I went to the dealership today to pick up some O-rings and an oil filter and had time to look at some of the 2014's. They didn't have all models there but I got a good look at the touring models.

I'm not sure if this it true but the parts guy I was talking with said for the past 3 years HD has been visiting dealerships and talked to them about what some customer requests and concerns were. Maybe they did and they listened on a few things.

Bags/luggage latches: Now I'm not a touring bike guy, and have no interest in buying one, but I had to look anyway. I think they did a great job on the saddle bags and the tour pack. The old version you needed two hands to unlatch and open the bags, then had to line the lid up to lock it up again. The new version is one touch. Lift the handle with one hand and open. Much smoother and no having to line up the lid with the bag....makes a hell of a lot more sense. That little lever that some people are saying looks like a toilet lever sits between the bag and the bike. It's barely noticeable and doesn't look bad. Some are color matched, others aren't. Personally I'd color match. Another small change is that the new tour packs lid opens further.

Tour Pack: it's more streamlined and I like it better than the previous ones. Apparently it has more storage too. I like the new lighting and the slimmer design. Suddenly last years tour pack seems a little long in the tooth. Here are some pics comparing two. The passenger seat is also wider and that pillow type thing that hung down from the upper padding in last years model is gone. In the new model the the pad is larger and eliminates that space, or most of it.

2014


2013


Comparison (2014 closest, 2013 next bike over)


THE FAIRING The parts guy explained to me how the vent in the fairing works. Some guys were asking where the air goes. In the pic you'll see that the opening on the other side will force the air to go up and run parallel to the windscreen. If the air coming from the outer part is hitting the rider in the head, causing buffeting, the inner air is supposed to push that outer air out a little forcing the up and over the riders head. Does that make sense? LOL Best I can explain it right now. This vent is opened and closed with a little button on the fairing. Not power operated, and not sure how durable it'll be. But I think it'll be ok. How well this will work with the buffeting I don't know. The button is in the lower left part of the pic.

On some of the bikes the dash was in gloss black, instead of flat black. I think that looked good.



As far as the radiators in the lowers. I'm not going to get into an argument over how I feel about water cooled engines but I will say it doesn't look bad....as long as the grill/screen color matches the bike. The bike I was looking at was black and the radiator grill didn't look bad at all. The radiators only take up half of the lowers. You'll still have the vent thing that you can open.

Overall I'll say the bikes look good...for touring bikes. HAHAHA And some small well thought out things will make some of your lives a little easier. I wish I had taken more pics but I was kind of in a rush and they were getting ready to close.

 

Thanks for the review. I was wondering about the fairing vent. I like the lines on the fairing that lead up to the vent, but the vent looks big and bulky. I am sure an aftermarket vent cover/grille will help.

My next big purchase for the bike was going to be a tour pak. I will have to see the new ones but more options is a good thing.

 

I think you'll like the new tour pack. Never thought about it before but now I realize the old one needed a face lift.

 

Is there any storage space left in the lower fairing glove boxes? It was a perfect place to keep my Sig .380.

 

For sure, the new one makes the old one look old and outdated.

 

No storage. The radiator takes up half that space and the air vent take up the other half.