5 Things You Need To Know About The Harley-Davidson Street Glide
Recently, the Motorcycle.com staff had the chance to tour the beautiful Ontario countryside to experience the fall colors and to get a taste of what Northern Ontario has to offer. It’s a stunning place, and we thank our friends at Destination Ontario for making it all possible. Watch the feature video about our trip here or you can read about our trip here.
This trip was made possible by our friends at Destination Ontario. Click this link to help plan your trip up North.
When it came to picking out bikes for our Canadian tour, we had to bring some Americana up North, so we chose none other than the Harley-Davidson Street Glide. The Street Glide was built to tour and soak up miles, and after putting a thousand miles on ours, we came back with plenty to say about it.
Here are five things you need to know about the Harley-Davidson Street Glide:
It looks good
You may or may not like the LED strips on the batwing fairing, but you can’t deny it looks good. Funny enough, we’re actually bigger fans of the Road Glide’s looks, but it didn’t take long for the Street Glide to grow on us. In fact, throughout our time in Canada, complete strangers would come up to us and tell us how much they liked it. Maybe it was the orange paint, or maybe it’s the timeless silhouette. Whatever it was, this was our favorite one to look at.
That Engine
There’s nothing quite like the rumble of a Harley-Davidson V-Twin, and the Street Glide’s 117 cubic inches is no exception. Yeah, it shakes a lot when you’re sitting idle, but it’s surprisingly smooth once you get moving. And even with the stock exhaust, the rumble coming out of them just sounds cool. This engine is totally fine loping along at low rpm while you admire the view, and once you’re ready to wake up the 130 lb-ft of crankshaft torque Harley claims it has, the torque is ready immediately to shove you forward.
Top-Loading Bags Are Genius
When it comes to convenience, loading saddlebags from the top makes a lot of sense. You’re not fighting gravity this way, and since the latch is accessible from the saddle, you can quickly reach for things, or put them away, from a stop.
The Huge TFT Display Is Informative And Nice To Look At
Measuring 12.3 inches, the Street Glide’s TFT display is huge. But thanks to Harley’s Skyline Operating System, it doesn’t feel overwhelming. In fact, it feels very modern. You can customize the screen, but as far as we were concerned the standard settings were nice to look at and gave us the information we wanted to know. There was a small learning curve trying to figure out which buttons did what, but once we figured it out, navigating through the options was easy.
Three Inches Of Rear Suspension Travel Is Ridiculous
By far the Street Glide’s biggest drawback is its rear suspension. With only three inches of travel, it’s only marginally better than a hardtail for absorbing bumps. It’s actually fine for touring when the roads are smooth, but three inches of suspension travel will have you discovering bumps you never knew existed before. And once you hit the big stuff you can kiss your spine goodbye. It’s brutal.
Pure Americana
Say what you want about Harley-Davidson, but there’s a reason why the Street Glide is the company’s best selling model. It looks good and does the job. It has its faults, but the more we rode it, the more we found something endearing about the bike as we witnessed the changing Fall colors through Ontario.
No, it wasn’t the rear suspension.
2024 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Specifications | |
|---|---|
MSRP | $25,999 |
Engine Type | Milwaukee-Eight 117, air/liquid-cooled 45° V-Twin, single cam actuating four valves per cylinder via pushrods and hydraulic valve lash adjustment |
Capacity | 1,923cc (117ci) |
Bore x stroke | 103.5 mm x 114.3 mm (4.075" x 4.50") |
Compression Ratio | 10.3:1 |
Horsepower | 105 hp at 4,600 rpm (claimed) |
Torque | 130 lb-ft at 3,250 rpm (claimed) |
Engine control | Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI) |
Clutch | Mechanically actuated 10 plate, wet Assist & Slip |
Transmission | 6-speed |
Final Drive | Belt, 32/68 ratio |
Headlight | LED low and high beam |
Frame | Mild steel; tubular frame; two-piece stamped and welded backbone; cast and forged junctions; twin downtubes; bolt-on rear frame with forged fender supports; MIG welded. |
Front Suspension | 49mm Dual Bending Valve, 4.6 inches of travel |
Rear Suspension | 3 in. Dual Outboard Emulsion with preload adjustability, 3.0 inches of travel |
Front Brake | 32 mm (1.3 in.), 4-piston fixed dual axially mounted calipers, 320mm discs |
Rear Brake | Single axially mounted, fixed 300mm disc |
ABS | Standard |
Rake / Trail | 29.25° / 6.7 inches |
Wheelbase | 64.0 inches |
Front Wheel | 3.50 x 19" Cast Aluminum |
Rear Wheel | 5.0 x 18" Cast Aluminum |
Front Tire | 130/60B19 M/C 61H |
Rear Tire | 180/55B18 M/C 80H |
Length | 94.9 inches |
Width | 38.4 inches |
Seat Height (Laden) | 26.1 inches |
Curb Weight | 811 pounds (claimed) |
Fuel Capacity | 6.0 gallons |
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Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.
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The Harley-Davidson Street Glide is such a great bike! It’s comfortable for long rides, looks amazing, and has the power to make every trip exciting. Definitely a top choice for cruisers!
The Harley-Davidson Street Glide is such a great bike! It’s comfortable for long rides, looks amazing, and has the power to make every trip exciting. Definitely a top choice for cruisers!