Riding On 161 - Thailand - X350 - Low Rider ST

Riding is all about the Journey

NO.160 spring 2023

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Ulysses Club members have ridden all around the world but how many have done the Land of Smiles?

The notion of riding in SE Asia is not going to take Ulysses Club members by surprise. Many of us have already ridden in places like India, Mongolia and Vietnam - and come home with all sorts of stories.

I was recently invited to sample some riding opportunities out of Bangkok with local operation Ride Asia and was pleasantly surprised. How so? Well; the quality of the bikes (predominantly late model BMW GS) was the first thing I noticed and the obvious professionalism of the overall operation.

Run by local entrepreneur, PrasitAphiphunya, from his base in Bangkok, KhunPrasit offers itineraries not only in his native Thailand, but also Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and a special one way program to Lhasa, Tibet.

“We are an official partner of BMW Motorrad and I lead every ride personally to ensure troublefree experience for our clients,” KhunPrasit tells me, “particularly when it comes to navigating the complexities of visas and border crossings throughout the region.”

Coping with Asian traffic can be a daunting affair, especially in built-up areas in places like India and Vietnam. While my riding experience may not be extensive, I have spent

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many hours on the roads of South East Asia and Thailand which is something of a sanctuary both in terms of road culture and tarmac quality. I swear I heard more horn-honking leaving the taxi rank at Delhi airport than I did during two weeks in Bangkok.

My ‘sampler’ route took me on a three-day loop firstly south to the coast, then northwest to Kanchanaburi and a lap of the Sinakharin Dam National Park where near-deserted roads twist and turn through mountains and valleys before we crossed over by ferry Ban Tukkata, clearly a popular riding route going by the gallery of decals on the metalwork.

Normally riders will meet their guide and mounts well outside the city limits and conclude in the same way. Riding the

Bangkok rush hour is not going to be anyone’s highlight and KhunPrasit has cleverly designed his routes to avoid this.

So if you are mulling over your next overseas ride with your restless mates, contact local rep and Club member, David Reeves (#11463) at Ride The World for info on the next departures beginning September 2024. For the particularly enthusiastic, Tibet departures start in May. Ride The World Motorcycle Tours E: david@RTWMotorcycleTours.com M: +61 452 528 958 or +61 404 878 958 W: www.ridetheworldmotorcycletours.com Roderick Eime #68221

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In October, Harley-Davidson previewed the all-new X350 and its bigger sibling, the X500 to dealers and media in a secret “underground” reveal. Ulysses member and journalist, Roderick Eime #68221, was invited to the clandestine rendezvous beneath the Allianz Stadium in Sydney.

It was one of the more unusual automotive launches, deep in the bowels under the bleachers and turf of Sydney’s iconic sports venue. No, we weren’t embarking on donuts and somersaults on that hallowed surface, rather we were scooting around the concrete tunnels and access ramps in a scene not unlike a remake of Mission Impossible X. You can read the intimate tech details on the model page here, but in short, the power-plant is an 8-valve, DOHC, liquid-cooled parallel twin in 353 and 500cc variants.

Now, to clear up some confusion and answer some FAQs, the bike is not Indian-built. The Street 500 and 750s were, but they were discontinued in 2020 because - so we are told - the production process was uneconomical for the numbers produced, even though they were a best seller here in Australia. There is an Indian-built replacement, the single-cylinder X440, but at the time of writing at least, it is expressly for the Indian market, manufactured by Hero MotorCorp and shares no common componentry.

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The new X-series specifications are impressive. Both the X350 and X500s boast Maxxis Supermaxx ST tyres, mid-mount foot controls, six-speed transmissions, cable-actuated wet plate clutches with chain drive, dual front disc brakes and a single rear with ABS plus front and rear adjustable suspension.

Anyway, with the loss of the Street 500 (XG500), HarleyDavidson needed something to fill the LAMS void and - to make a long story short - the X350 and X500 were devised.

- Dramatic Black, Dynamic Orange, Supersonic Silver and Pearl White - I’ll wager it’s the orange that flies off the showroom floor.

“The X series declares Harley’s back in the new rider market,” Keith Waddell, H-D Marketing Manager told us, “with a design that is distinctly Harley-Davidson that will build brand desirability for the new generation of riders. We want to dominate this segment and also create a pipeline to the larger Harley-Davidson range.”

Now, we’re not going to get a full experience hurtling around the tunnels of Allianz Stadium, but from what I could gather, I found both machines nimble and easy to ride with crisp transmission and excellent ABS brakes. Predictably enough, the X500 felt more like a full-size machine ready to take on the back roads and some modest touring while the 350 was spritely enough for urban and suburban work.

These two LAMS-approved motorcycles are the result of a cooperative venture between The Motor Company and Zhejiang QJmotor Co., Ltd, located in Wenling City, China. While QJmotor may not have Milwaukee’s heritage, the company has been making two-wheeled machines since 1985, produces millions annually and exports worldwide. Since 2005, QJmotor has owned the Benelli brand.

Despite the shared mechanicals with other QJmotor brands, the bodywork and styling are uniquely Harley-Davidson. It’s not a stretch to imagine the X350 as an homage to the earlier XR flat trackers, while the X500 does have a certain ‘Sportsteresque’ stance about it. While there are no-extra-cost colour options

The Harley-Davidson XTM350 will be available at HarleyDavidson dealerships with an Australian Ride Away Price of $8,495 AUD, while the Harley-Davidson XTM500 will be available with an Australian Ride Away Price of $11,495 AUD. By the time you read this report, the X-series bikes should be arriving on dealership floors.

Roderick Eime #68221

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Get On Down.

We ride Harley’s crowd-pleasing Low Rider in its latest incarnation, the ST. Low Rider is one of those bikes that just keeps evolving.

Harley-Davidson first used the name in 1977 to describe a “factory custom” variant of the venerable FX Super Glide with alloy wheels, twin front discs, extended forks with a 32° rake and a low 660mm seat height.

The then new FXS 1200 Shovelhead was an instant hit and continued with the Dyna chassis and larger 96ci and 103ci Twin-Cam engines. It was also one of the models that transitioned, if in name only, to the totally redesigned Softail lineup in 2018. Back then, FXLR came with the spanking new 107ci Milwaukee-Eight, the same engine shared with Breakout and pretty much every other bike in the range right up to CVO. Well, we all know how that has changed and you can thank the loud chorus of customer feedback that has seen the 114ci power-plant become the engine of choice in many new models like Street Bob, Fat Boy and Heritage along with Low Rider S. To follow that famous edict, ‘Ain’t no substitute for cubic inches’, Low Rider S (FXLRS) now joins Breakout (FXBR) and Street Glide (FLHXST) with a factory-fitted 117ci (1917cc) Milwaukee-Eight as part of the new ST (Sport Touring) nomenclature.

So, the question really is: “What is the new ST all about?”

Well, it’s the ‘T’ that holds the clue.

Low Rider ST (FXLRST) can be quickly identified by the new ‘80s-inspired, frame-mounted fairing and the high-cut 50L panniers which it shares with Sport Glide (FLSB), but sit slightly higher.

Riding position is also slightly different. According to Harley’s lead designer, Dais Nagao, “While Low Rider S is a little more of a relaxed cruiser, with ST I wanted riders to be in charge

of the bike sitting on top of the bike rather than sitting in the bike.”

Paul Weiss, H-D product development lead, was somewhat more forthright, saying “this is a true lightweight bagger. It's got the performance punch you know that 125 foot pounds (170Nm) of torque and also comfortable on the long haul.

The bike comes standard with cruise control and we wanted the tall suspension in the rear and that was by using a 56 millimeter shock. We did shift the saddle bags vertically about two inches compared to the Sport Glide and you can remove them in seconds.”

We took the ST on an extended, 3-day test to the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia and found, among other things, that the brutish 117 was an effortless tourer, gobbling tarmac like no tomorrow. While it may not have the celebrated long haul status of the likes of Road Glide, Street Glide and Road King, the FXLRST performed admirably, adding a more sporting flavour to long hours in the saddle albeit with some sacrifice in pillion comfort.

Even Harley sceptics were impressed, despite the bike’s 327kg weigh-in.

In something of a back-handed compliment, Wayne Vicko from MCNews wrote: “I got the same sort of enjoyment from riding this bike that I do from driving my old (Ferguson Tractor). I love my old Fergie. It’s hard to define why, but it’s simple, unkillable and you have to tune yourself in and work with it to make it work well. When I started to apply the same thinking to the Low Rider ST, I enjoyed it all the more.”

But don’t take our word for it. Head in to your local H-D dealer and make up your own mind.

Roderick Eime #68221

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