Harley-Davidson's letter codes are almost mystical. With a little good will you can give the more luxurious tourers a half alfabet that 'De Kenner' indicates exactly what kind of Harley-Davidson (and note the line between Harley and Davidson. The factory is very punctual about that). But the designation 'ST' is clear. And so you have, for example, the FXSTS Springer Softail
ST stands for Softail
And that designation Softail - with just 1 't' - is just like everything else with the American brand a 'registered trade mark'. With those ST models, Harley was a forerunner in the now popular Retro field. Because the Softail was no more or less than the suggestion of an unsprung rear frame, a 'hardtail'.
It was an optical illusion, because the ST models did indeed have rear suspension where the spring elements were hidden under the engine block. It was not horrifying, but still. The 'looks' were 'cool'. And what about the complaining of journalists about road handling and steering behavior around the end of the eighties and early nineties?
That was of course justified if you compared such an 1340 cc twin with a Ducati or something. The target group was just satisfied with it. And what about Harley drivers who wanted to steer bravely? They just bought (or financed) a Dyna. To make it completely nostalgic, the ST line also contained the 'Springer', a version with a front fork that also seemed to come from 1940, but which of course was digitally calculated.
The Evolution blocks
The Evolution engine (from 1984 to 2000) was once nothing at all according to the hard core Harley Bikers. The Last Real Harleys? Those were the Early Shovelheads. All nice and beautiful, but those reprehensible Evo blocks remained longer than an HD block had ever done. There are documented cases of twins that ran a ton + smoothly. In addition, it naturally helped more than average that the European twins had lost so much power due to environmental requirements that from the full 1340 cc only 49 of the 63 American horses remained.
Love and respect
And European Harley riders at the time were still people who had a hope and love and respect for American technology. So there was not much speed. And because the Americans were not so good at cleaning exhaust gases effectively while retaining power and consumption, such a Harley did not only lose a lot of power in the European versions. It was usually considerably less efficient than the 'free-breathing' 63 hp versions that were allowed to be sold in the States. Think of a consumption of 1 in 14 or thereabouts.
That consumption ensured regular fuel stops
And that was good. Because the seating position on these Harleys often looked better than it was. In addition, the STs were not super female friendly. The levers for the front brake and the clutch required quite a bit of pinch. And to brake a little hard, the brake lever asked for real boatman's claw. We can be brief about the handling that has been complained about like this: If you use such a Harley for which it was conceived, then there is nothing wrong.
When purchasing, take a look at the exhaust system
Almost every Harley owner has taken pride in a generally noisier exhaust system. Blue curves can indicate a mixture that is not tuned for it (or improper 'blowing' with the twin). The secondary belt transmission is good for about 50D km. But it should run almost silently. The rear fork bearing of these machines is a point of attention. The paint and the chrome remain - ex works and from the aftermarket - behind expectations.
The offer is wide and the proof that you have to write off on a Harley when selling.
