Just sold my Kawi ZX6R and am looking to buy a HD touring bike. My wife wants to ride with me and the rear seat on the Ninja just wasn't cutting it! I have only owned sportbikes, never a cruiser.

The plan is to go on long weekends to places like NH, the Cape, or Martha's Vineyard.

I thought I had settled on the Road King because it was plenty comfortable for both of us and I could remove the windshield to make it look pretty Spartan. I could also add the tour pack for extra storage. Definitely wanted the ABS and cruise control, so I'd have to add those options. I wasn't a fairing fan, so I didn't give much thought to the Road Glide, Street Glide or Electra Glide.

But today we went to the local dealer and we saw the Road Glide Ultra. My wife loved the big wrap around seat and the rear luggage. I seem to like the smaller fairing on the Street Glide than the batwing fairing on the Electra Glide. At first I didn't like the double headlights on the Road Glides, but the look has definitely grown on me. And I found out today that you can get a mounting bracket so you can remove the rear luggage when you want to go minimal. The Road Glide Ultra has all the bells and whistles I could want, including the 103 cu in motor, ABS, cruise, storage, etc. Of course, it's a few grand more.

I guess I'd like to hear from those with either of these bikes and what you like about them. Anyone have the removable tour pack on the Road Glide and it it easy/time consuming to swap out with a sissy bar? How about the effect the fairing has on riding vs a windshield?

Thanks!

Mike

 

swapping out tour pak for sissy bar less than 2 minutes.

 

A Street Glide fairing is the same as an Electra Glide. Essentially you have three choices on a touring frame: Batwing fork mounted fairing (Electra/Street Glide), Sharknose frame mounted fairing (Road Glide), or windshield (Road King). All of these bikes are essentially the same with the exception of bags/bars/windshields/fairings/seats/suspension. As far as seating for your wife, any of these bikes can be set up the same for a passenger by changing the seat and adding a tour-pack, so it comes down to which one speaks to you.

I have an Electra Glide....If your used to a crotch rocket, I'd say the Road king would feel the best....Go test ride one if you have'nt...You're in for a treat.

 

Road Glides popularity has been increasing for the last few years. This year HD brought out the full RG Ultra, made a lot of people happy and near as I can tell sales have been fairly good. I love my RK and would never sell it but my wife and I are seriously considering buying a RG Ultra this next year. Experience indicates here that your wife is going to have a bigger say in which bike you're going to buy than you may be fully aware of. Once those ladies sit in that big, comfortable seat your decision has already been made.

We ride a lot during our summers on the RK...but she'd really like to have the Lazy Boy on the back. And the wrap-around will make me feel better when she falls asleep back there.

 

Road Glide Ultra.

 

i just picked up a road king for the same reasons you had mentioned, going spartan. that being said, my sportster is my daily ride, chose the king for touring with my wife. added a detachable king tour pack with a king back rest and that takes care of comfort for her and our touring space needs. i've always preferred windshields to fairings and i like that it's detatchable in a matter of seconds, in less than a minute you can remove the tour pack as well... pretty painless. i also went with abs and cruise... very happy with her thus far. i feel like i have the best of touring and cruising around town in one plush ride.

 

Another thing to consider is you can put the same Tour-Pak with wrap around backrest and the same seat on the Road King...then she can have what she likes about the Road Glide and you can still have the look and wind in your face you like about the Road King.

Kevin

 

i'll post a few pics.

 

My vote is the road glide ultra . . .was drooling over one of those at the local dealer . .I'm just too cheap to spend the coin.

 

For 2 up trips I'd go with the Road Glide Ultra. The King is a great cycle and is very doable for touring, but I go with the Roady(Ultra or standard) if touring is your main motovation.