Harley-Davidson Street Glide ST and Road Glide ST 117 with Screaming Eagle Performance

Harley-Davidson Street Glide ST and Road Glide ST 117 with Screaming Eagle Performance

The Harley-Davidson ST models are the high-flyers in the 2022 model year. In the series version, the Street Glide ST and Road Glide ST models are delivered with the powerful 117 Milwaukee-Eight engine. This also applies to the Low Rider ST from the Softail series, it is a little lighter and sportier.

I've been traveling around Europe Harley-Davidson Street Glide ST 117 It was around 8,500 kilometers in the sporty way, you could confidently say. The machine had previously taken part in the non-public Bagger Party Race and had to prove itself on the racetrack, but I didn't go that far with it.

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The Street Glide ST converted into a tourer

For me it also had to serve as a tourer, so the passenger footrests and, as is usual for me, a sissy bar and the removable luggage rack were installed because I still want to go on a big tour with it.

The Street Glide ST is equipped with the new Euro 5 Screaming Eagle exhaust system , which is backwards compatible until 2021. 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 comes without these electronically controlled flaps. The DB-Eater can be removed for racing purposes. It sounds very robust and sporty, this entire combination, starting with the sporty Heavy Breather air filter, which is included as standard, the drag seat, the Öhlins chassis and up to the Screaming Eagle exhaust system , make the ST a really sporty motorcycle.

The original exhaust system is a lot quieter, but feels louder than usual with previous models and in this case the Heavy Breather air filter still dominates the sound.

The Harley-Davidson drag seat

to the Harley-Davidson drag seat as I'm not normally that sporty. However, I was able to notice that it really provides a very good grip. Anyone who likes to drive through curves in a sporty way will appreciate it. If you are a little taller, you can adjust the rear attachment backwards, which is a very good solution.

It gets a little softer after a few thousand kilometers. Personally, I would replace it with the Hammock Touring seat for long tours, which can be done quickly with a screw.

Although it really depends, maybe I just need to lose some weight, because in a conversation with André Jäger (Harley-Davidson District Manager) that I took with him on the island of Mallorca, he had a different opinion. You can listen to the entire conversation on the Harleysite YouTube Channel .

Screaming Eagle Performance Öhlins suspension

Trying out the Screaming Eagle Öhlins was really an experience for me. With the right setting, I generally always drove well with the original chassis, although at high speeds and with a lot of luggage you notice that you are at the limit.

Now you might think, who rides that fast on a Harley, you should be surprised, a lot of people do that. I wouldn't have thought that either, but when some people noticed on Facebook that I was using other suspension components, I started getting inquiries accordingly.

After over 8,500 kilometers of test driving, it's clear to me that you should generally think about investing in a chassis, perhaps even earlier than in something else. Especially if you are thinking about tuning, this should be on your agenda. A completely different driving behavior arises once you have found the perfect and suitable setting.

There are a lot of things to consider, in addition to the right oil, you have to find the right compression and rebound damping. On the Öhlins there is a regulator on the external expansion tank where you can adjust the hardness as 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 motorway, from there to Tyrol in the mountains and via Italy and the Dolomites to Lake Faak.

On the highway it was a little firmer, on the country road it was a little softer and for the mountain passes the setting was somewhere in between. Now you can say that a chassis with Nivomat can also do this quite well, you can't argue with that, the difference is probably that the Nivomat settings are fixed, although with the Öhlings I can easily change them at any time.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but both versions are better than the standard chassis, that's for sure. It is best if you also replace Screaming Eagle springs At the moment, however, they are not yet available (as of November 16, 2022).

I had this experience when we were traveling a little faster on the island of Mallorca. When the brakes get a little harder, everything at the front is required. I have to say that with the Street Glide ST 117 and the changes to the sound, drag seat and chassis, I have rarely had so much fun driving through the curves in a sporty way.

The sporty tire choice

As a rule, I use Dunlop Multi Thread tires; they are particularly effective on long journeys and on the highway. The Metzeler, on the other hand, is unbeatable for me when it comes to corner eating. The actually heavy machine falls so easily into corners and provides incredibly good grip, I can't even make the most of it. Although I would like to say that with a good setup I can travel quickly.

To come to the end, the Road Glide ST 117 that I rode in the spring was a lot of fun, but the Street Glide ST 117 with the Screaming Eagle updates topped it all again.

Considering that Harley-Davidson circles assume that prices will rise again at the turn of the year, you can certainly ask yourself whether you actually need more Harley. The price-performance ratio is not bad with this model; you can't otherwise get the 117 Milwaukee-Eight in the Grand American Tourer class that cheaply. Clear recommendation!

The Harleysite YouTube video about the report

Interview with André Jäger about the Harley-Davidson ST models.

Download – Technical data

Street Glide ST 117 model year 2022 – EU

Road Glide ST 117 model year 2022 – EU

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