that I was riding with other suspension components, I started to get questions.
After a test drive of over 8500 kilometers, it is clear to me that you should generally think about investing in a suspension, perhaps even more so than in something else. Especially if you are thinking about tuning, this should be on your agenda. Once you've found the perfect and suitable setting, you'll experience a completely different driving behavior.
There are a few things to consider, in addition to the right oil, you have to find the right compression and rebound damping, with the Öhlins there is a regulator on the external reservoir where you can adjust the firmness when the load changes. That worked really well for me, at some point I got the hang of it, you can really fine-tune it. I drove to Prague on the highway, from there to Tyrol in the mountains and via Italy and the Dolomites to Lake Faak.
On the highway it was a bit firmer, on the country road a bit softer and for the mountain passes, the setting was somewhere in between. Now you can say that a suspension with Nivomat can also do that quite well, you can't really argue with that, the difference is probably that the Nivomat settings are fixed, whereas I can easily change them on the Öhlings at any time.
Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but both versions are better than the standard suspension, that much is certain. The very best thing is to replace the suspension at the front with the Screaming Eagle feathers replaced. At the moment, however, they are not yet available (as of 16.11.22).
I made this experience when we were traveling a little faster on the island of Mallorca, when it gets a little harder on the brakes, everything is required at the front. I have to say that with the Street Glide ST 117 and the changes to the sound, drag seat and suspension, I've rarely had so much fun driving sportily through the bends.
The sporty tire choice
As a rule, I am on the Dunlop Multi Thread tire on the road, it scores particularly well on long distances and freeways. The Metzeler On the other hand, it is unbeatable for me when it comes to cornering, the actually heavy machine falls so easily into the bend and provides incredibly good grip that I can't even exhaust it. Although I would like to say that I can be fast with a good setup.
To come to the end, the Road Glide ST 117 that I rode in the spring was already a lot of fun, but the Street Glide ST 117 with the Screaming Eagle updates has topped the whole thing once again.
In view of the fact that Harley-Davidson circles assume that prices will rise again at the turn of the year, you may well ask yourself whether you actually need more Harley. The price-performance ratio of this model is not bad, you can't get the 117 Milwaukee-Eight in the Grand American Tourer class this cheap. A clear recommendation!
The Harleysite YouTube video of the report
Interview with André Jäger, about the Harley-Davidson ST models.
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Download - Technical data
Street Glide ST 117 model year 2022 - EU
Road Glide ST 117 model year 2022 - EU
