TESTED: Harley-Davidson Street Glide

Every now and again it pays to step outside of your comfort zone and try new things… including 1923cc, 368-kilo baggers. Andy Bell did. A very long trip with a pillion. Here’s how he got on.

I used to say, “I’ll only ever have sports bikes,” but as I get older, I find myself wanting to experience every aspect that two wheels has to offer. So, with that in mind, when an opportunity popped up to immerse myself in living with a Harley-Davidson for a long weekend – incorporating a road trip to an owner’s event with plenty of bikes, bands and beer thrown in – I had to snap it up. The plan was fairly simple: to borrow a Harley-Davidson Street Glide, pack enough clothes for a weekend and head 450 miles north from Lincolnshire to attend Thunder in the Glens, organised by the Dunedin Chapter of the Harley Owners Group in Aviemore, Scotland. 

This takes place over the August Bank Holiday, when many other of my typical biking highlights occur, so it was set to make for a completely different experience to my status quo. And likewise for my very understanding and supportive wife (who, at that point, I’d been married to for less than two weeks!) who’d agreed to jump aboard for the ride with the promise of an adventure. 

The Street Glide is from Harley’s Grand American Touring range, yet didn’t look too intimidating for my first time on a ‘bagger’. Any initial concerns regarding getting to grips with a machine of this nature were soon squashed after the wheels were in motion. A large and low comfy seat with loads of room to move helped with the feeling of being ‘in’ the bike, and with the seat height at only 715mm, it meant both of my feet could be easily planted on the floor, which helped with confidence when setting off or coming to a halt with this heavier machine than I’m used to. 

Firing up the Milwaukee-Eight 117 engine while sat on the bike produced the characteristic shaking into life that comes from a large V-twin motor (117 cubic inch engine equates to 1923cc, and delivers 107bhp), only adding to my initial thoughts that the next few days would be remembered as an experience. I was pleased to get just a few miles under my belt after collecting the bike on my own to get to grips with the different riding stance, in particular the floorboards instead of pegs with a relaxed feet forward position, before setting off fully laden and with the missus as pillion. 

Possibly the biggest difference I found while riding was actually during the lower speed manoeuvres. Instead of trying to muscle the bike where I wanted it to be, I found clutch control played a bigger part and using the power to turn helped so much in preventing the front from falling in too much. Pulling up to a parking spot or an approach to a Give Way sign, I did find myself planning ahead even more than I usually do with positioning the bike so I could pull away in the direction I was intending to go with less effort. With parking, I’d look for a spot where I knew I could pull away again or somewhere I could back it into – these bikes are not the same to just throw around in a tight spot due to the increase in weight and, at 368kg, it’s a little over what I am accustomed to. 

Having said that, it might sound like a bit of a pain to live with if you’re not used to it, but I did find this became second nature quite quickly. At speed I was really surprised how nimble the Street Glide was. While this bike is not even trying to pretend that it is a sports bike, changing direction was actually a rewarding affair and cracking the power on to lift the bike out of the bends contributed to the pleasure. With the long and low stance combined with longer handlebars I did expect to feel excessive flex, but never felt anything to really note here; for what we were getting up to it was behaving quite well.

It was the suspension where I had mixed feelings. Most of the time everything was okay, from cruising along on the motorway or powering through twisty back roads. However, there was no escaping the fact that every so often the rear would bottom out with quite a jolt. We were by no means overloaded or even necessarily on particularly bumpy roads, but if I were to buy this with the intention of riding with a pillion then the first thing I’d have to do was focus on making the ride a bit firmer. Despite that little moan I was really enjoying covering distance on the SG. 

Soon after leaving home, we had a few hours on the motorway just to push on and get some miles ticked off, which gave me more time to have a fiddle with what was on offer on the screen while sat behind the wide batwing fairing. The cruise control was so easy to learn and use with nothing complicated to work out, not that I felt I needed to use it much as with the riding position being so comfortable it did not generate any of the usual aches and sore spots that I often expect when riding any distance.

The fairing houses a whopping 312mm TFT touchscreen colour display. I was quite impressed by this and the Infotainment on offer. The dash had three display options, but I favoured the analogue-style clocks with sat-nav in between the speedo and rev counter. The sat-nav was very intuitive and could be adjusted on the move, with the touchscreen being usable with a gloved hand. Despite the large screen and wealth of information to show, at no time was I looking around for what I needed, and the display was clear to see even when the sun did shine.

There is an extensive amount of electronics built in for safety and with options to change the bike’s character, with four ride modes including Road, Sport, Rain and Custom, where you can adjust not only the power delivery, but also the engine braking, Cornering ABS and Cornering Traction Control. To be fair, for our trip we stayed in Road mode, occasionally switching to Rain just for the extra confidence as and when we encountered a shower. 

The pair of 4-piston brake calipers up front did a good job of pulling the bike up smoothly, but did require a little bit of extra thinking ahead as you are asking them to do a lot with the weight of the bike. The ABS never flickered that I noticed, despite pushing on into the twisty back roads, though a big part of this could be down to the fact that the bike always felt quite planted on the Tarmac.

I was content covering distance on the Street Glide, so much so that I set the sat-nav for our first big pitstop according to the fuel range. As we were approaching the Scottish border at Carter Bar on the A68 my plan nearly came unstuck. With 20 miles to go to the next petrol station at Jedburgh and the range indicating 50 miles left in the tank, a little panic set in when the range started to drop faster than the miles we were covering. As we stopped for the obligatory photo at the border, the range dropped to a total of zero miles left, not going unnoticed by the missus as she was watching the display over my shoulder. 

After taking said photos – and reminding her I promised an adventure – and with no help around, we made the joint decision to push on steadily to Jedburgh in the hope of making it on the little fuel that we could hear sloshing around in the tank. Two-hundred-and-forty miles from home, we were so pleased to see the big yellow scallop with a near-empty forecourt waiting for us to roll into. 

We had made it, but now I was wondering how much of a toll the 240 miles we had already covered would take on my bank account as I now had to fill the long and wide tank. Amazingly though, at just over 20 litres it was full, meaning that we’d had about half-a-gallon left to go. The onboard computer was saying that we had averaged 56mpg, which really did surprise me considering the mix of motorway miles and the quite quick, but legal spell on A-roads we had covered.

Overall, I can honestly say that I enjoyed the journey up on the Street Glide and found it great for covering the distance. The large batwing fairing which incorporates a vent to prevent head buffeting did an amazing job and was a great place to be for distance. The floorboards and large seat give options for positioning that allow you to push back into when you like, preventing any of the usual leg cramp. 

After arriving at the event, it was a mixed feeling of ‘Right, we’re here now’ and ‘I’d like a few more miles, please’. As it was, the missus was ready to get off, and so it was time to get a quick shower and grab that first beer.

Specification

Harley-Davidson Street Glide

Price: From £26,795 (Black trim + £1800, Whiskey Fire paint + £500)

Engine: 1923cc, 8v, V-twin, air/liquid cooled

Power: 107bhp (80kW) @ 5020rpm

Torque: 175Nm @ 3500rpm

Frame: Steel cradle

Wheelbase: 1625mm

Brakes: (F) 2 x 300mm discs, radially mounted, 4-piston calipers. (R) 240mm disc, floating single piston caliper

Suspension: (F) 49mm forks, non-adjustable. (R) Dual shocks, preload-adjustable

Wheels/Tyres: (F) Cast aluminium wheel, Dunlop 130/60B19 61H tyre. (R) Cast aluminium wheel, Dunlop 180/55B18 80H tyre

Seat height: 715mm

Fuel capacity: 22.7 litres

MPG: 56mpg (tested)

Warranty: 2 years

Contact: www.harley-davidson.com

The event

Thunder in the Glens is an annual rally, organised by the Dunedin Chapter in partnership with Edinburgh Harley-Davidson. The event has grown since its inception in 1997 and attracts over 10,000 visitors to Aviemore. There are the usual attractions that you would expect, but here it did feel beefed up. There were over 50 trade stands; a well-supported custom show; mass ride-out; official Harley presence with demo bikes to try; and a plethora of music throughout the weekend from many of the different venues. 

The aspect that did stand out from first arriving was how well organised everything seemed to be, from the ride-through wristband collection gazebos to how well the rally integrated with the local area.

With having the whole weekend at our disposal there was plenty of time to get out and about to see the various bikes and speak to several of the riders. With all the options to customise the bikes I don’t believe I saw any two bikes the same, but this did help distinguish some and helped us to recognise a few that we had seen on the way up either at services or just in passing on the road. 

I was very honest each time I was asked what bike I owned or what I rode, with my standard response of informing whoever was asking that the very first time I swung my leg over a Harley was when I set off to head there. Everyone we spoke to was keen to hear what we thought about our experience and, despite my limited knowledge on previous models, we still had that common interest of motorbikes that we felt was even more present here with an overwhelming sense of inclusivity. No egos, no dramas, just a pure love for the bikes.

Am I ready to turn my back on sports bikes? Maybe not. However, since our return I have spent far too long looking on internet auction sites at Harleys for sale, narrowly escaping spending the money I don’t currently have on several occasions…

The Route

Leaving our rural corner of Lincolnshire isn’t the swiftest of things to do, with the nearest motorway being an hour away in any direction from where we live. This is compensated, however, with having some lovely roads to ride, so I did get a good feeling for the way the bike was going to handle, carrying us both fairly swiftly. Heading north we picked up the motorways, ultimately aiming for the A1 just to get some of the miles under our belt as we had quite a distance to cover after setting off a little later than planned. 

After a couple of hours, eight miles north of Scotch Corner we turned off to join the A68 heading for Northumberland and the Scottish border. This is a stretch of road I have covered a couple of times before and found it to be my preferred option for crossing the Anglo-Scottish border. 

The A68 stretches from Darlington to Edinburgh, passing through some pretty towns and villages, and provides a more scenic route than the main road alternatives. The couple of hours or so that we spent on this road also gave us the chance to move around and keep us alert with some twisty sections and several consecutive blind summits (if you have been here you`ll know the section).

I was tempted to cross the Forth Road Bridge but opted to go a little further around, passing The Kelpies at Falkirk and a little detour at Stirling to see the National Wallace Monument. After a quick photo we were soon on the A9 all the way to Aviemore. 

The A9 is a lovely, flowing road with a few dual carriageway sections which helped to get by any slower traffic. However, while on the A9 you have to focus on your speed as it could be so easy to get carried away on the wide stretches with long, flowing bends, what with the number of speed cameras due to a high statistic of accidents. 

This is the part of the trip where we knew we were definitely heading the right way due to the ever-increasing number of Harley riders about on the road, as the miles to the destination seemed to decrease with less effort due to the lovely change in scenery and feeling of camaraderie that came from each nod or wave we received.

A Pillion’s Perspective (from Andy’s wife)

I’ve been a pillion for many years, but mainly on sports bikes. I’m now a little more mature in years and when I see a Harley go past, I’m envious of the pillion riding position so I jumped at the chance when Andy mentioned the trip. I knew Aviemore was in Scotland, but I didn’t know it was 427 miles and an almost eight-hour journey away… 

 

So, the adventure begins, starting with packing the panniers for a three-night stay, knowing we could experience all weathers. We left our home mid-morning and headed on our way for what was to be an epic journey. 

I’m sure I’m not on my own in being useless with directions, but as a passenger I was able to simply enjoy the ride and scenery. Andy said we’d be going the scenic route rather than the motorway, and with the Harley having a large display I could peak over his shoulder and keep an eye on the route with it having the most amazing sat-nav. I was finding the ride quite comfortable and as Harley had added a back rest, the pillion position was made even more comfortable. 

The next day we made our way to the Harley-Davidson stand, where they had a selection of various bikes. I had my eye on the Ultra Limited with its rather large passenger seat. We took it out for a demo ride, and I knew instantly that as a pillion this was the next step up from the Street Glide. After a little chat with the staff, they suggested that we could return home on the Ultra, and it was an instant “Yes please” from me!

Homeward bound and I was truly sad to be leaving, but was excited to now try the Ultra. Comfortable, smooth and with the larger panniers offering extra storage, we even managed to get a few gifts in! Both the Dunedin Chapter and Harley-Davidson welcomed us, and we both enjoyed the whole weekend, from the bike to the entertainment. We shall be back!

Ultra Limited

We took advantage of the chance to try a few of the demo bikes on offer from the Harley range while we were at the event, and both agreed that the Ultra Limited would most likely make a better option for the return trip. The amazing staff from HD learned of our thoughts (I might not have been too subtle with the hints!) and they offered to make the swap for our return journey. 

With more weight (416kg) and less power (87bhp), I was wondering if we would be left wanting in performance after leaving the Street Glide behind, but for what we needed there wasn’t anything to worry about during our journey home.

The extra storage space made packing for the return trip so much easier, and the ‘armchair’-style pillion seat was the biggest draw for the missus. Another trick the Ultra has is the Reflex Linked Brembo brakes with standard ABS when using the rear brake pedal. I found this option was a really useful tool as it helped to provide a smoother ride, keeping the front from diving through the forks as using the front alone would do.

We managed the eight-hour ride home on this bike easily, helped by the vented screen that took just about all of the wind off me, so much so that when lifting my visor to scratch an itch at 70mph it was hardly noticeable. 

As with the Street Glide, the screen and Infotainment helped to make being behind the batwing fairing a lovely place to be, although the sat-nav wasn’t as clear and easy to use and, while I’m being picky, the gear display goes blank while the clutch is pulled in. Something small maybe, and I know these items have not been around forever, but I was left stamping on the gear lever at traffic lights just to make sure I was in first before setting off. I have heard that these are areas that might be addressed for the future.

If I was riding on my own, or if we were going for shorter ride-outs, then I’d prefer the Street Glide, but the Ultra Limited was by far the better choice for us both for what we were doing, and we were left thinking without a doubt that if we were going to be covering long distances on a more regular basis then we would go for this mile-muncher.