Hi, newbie here with 1st post.

Just wanting to get some wisdom and experience from those who own/ride the Street Glide.  I'm looking at ordering a new 08/09 model.

Is the $5K extra over the Std Glide worth it? Is the comfort and handling compromised for style? (ie low seat, lowered rear and less suspension travel?) Anything else I should know about?

Thanks for any input.  I come from a long list  of bikes; last two were evo wide glide and a brief time with a big bore Jap V-twin (never again). 

Cheers,

Wingnut.

Hi Wingnut and welcome to thew forum.

I think it is a personal choice,I think the Electra Glide Std is the best value of the touring bikes,$5K buys you a lot of accessories that can turn it into your own creation,and not look like everyone elses.That is the way I was going to go before I bought my RK,decided I couldn't live with a permanent screen.What ever you decide,you will still get a good ride.

 

nobody

I agree with Nobody, at least with the RK you can take the screen off when you feel like eating bugs again.
Get what you want!!!!

theres nothing wrong with eating BUGGS thats how i get my vitamins

Its all meat.....

Thanks Hogbag,  Yeah, the Std Glide is great value for money.

A couple of you have mentioned the RK - I never considered this bike because I'm not really a fan of big windscreens... Does the RK screen cause buffetting when you hit higher speeds?  Are you supposed to look through the windscreen, or over it?  I'd rather eat bugs that get my head pushed around by windscreen screen buffeting if you know what I mean....

Sorry for all the Questions.

Thanks again,

Wingnut.

Thanks Karlrockdrain,

Thanks for the info. The street glide is one nice looking bike, but I am also finding the extra $5K hard to justify as that is a lot of extra customising cash!

Cheers, Wingnut.

Thanks for the welcome nobody.

The RK would be my 2nd choice for a tourer, but from what I've "heard" the big traditional windscreen can cause a lot of annoying helmet buffetting at highway speed.... Whats your experience with that RK screen? 

Cheers, Wingnut.

Wingnut,to tell you the truth,I never ride with the screen,hate the bloody things,if I wanted a screen I would drive the car.Guess I am a bit too ols school and prefer the wind in my face,even though I must have mellowed over the years as I just bought a helmet with a face shield.As far as buffeting goes,it depends on the screen,if you sit too tall in relation to the screen,you will get buffeted,I cut down the screen on my old Heritage to try to look over it and couldn't believe the buffeting.As far a looking over/through the screen,it is a personal thing,some prefer to look over,many others prefer to look through.Many people have had great results with an aftermarket screen from Clearview that has a curve at the top to redirect the wind over the riders head,and it is available in different heights,this same thing is also available for the EG standard and the Street glide.The choice is down to the individual in the end.If I was going to be doing mainly long touring miles I would have bought anEG std and spent the money I had saved making it mine,but as the miles I do is mainly just day rides with the odd weekend and round town rides,the RK is a lot easier to live with without the bulk of the fairing in front,adding weight to the front end.

 

nobody

I dont take the RKC out 4 a ride with the screen on...but if im gunna do a bigger trip i will put it on cause its so easy to put on and off.......but i never get the probs written on here and im a tall bloke that site over the top of the screen.....keeps the cold off me too thats why i love the RKC......but 99% of the time i leave it off cause it looks like shit on a nice bike...

I was gunna buy a Streety but went with the ultra because by the time i put on what i wanted i would have ended up with an ultra anyway. this is also my first Harley and 12 months and 30 000 ks later i cant see meself ridin anything else.

Been using the screen on my new RKC since I picked it up last week. Never had a bike with a screen on before so its a new experience for me.

Been good in the cold weather to keep the cold wind of my chest but I can see it coming off as the weather warms up.

No real problems with wind buffetting, just not real happy with the stock handle bars. Heard that the bars are different cause of the "fly by wire" throttle. A set of Heritage bars would do the job though.

I had a Softail, hence no screen and I put up with the buffeting, in head winds I slowed down a bit.
Now with the RKC I hardly ride without the screen. I'm 5'10" and when I ride I see just over the top for the normal view, where you are supposed to look, and closer to the bike, through the screen. No Problems. As far as buffeting goes, it doesn't happen, and in fact it makes the ride in a strong wind day, like today very easy. I was feeling sorry for the guys without the screens. I'm a screen convert, and it looks OK on the Classic as far as I'm concerned. It's piss easy to remove if you want to, for example when I stayed at the Motel last night, I took it off and stashed in the room, easy peezy.

Heres my two cents

I am 6'2" and own the RKC ... I ride with and without the screen ... as for looks that doesnt really matter, its more about comfort

Earlier this year I rode to Melb with the screen ..on the highway it was great, sat in a nice little air pocket, had cruise on and didnt have to hang onto the bars as if my life counted on it ...very comfortable ride ...I find that if winds are strong then the screen saves a lot of buffeting on the body and as a result you dont feel as tired ..I look over the screen when it is on, do I get major buffeting, I dont really think so, not anymore than if I didnt have the screen on

Have test ridden a street glide and found that with the stock windscreen on it, my head was severly buffeted at any decent speed ... I would have had to go a bigger screen to the stock in order to ride that bike enjoyably ..did enjoy the bike tho despite the windscreen issue, very nimble and very sporty

The fact that you can take the screen off the RKC in under a minute and change the ride and look is great ... cant do that with the Street glide

I am extremely happy with the RKC, it does two up riding wonderfully, looks great and can be chucked around so easily on the road ..plus you can change how it looks within minutes

if the standard is cheaper by 5k then it would make sense, as others have said, to go that way if that is the style of bike you like... 5k would allow you to do so much to it ..nearly everyone ends up changing the "stock" bike they buy anyway

bottom line tho ..whatever you choose, dont look back and regret the choice, simply enjoy what you chose and dont worry about what anyone else thinks ..it is YOUR bike

Thanks for the opinions  and shared experiences fellas.  Most helpful.  

I'm booked in for a test ride on a STglide, so I will see how I go.

Cheers, Wingnut.

I've got an 07 Street Glide and love it, looks great and rides great. will get a bit of the price difference back when I trade later, and there is less you will be tempted to add from the catalog

Better still, get the black bike and black pipes

I just signed a contract put down a deposit on a 09 street glide black ice /blue ice its awesome i just lost my 06 fat boy and 76 shovel to an explosion in my shed very sad just wish insurance would get a move on and pay up Ant brooks northern Tasmania

More than happy with my Street Glide after I put on a larger screen to stop the buffetting

Thanks Scotty,

did the different screen make much difference to the airflow over rider/pillion?