Road Glide vs Street Glide

[smitty901]

Originally Posted by BABOOM

What type of bike are you riding now? I went from a 06' Road King to a 11'SG.Big difference on how both bikes feel and handle.

SG is a much tighter/firm ride,Handles like a dream and is Beautifully balanced even at+80MPH Speeds.

I've never ridden an RG but people I know who really know Bikes say it's The Best Harley make.

You probably can't go wrong with either.

Other than the fairing RG and SG are the same bike. How can one be Tighter and have a more firm ride than the other?

[ripsass]

Originally Posted by smitty901

Other than the fairing RG and SG are the same bike. How can one be Tighter and have a more firm ride than the other?

I know that when the Street-Glide was called an Electra-Glide, and the Road-Glide was called an FLT they were NOT the same bike underneath the sheet-metal and fairing like most thought.
They used a totally different frame and mounting system of the drivetrain (engine/tranny to frame/swingarm).

I think this is still the case, no?

The Electra-Glide used a traditional round tube frame and standard engine/tranny mounting style. Where as the FLT (Tour-Glide) used a frame with a totally re-enforced square tube upper backbone, along with total rubber mounting of the engine and trans and the tranny case being bolted through the swingarm pivot bolt and all tied in together.

I always thought they were basically the same bike too until seeing them both torn apart. Couldn't believe how different they really were. They are really completely different bikes all together with almost no drivetrain parts being interchangeable.


So I'm not completely sure on the Street/Road-Glide comparison, but imagine the same design differences carried over to them too?
Now I'm curious and going to go look into this...
I did just recently ride both of them back to back at a HOH demo-ride and would say that they felt significantly like different bikes. With the R-G being notably stiffer (torsional wise+twisting wise).
I noticed it but certainly didn't find the S-G to be lacking anywhere at all. In fact the S-G was my preferred bike between the two. I liked the lower center of gravity and felt that it handled a little quicker than the R-G.

I think that the primary characteristic differences each one had are what would be the deciding factors used in choosing one IMO. Not that saying that because one has better qualities here or there makes it a "better bike" than the other, but rather that it makes it the right choice for the type of rider/riding you do.

If I did a lot of long hauls and covered big distances more regularly, or wanted the very best bike I could get for logging high miles on beat up roads I'd go with the R-G.
If I wanted all those qualities with a bike that handled a little quicker, sat lower, and gave you more of a feeling of being connected with the road and didn't regularly do (as) long of distances I'd get the S-G.

IMO the R-G isolated you from the environment more than the S-G, taming the experience of the ride a bit. Understandable from a design aspect when trying to create a bike to be the very best it can be for touring.
I feel like describing them this way is making it sound like I'm saying the Street-Glide is lacking in certain ways in comparison, but really it's just the opposite. It's just not quite as much of a hardline purpose-built platform as the R-G.
The S-G is the one I prefer between them and is a downright "creampuff"
I think I'll be owning one here pretty soon actually.

[hojack55]

I put over 68,000 on my 2003 Ultra Classic and just traded for a 2013 Midnight Pearl RGU. I have over a 1000 miles on the RGU and it is a great change from the older Ultra. Handles better in the twisties, just a much more solid bike than the 03'

[FLSTFI Dave]

Originally Posted by ripsass

I know that when the Street-Glide was called an Electra-Glide, and the Road-Glide was called an FLT they were NOT the same bike underneath the sheet-metal and fairing like most thought.
They used a totally different frame and mounting system of the drivetrain (engine/tranny to frame/swingarm).

I think this is still the case, no?

Check all you want, the FLTR, FLHR and FLHT are all on the same frame now.

This means the road glide, street glide, electra glide and Road King are all on the same frame.

The difference is the fairing, or wind shield or tour pack and so on.


My wife has a Street Glide, I have a Road glide and a road king. They are all on the same frame, ones a 11, ones a 12 and ones a 13 same order as I named them. Rake and trail is the same.

Me, I will take a King or Road Glide over and Street glide or any thing else with a batwing. I do not like the fairing moving or the weight shift, of the effects wind has on the fork mounted fairing.

[DURWOOD]

In my opinion the one with the buffeting issues is the Roadglide,the stock windshield on the RGU is terrible...If you where a full or modular helmet.

Other than that the RG gets it done,however I do have to take all the flaming and goldwing jokes from my batty friends..

[scottq60]

I sure am glad I don't experience all the "awful buffeting and ill handling" issues with the batwing on my Ultra. Guess I'm just one of the lucky ones.

[Thermodyne]

Originally Posted by DURWOOD

In my opinion the one with the buffeting issues is the Roadglide,the stock windshield on the RGU is terrible...If you where a full or modular helmet.

Other than that the RG gets it done,however I do have to take all the flaming and goldwing jokes from my batty friends..

Agree, the stock TRX windshield is a joke, and the TRU screen is a few inches short.

I've ridden both fairings and other than the difference in the location of things. Distance to the radio and such. What you will notice is the greater stability of the fixed fairing when on the slab mixed in with the trucks. Zero turbulence induced steering. The down side in that sitting so far behind the windshield means that you'll need a taller one to keep the air off of your head. And with a tall flat screen, there is some turbulence at speeds over 75-80 mph. The formed aerodynamic screens help with this a lot, but if you ride two up, there might be some complaints from the passenger. The aero screens tend to dump a lot of air in from the sides.

As to looking like a wing........I'm waiting for someone to come up with a headlamp treatment to address that.

Seriously, the only change I would make to the fixed fairing would be the glove box doors. They need to be accessible while you're moving.

[msocko3]

Originally Posted by scottq60

I sure am glad I don't experience all the "awful buffeting and ill handling" issues with the batwing on my Ultra. Guess I'm just one of the lucky ones.

I've never experienced it on any of my batwing bikes. Maybe some folks just need to join a gym.

[suisidehacker]

Why not rent both for a few days and compare yourself??? Next problem......

[Agroach]

My opinion is part of the answer might be your height. The SG places the rider closer to the fairing giving you more air protection when comparing stock shields. On windy patches all it takes is a lean forward to get more protection. Harder to get that on the RG with stock windshield.

If you are 6'2 or more I think you fit better on the RG and seems more symmetrical for rider/ bike. That's my opinion-- I've had both but now have 13' RG.