I think Traveler summed it up based on your original post.

Its a lot less $ most of the time with HD to buy the model with more options and remove them then to add them.

Get the Classic,you can lower it with original SG shocks off E Bay for less than $ 100.00 ( many of us change them out) or go lowering blocks or premium shocks for 400 -100 , add a detachable kit to the tour pack and your done.

 

ElectraGlide Classic, definitely. Every hound in the pound has a StreetGlide.

 

Ok if there is one guy one here who knows about making the wrong decision on which bike to buy,and spending mucho $ to get the "right one" it is me. I had a SG years ago when they first came out,ehhh. Looked good and a lot better than the Softail was,but something was missing,because I wasn't happy with it.

Flash forward to 2010,I was looking for something a little more comfortable,but wanted to take the tour pak off. Even though both my wife and mother told me I should get an Ultra or the Limited with ABS. I said no the cheaper EGC would be fine,with no ABS it was cheaper than most. So rode home on it,and all was good. 5 months down the road I was adding lowers,rear speakers trying to make it a Ultra. Just a waste of money,and the the best part was we were in Myrtle Beach for the spring rally it had just rained,so the road was still a little damp car pulls out in front of me while I'm doing 42 mph. It was tight two lane road,I couldn't stop I hit the brakes for everything they had,the rear pulled out from under me,at the last minute I swerved in the other lane barely missing a huge work delivery van. My first thought,I'm getting ABS ASAP.


So I thought to myself,hey I'm getting ABS and all that other good stuff. I want the sexy stripped down look. I want the new SG or RG. My wife doesn't ride much,she has her own. A SG/RG is all I need. So I buy a RGC,trick it out with wheels,apes,bags,and just about everything else. But I found I liked to look at it more than ride. It was miserable,the ride sucked,the windshield was worthless,it was a short one. Remember I'm trying to keep the great looks. And what did this get me? A beautiful bike that I didn't want to ride.


So I finally had enough,I traded in on a EG Limited. Best decision I have made on a bike since I bought the 90 Fatboy. This bike is perfect,if for some reason I want the SG I just take the tp off. To me looking back it is a no brainer which bike I should have bought. Just because the EGC and SG are the same price doesn't mean technically it's smart money. Because it's only smart money if it's the bike you really want. Ttake your time,and weigh everything,and you will hopefully make the right decision the first time.

 

A stripped down EG will never have the SG charm because of the paint and fenders. Tourpacks, seats, and windshields are detachable and can all be changed in 10 minutes for those long overnight rides. That's how I do it and would do the same thing again if I were looking for a new bike today.

Tourpacks are a little pricey, but nothing compared to the cost of converting a EG into a SG.

Beary

 

I morphed my E-Glide Standard into an Ultra, at the cost of a SE Ultra, with the trade-in\retail value of a Standard! Moral of the story is that its cheaper to take off what you dont want, than to add what what you do want (in most cases that is). I do like having 2 Tour Paks (Chopped & King), a sissy bar and a couple different seats. In a couple minutes I can have a totally different looking bike!

 

I bought the ultra classic and currently in the process of stripping it down, i figure ill be changing alot of stuff weather i get a street or electra glide so the exectra glid would give me more option. also my bike was the cheapest fairing bike they had at the dealer

 

Like some of you guys, go with electra and strip down the way you like. It's about the same price.

I have a SG, my girlfriend has a EG and she likes the look you kinda get between the SG and RK without the back lugguage.

My friend has a SG and added the trunck so it gets more expensive if you add up stuff.

Or you can get yourself friends with extra lugguage to carry your stuff for long distance

 

Depending on your own money situation I'd go with the EGC or the Ultra. It's probably cheaper in the long run.

1HarleyGuy1

 

Taking the tourpack off the EG doesn't make it a SG. At best it makes the EG into a EG Sport. Don't get me wrong, a EG Sport is a great bike, it's just not a SG. I looked at this for a long time trying to get the best deal on a SG and it cost just as much to change all the EG parts into SG parts as it does to convert a SG into a EG. And after all that expense, you are still stuck with pin stripes. I hate pin stripes.

So it really comes down to how much of a SG look you want. Clean paint, clean fenders, SG lights, there is a reason the SG is Harley's top selling bike. The Ultra is a very close 2nd however.

Beary

 

I bought a used 2005 Electra Glide Standard 4 or 5 thousand cheaper than I could have bought a used Street Glide. If I want to sell it, all the extra crap the previous owner installed, can be removed. I thought the Standard looked more like the Street Glide than the Classic.