Man, I wish I had £27,000. That’s more or less my reaction to Harley-Davidson‘s overhauled Street Glide and Road Glide models.
The restyled and updated bikes were revealed last week along with a handful of CVO models – which never really grab my attention. I mean, I definitely wouldn’t turn down a CVO model if you gave me one, but, you know: a really, really pretty version of an already good bike doesn’t make me want to dig even deeper into my pocket.
OK, I’m oversimplifying a little there; the new CVO Road Glide ST, for example, is driven by a 1982cc Milwaukee-Eight 121 V-twin, which claims 127 horsepower and 145 lb. ft. of torque. That’s a little more than just nice paint.
Still, the new things I’m interested in are the 2024 Street Glide and Road Glide – the latter in particular. Ever since I first rode one a million years ago, when Harley first launched the Milwaukee Eight platform, the Road Glide has been my ‘if I could only have one bike’ bike.
You know: if you were forced to have only one bike for the rest of your life, what would it be?
For me, it’s probably the Road Glide; it looks cool, sounds cool, is comfortable as all get-out, has a pretty durable engine, and – since I don’t particularly enjoy riding off-road – it can take me everywhere I want to go.
This new version claims to be able to do that that even better.
“These exciting new models represent a new era for Harley-Davidson, elevating every aspect of performance, technology, comfort, and style,” said Jochen Zeitz, Harley’s president and CEO, according to a press release.
“The 2024 Street Glide and Road Glide models are more powerful, lighter, and more dynamic, and feature all-new visual design elements that combine a cohesive dynamic flow from the front fenders to the saddlebags,” continues the press release.
Yeah, about that: I’m not complaining but I can’t help noticing that the new Street Guide’s fairing seems just a little bit inspired by the fairing on the Indian Chieftain. But, then, I suppose that fairing was inspired by the fairing on previous Street Glides, so I it’s just sort of a ‘snake eating its own tail’ situation.
And as I say, I’m not complaining. I think it looks good. The Road Glide, meanwhile, has not gone full Challenger; it retains its iconic Road Glide-ness. But, I’ll admit that with the colossal headlight setup there is something about the Road Glide, when viewed straight on in photos, that reminds me of a BMW R 1150 RT. There’s something about it that says: “The rider of this vehicle is old enough to remember the TV show ‘Small Wonder.’”
Harley says the tweaked fairing designs result in “improved aerodynamics” that “reduce subjective helmet buffeting at highway speed by an average of 60 percent.”
Wait. “Subjective helmet buffeting.” What is that? Is the measurement also subjective?
Moving on, both of the baggers (Are we still using that term?) are driven by a 1923cc Milwaukee-Eight 117 V-twin, which Harley says has been updated for 2024. I haven’t been keeping track since I stopped doing PR for Harley three years ago, but this thing is definitely a step up from what was powering Road Glides back then. Featuring liquid-cooled cylinder heads, the engine promises 107 hp and roughly 128 lb. ft. of torque.
Rear suspension travel is increased. H-D says it has also improved the seats to “offer a significant improvement in long-range comfort for most riders.”
The old dudes will be upset to hear that analogue instrumentation has finally been scrapped entirely. It used to be that you got a mixture of both on Harley touring models: a big screen and old-school instrumentation. Now, it’s just a honking great 12.3-inch TFT screen. Hilariously, you can choose a dashboard screen that gives you info in the form of analogue-style dials.
Infotainment systems are one of the USPs of bikes like these. The new Road Glide and Street Glide come with a system powered by Skyline OS, whatever that is. You can use it to adjust various performance characteristics of the bike, such as its selectable riding modes – Road, Sport, Rain, and Custom. You can also use it to play Taylor Swift to everyone in your neighborhood via new 200-watt fairing-mounted speakers.
There’s nothing here to change the mind of a dyed-in-the-wool Harley hater, but, honestly: who cares at this point? Motorcycles are just things. If you want to spend £27,300 on a bike with an engine so large it has its own gravitational pull, you go for it. If I had that kind of money, I certainly would.
Leave a Reply