What is the difference Between the Touring bikes?? Road King-Road Glide-Street... etc

My best advise is to go rent each of the HD touring bikes and see which one feels the best to you. They each use the same frame but as you note the Street Glide is lowered and basically a Road King with a fairing. The difference between the Ultra or EG and the RG is the fixed fairing on the RG. For me the answer to what was the best fit for me was the RG by a long shot. It handles unbelievably well for a big bike, you just have to ride it to see. As far as the use or enjoyment of the stereo you will be able to hear it on all of them. Just one thing pay attention to how the bars are set up on the bike before you take off on the rental ride (and I suggest you do a full weekend with each bike). The dealer will adjust the bars for you to get them in a comfortable position if need be. Also sometimes the dealers will have similair looking bikes in their rental fleets but they have different bars on them. Pay attention and look to see if the bars are the pull back bars or not. For example I rode an Ultra with pull back bars and hated it but liked another Ultra without them. The pull back bars just put my hand position too close to me than I needed. Another thing, look at the list of equipment that comes on these bikes standard. Go to the HD website and print the lists and compare. You will see the Ultra comes standard with some more equipment than the EG or the RG, being the CB/Intercom and Ultra tourpack , etc. They are all great bikes you just have to find the one that suits YOU the best. For me it was the RG but it will not be for everyone. Let us know which you liked after you ride them all. Hope this helps.

Road Glider said:

My best advise is to go rent each of the HD touring bikes and see which one feels the best to you. They each use the same frame but as you note the Street Glide is lowered and basically a Road King with a fairing. The difference between the Ultra or EG and the RG is the fixed fairing on the RG. For me the answer to what was the best fit for me was the RG by a long shot. It handles unbelievably well for a big bike, you just have to ride it to see. As far as the use or enjoyment of the stereo you will be able to hear it on all of them. Just one thing pay attention to how the bars are set up on the bike before you take off on the rental ride (and I suggest you do a full weekend with each bike). The dealer will adjust the bars for you to get them in a comfortable position if need be. Also sometimes the dealers will have similair looking bikes in their rental fleets but they have different bars on them. Pay attention and look to see if the bars are the pull back bars or not. For example I rode an Ultra with pull back bars and hated it but liked another Ultra without them. The pull back bars just put my hand position too close to me than I needed. Another thing, look at the list of equipment that comes on these bikes standard. Go to the HD website and print the lists and compare. You will see the Ultra comes standard with some more equipment than the EG or the RG, being the CB/Intercom and Ultra tourpack , etc. They are all great bikes you just have to find the one that suits YOU the best. For me it was the RG but it will not be for everyone. Let us know which you liked after you ride them all. Hope this helps.

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Fit is so important! A few years ago I spent a couple seasons bikeless and all during this awful period of my life I kept thinking I wanted a Road Glide. Went on a weeklong trip with my riding buddies on a rented Road Glide. I hated it.... or did I?? Through a complicated set of circumstances, I ended up with an 01 RG about a week later even though I had decided against the RG after renting. The one I bought was so out of adjustment, I don't know how the guy before me even rode it so I take it home and start adjusting, bars, levers, footboards. Well, I wouldn't trade my RG for anything now, it was awesome from the first ride after getting it properly adjusted. I just wish I'd have taken the 10 minutes to adjust the rental before I left the dealer.

When you rent, always get the dealer to adjust your rental bike before leaving the dealership, your experience will be much better!!

moulin6801 said:

Hello everyone! Since my first trip to Sturgis last year on my Dyna, I have been thinking and getting a touring bike, however I am a little confused with so many choices from H-D!
What is the main difference, specially in the long ride comfort between the Road King, Road Glide, Street Glide and Electra Glide?? They all seen to have the same engine and basic set up.
I like the fact that the Street Glide has a tachometer, but I like that Road Glide and Electra Glide has a higher ground clearance...
Why is the Street Glide the most expensive of those?
Which one has the best wind buffering/noise protection??
Can you rally enjoy the radio that Road and Street Glide have??
Thanks for all the input!!
David

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Hello David-

I have not ridden a Road King, Street Glide or Road Glide, but I do have an Electra Glide, as well as a Fatboy, so I will tell you what I know.

Think of your dana as a Corvette, think of the touring bikes as Caddilacs.

In the end, it really doesn't matter which one you get. After all, that decision should be yours and yours alone, anyway.

At that point, you'e simply choosing between a blond, bruenette, or red head.

If I had to pick a single word to describe my E-Glide, it would be smooth. I have literally woke up, filled up the tank, and found myself in Nashville TN for live blues at B.B. kings by 9pm.

These bikes were built for long trips, in that they are very comfortable, cruise control, high windshields, stereo (yes you can hear ), saddle bags, etc..etc..

I like the looks of the street glide, but the rider in me likes the standard height of the regular models...the street glide has been lowered somewhat.

Once you get used to the agility of a stock bike, the idea of lowering doesn't make much sense, but then again, I also have a lowered bike.

I tend to think of my Fatboy as a bar bike. It's sexy, loud, and lowered. no bags, no windshield. Completely stripped down to the essentials. A motor, a frame, handle bars, gas tank. The perfect bike for a "date night".

but a ride to Nashville??...No thank you.

If I could only have one Harley, what model would it be ? , A Road King.

You should get a H.O.G. membership, and simply rent the bike you like the most...that way, a lot of your questions will be answered right then and there.

good luck and God Bless,
David

my -2$en#e-
i had a '96 EG standard that had the lowering kit and the ride was harsh...i haven't ridden a streetglide - i'm sure the ride is better than my '96 was, but may not be a good as a classic or ultra.
find a dealer that will rent you one of each for 1/2 a day so you can judge for youself.

i like the black/chrome engines..which is what is on the streetglide, EG classic and Ultra...the EG standard is silver/no chrome..........the Road Kings are black/chrome, too. RoadGlides are silver/chrome

I bought an Ultra because i wanted all the bells & whistles...

The Streetglide and the EG Classic are the same price...if you put a detachable tour pak mount and a 4" dark windscreen on the Classic, you'll have a Streetglide(sort of) and you can add the tour pak for trips...about $200
If you add the Tourpak to the Streetglide...add another $600 - $1000

Street Glide Radio Cost

After trying for a long time to determine the reason a street glide is so expensive I concluded it was the $ 1,400 radio/CD player that made is so spendy.

If you do a spreadsheet of a few of the bikes your looking at. Then add or subtract the cost of a particular item you start to see the pattern. For example a standard glide has no radio; to add the radio as on a street glide it $ 1,400. Some people told me they though it was the chrome. But in reality the cost difference for the manufacturer to dealer to customer for chrome is minimal. The bike has to have cylinders, primary covers etc. But a radio is an add on.

When I talked with several dealers around the country (in their showrooms) I had most of the sales people instantly say the radio was why the street glide was worth more.

You know, if you look back just a decade or two, there might not seem to be much difference at all.

When you consider what people rode in those days, a padded seat was a major breakthrough. There wasn't a lot of custom parts. Saddlebags and windshields were the major accessories.

When the Vetter fairings appeared it was a giant step forward.

Adlerx mention proper fit, and I feel that's the most important concept here.

If my foot controls are too far forward, for example, my total weight rests on the small of my back. I'm good for about thirty miles in that position. I'm best with my pedals right underneath me.

But considering my back, I don't seem to need major back support.

Ride a few bikes at a Harley open-house and get a 'feel' for what's out there. There's nothing like personal choice. You must remember that many European riders lay forward on their tanks, resting on the hand controls.