When it comes to heavy-duty touring bikes arguably Harley rules the roost. So to find out how such mass performs I took the Street Glide for, er, a glide…
Touring bikes are a funny breed, not literally though. They’re designed to cover vast distances, bathed in comfort features, and the last thing on the designer’s sheet is weight saving. Oh yes, in the world of long distance touring weight can be your companion. But many motorcyclists will say they’re just ‘cars’ with two wheels, which I suppose in a form they are, but there’s no denying the attraction of a heavy and comfortable bike for a long haul, confirmed by high sales of this category of bike around the world.
However, you most certainly don’t want to commute through town traffic on a daily basis with one, unless you’ve no choice and forearms like Popeye’s. But once on the open roads with nothing but the horizon ahead of you it all makes sense. And this is why Harley’s Touring range is a marketing and sales success story and, yes, before you shout at me, older riders (to put it kindly) primarily buy this type of bike. 
Now I’ve ridden the iconic Electra Glide (also known as the Ultra) on quite a few occasions and I enjoyed the sheer opulence of the thing and, to me, that’s the best Harley tourer of all time, and still is. So what’s a Street Glide then, you ask? Well, as far as I can see it’s an Electra Glide with less ‘bits’, simple as that. Or, as Harley say, ‘A stripped down version of the Ultra’, which I think is what I’ve just said. And according to the H-D price list the Street Glide in this beautiful metallic ‘Vivid Black’ is R264,000 but, for only R27,000 more, you could have the full-dress Ultra and if I were buying a hefty Harley tourer I’d definitely splash out the extra for the latter version because of it’s unsurpassed comfort levels for both rider and, more importantly, the pillion.
I’ve just come back from the brilliant and highly entertaining ‘Harley on Safari’ event held at Sun City with Natalie on the back, but she was far from impressed with the rear seat to say the least. After only 100kms she said her bum and lower spine felt like they’d been used for cricket bat practice. So if you’re thinking of touring while riding alone with friends the Street Glide is fine, but if you’re taking along the resident hag be prepared for a bigger frown than Mugabe’s opposition, if you know what I mean? Even the suspension complained and not due to our combined weight, it just bottomed out with the slightest undulations on the road, which is not what I expected from such a focussed tourer. Apparently the twin rear shock air suspension can be pumped up using a valve somewhere near the rear mudguard assembly, which I couldn’t find, and inflate it with what? For a price tag like this surely an on-board compressor should be there, like a Honda Goldwing has for example?
Anyway moaning aside for two-up ventures I cherished this 103 cubic-inch (or 1,688cc in English) Harley engine. The lazy nature in the way it effortlessly chugs out forward motion is like no other motorcycle engine produced. The instantly recognisable Twin-Cam air-cooled V-Twin spews out its claimed 135Nm@3,250 of torque with arrogant ease and I can see the attraction of owning any Harley with this sweet motor. It’s even quite economical with a claimed 5.6 litres per 100kms, which is highly respectable from such a massive engine and with a 23 litre tank you can certainly travel a long way before the fuel light comes on. But don’t trust the on-board computer too much because we ran out of fuel on the way back from Sun City after an erroneous digital reading, or lying bastard clocks, so thanks for that.
If you do run out of fuel the dry mass of 355kgs is not what you want, so with two dudes on board and the matching sweeping panniers full you’ll find yourself on a bike on the far side of half a ton. But once on the move all this chubbiness magically disappears and the Street Glide is actually quite nimble and fun through the bends, and when it comes to stopping the ‘Glide the Brembo, yes Brembo, four-piston brakes with ABS stop the bike shockingly well, nice job in that area H-D.
Another thing that shocked me, and everyone else, is that incredible Harman/Kardon stereo unit. It’s as loud as anything found in a car and impeccably clear. It’s located inside the world’s biggest motorcycle dashboard behind the Bat-Wing fairing, silly name but apt. If you like looking at instruments on your travels you’ll drool over what the Street Glide has to offer. I felt like I was flying a plane and not riding a motorbike.
But a motorbike the Street Glide certainly is and a big one at that, but the other bikes in Harley’s touring range do it better, specifically the Ultras. But I’m sure a new owner will disagree as he/she joins in with the Harley family of friends and enjoys many hours on the roads going to events and lifestyle gatherings that no other manufacturers seem to offer, which is why all Harley-Davidsons are so appealing, no matter which one you choose to buy. 
