7 Reasons the Street Glide Is So Popular
One of the most popular bikes Harley sells is the Street Glide, which has a starting price similar to a lot of good small cars. So why is it so popular?
1. It Has the Look
One of the biggest reasons people buy a Harley-Davidson is because the bikes just have a look that speaks to your soul like no other brand. They just look right. The Street Glide, with its cut down batwing fairing, and color matched hard bags, is just the longest lowest thing out there, with a look that hearkens back to police motor officers and gypsy tourers from before WWII. With no lower leg fairings like some other touring bikes, and a big finned air cooled V right there front and center, there is no doubting what powers this beast.
2. The Ride
All Harley big twins have plenty of torque and a broad power band so they pull strong from just off idle to redline, combine with a relax seating position with a comfortable bend to your legs, arms and back. The Street Glide ads to that a batwing fairing with a cut down wind screen to give you just enough wind in your face, without the blast you get from an unfaired bike on the freeway. This is a bike for grown ups, not for young kids hunched over the tank in a racer's tuck, revving the motor into the 5 digit range to get any power.
3. The Price
Harley-Davidson touring bikes cost as much as a small car, but that's because they are worth it; if they weren't, no one would pay the price. That being said, the Street Glide is the entry level Harley bagger. Only the Road King costs less, but that bike lacks the fairing, and therefor all the modern convenience features of the Boom! Box infotainment system. If you want a true bagger, with a stereo, and the options of navigation, intercom, Bluetooth connectivity and more, the Street Glide is the price of entry.
4. Practicality
The Street Glide is one of the most versatile and practical bikes Harley sells. Sure, you could commute to work on your Electra Glide Ultra and be perfectly comfortable, but it is not a bike built for tight spots and maneuvering through traffic; it longs for the wide open road. You could also ride a Dyna or Sportster to work, but there is no place to stow your stuff, and nothing to keep the road grime off of you on the freeway. The Street Glide has room for a week's groceries in the hard bags, and is nearly 100lbs lighter than the Electra Glide.
5. It Isn't a Car
If you talk to non-motorcycle people, they will question why you are spending this kind of money on a motorcycle, when you could have a car. Sport bike riders will denigrate the Street Glide by saying you might as well buy a car. But the Harley-Davidson Street Glide is not a car. True, you get a lot of the benefits of a car, like modern infotainment, a comfortable ride, and some weather protection, but you also get all the excitement of being on two wheels in the open air. Also, in order to get the sort of 45 mpg combine fuel economy Harley claims for the Street Glide, you'd have to drive an underpowered hybrid, or tiny economy car.
6. All Air Cooled
If you are thinking about buying a new bagger, or a used one from 2014, 2015, or 2016, the Street Glide is a great choice for the simple air cooled engine powering it. The Electra Glide, and Road Glide Ultra, and their variations, all used the new Twin Cooled motor, which added water jackets, hoses, radiators, fans and pumps to the package. The Street Glide is honest and pure, with the engine cooled by the very fins that give it that distinctive, beautiful look. Why add to the complexity and add a whole other system of things to go wrong down the line?
7. Batwing Fairing
The Harley-Davidson Street Glide comes with a cut down windshield on the classic shaped batwing fairing, which it shares with the Electra Glide. The Road Glide and its ilk all use the much heavier and more modern looking shark nose fairing mounted to the frame. Are they good bikes? Sure, but the batwing fairing has been evolving since the first leather versions made before WWII, and still looks great, and does a good job. If you are looking for a more modern look, get the Road Glide, but if you want a vintage look, with fully modern function, choose the Street Glide.
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