I am most likely getting a Road Glide. Love the looks of the bike and the way it felt. Need some suggestions for upgrades. I'm looking at getting the 95 kit done. Thinking about just getting SE touring mufflers and some progressive shocks possibly. I'm thinking of a quick detatch tour pac and a seperate backrest. Not to sure how that all works, it looks like they need to go together somehow. I am considering some different handlebars, preferably something just an inch or two higher. Then I will be looking at some of the websites I've seen through this forum like egoodies. Any inputs on your experiances on any of these would be appreciated.

 

I love my glide but there are a few things you will want to do, most (myself included) dont like the stock seat to much some go with the Zeplin seat with air bladders in it others prefer corbin or Mustang its all about comfort with a little bit of style thrown in Some models affer a backrest soem don't so you might want to look at that when your making up your mind.

Driving lights will help alot. There are many different styles available so look around a good bit before you decide. Both PIAA and Motolight are very good but they can be expensive.

Exhaust, some like the touring mufflers you are talking about while others prefer the true dual systems from rinehart or Bassani. Some even prefer the Thunderheader 2 into 1 if your serious about performance and don't mind the look.

There are alot of little things that you will see and go darn I need them such as liners for the saddlebags/fairing pockets so you don't hear the stuff rattle around in them

Well I could keep going for a while about stuff to upgrade and add on but I think thats the main ones you will be looking at first. Don't forget that you can usually find some deals on ebay but make sure your getting a deal by shoping around a bit first.

 

I have an 05 Road Glide and love the Bike. I had the SE Cleaner, remap, and SE slip ons installed at the 1k service. I didn't like the mufflers when I first put them on,and my wife thought they were a bit too loud. But now, they don't seem so bad to etiher one of us. I still have my stock pipes at home so I can always put them back on if I get tired of the noise, which I might do for a long trip.

I also had the King detachable Tour Pak installed and bought another backrest. I wish I had saved some money had the hard mount Tour Pak installed. I and my wife like it so well, the only time I think it will come off will be for cleaning the bike. The other backrest (never used yet)is just laying down the basement collecting dust. Also, the detachable kit requires the shock air fill fitting to be moved. I could adjust the air easily just by opening the saddle bag. Now I have to remove the bag to add/remove/check shock air. Not a big deal, just a minor inconvienence. I don't know if the hard mount Tour Pak requires this.

Everything else is stock. I don't mind the seat, but I haven't taken a long trip yet. That might change my mind about it. The bars seem just fine to me. I will probably get about a two inch shorter windshield though. The top of the stock one is right at eye level, so I either squat to look through it, or sit completely upright to look over it. I also posed the question in the "Forum" about replacing the air temp gage with the compass. If I get favorable responses, I might make that switch. The air temp gage is useless in my opinion.

I don't plan on having any major work done to the motor like the "95 kit" or anything like that. We enjoy just cruising around on the bike and hope to take a few trips in the near future. If I was looking for super performance, I would have bought something else for a lot less money.

This is my first Harley, and I believe that all-in-all, I bought the right model for me. I have always liked frame mounted fairings better than fork mounted, and that was one of the reasons I chose the Glide over the Ultra, even though I liked some of the added features the Ultra offers.
My wife would ride once in a while on my old bikes (not Harleys) just to keep me happy, but she really enjoys riding the Road Glide almost as much as I do. In fact, we test rode several bikes together before buying the Glide, and she liked the Harley the best. Didn't make me mad at all!
After 35 years of marriage, I am glad to have her along.

Good luck on your choice. I don't think you can go wrong with the Road Glide. I love mine more each time I ride it.

KAR

 

Thanks for the input. That is the kind of stuff I was wanting to know. I know I will buy a Road Glide as soon as I sell my Lowrider. Now I have to figure out how I want it. The 95 kit seems like a good idea but I could get a lot of other stuff for the price. Maybe just a stage 1. First things first. Sell Lowrider then get Road Glide.

 

Dynamac:

I agree with the other posts. I have a 2005 Road Glide. I have a detachable tour pack that I put on when we go for a long ride, but for shorter rides, I have a back rest for my wife. I use a Zep seat for longer hauls and a HD Sidekick seat for daily use. The Rineharts are good for stock engines in my opinion, but if you go with a 95 kit, thunder headers may be better.

I like the Power commander III and the Alen Ness Big sucker. I lowered the back by putting on Progressive 412 eleven inch shocks. That lowers it about two inches from stock height.

Overall, the Glide is a great bike. I like the fork mounted fairing.

As for handlebars, you can use the Heritage bars and it may do exactlywhat you wanted. I have a set of "chubby's" for the Road Glide that brinds it back about 2-3 inches more so I am not leaning forward as I do with the stock bars. I put in a Sony 5710 stereo that plays mp3's and Hog Tunes speakers. Great addition.

Hope that helps.

Chaplain Wayne