Street Glide or Road Glide?
Today's market, if you plan to keep it for quite some time either will do. If you plan to keep it less the 2 - 3 years buy the RG, resale market is hotter. Aside from that neither is a bad choice. I ride an Ultra, with the tourPak detached 95% of the time and my wife doesn't ride with me much anymore, so if I were to buy today it would be the RoadGlide, with a detahable TourPak.
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 9,829
Likes: 8,735
From: Edmonton, Alberta
Hello,
I am 5 months from buying a bike. I love both the Street Glide and Road Glide. I know its the same bike except for the fairing. Ideas as to which to get? I am 55 and can handle both. I am leaning toward the Road Glide because I like the look better.
The weight of the Road Glide is the only flaw.
Anything I am missing?
Thank you,
fernness
I am 5 months from buying a bike. I love both the Street Glide and Road Glide. I know its the same bike except for the fairing. Ideas as to which to get? I am 55 and can handle both. I am leaning toward the Road Glide because I like the look better.
The weight of the Road Glide is the only flaw.
Anything I am missing?
Thank you,
fernness
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 2,245
Likes: 2,163
From: West Coast
Both are nice, buy the one that makes you happy. F' all of us and our opinions. Nobody is going to admit they regret buying a roadglide and should have gotten a street glide. Buy and ride the one YOU want.
I rented a Ultra Limited and rode it to Sturgis. I felt it had too much weight on the forks especially at low speeds. In windy areas it had to much buffeting. I settled on a Road glide and think I made the right decision "for me". I am on my second one and have put 60K on a 2015 and now 20K on a 2020. I have to say the Bat Wing on a clean SG looks bad ***.
Cruiser
Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 174
Likes: 148
From: CT
People regurgitate what they read online. It’s all confirmation bias bs. Pretty much zero difference dynamically between these bikes for everyday use. Any difference is purely aesthetic. I think the street glide is elegant and classic looking and I like the cockpit layout whilst the road glide is hideous to look at IMHO with the instrumentation in the wrong place so I bought the street glide. Just buy what appeals to you and think no more about it. They both do the exact same thing, and very well I might say.
Last edited by br8vhrt; Feb 4, 2023 at 08:16 PM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2020
Posts: 8,152
Likes: 9,563
From: central NC
I could manage wind easily at 85MPH with a batwing without fairing lowers and just a recurve windshield and fork fangs (despite what some folks think of their appearance).
It’s been a journey to achieve same on a Road Glide, until I added fairing lowers. (I’m running a Madstad windshield, had GADS, etc)
I was hoping for a more noticeable difference in low speed maneuvering having a frame mounted fairing, versus the fairing weight on the forks with a batwing. I would say the difference to me has been nominal.
One caveat, I don’t travel cross country so there are possible differences there I can't comment on. I just travel across the state. Maybe 600-1000 miles over three days, max.
It’s been a journey to achieve same on a Road Glide, until I added fairing lowers. (I’m running a Madstad windshield, had GADS, etc)
I was hoping for a more noticeable difference in low speed maneuvering having a frame mounted fairing, versus the fairing weight on the forks with a batwing. I would say the difference to me has been nominal.
One caveat, I don’t travel cross country so there are possible differences there I can't comment on. I just travel across the state. Maybe 600-1000 miles over three days, max.
Last edited by gonemad; Feb 4, 2023 at 08:25 PM.
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Club Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 11,468
Likes: 3,572
From: Idaho
Correct. Plus, on the RG the fairing and everything inside the fairing is mounted directly to the frame, and not on the front forks. Makes the bars much easier to swing.
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 822
Likes: 261
From:
I have had both a Street Glide and Road Glide, they are nice and very similar. Had the Street Glide and then went to a Road Glide, two in fact, and now on a Road King. The King is my favorite of all touring bikes but not what you are looking at so back on topic. Others are correct ride them both and see what fits the best.