Building a bike capable of travelling in a straight line isn't exactly the pinnacle of engineering excellence. I test rode a Suzuki GSX-S1000GT and a BMW S1000 XR recently, and both were capable of handling highways and could take corners at a respectable pace. Hell, you can get a Kawasaki H2 SX for the same money as a Road Glide.
As an AMERICAN I need to comment on these thoughts of this bike being so big.. NOPE. I said NO! its not big. Its the perfect size. Very agile for its size. Take enough time to get comfortable and you will forget size. Also slow speed maneuvers are no more than practice. As soon as your feet leave the ground size is only a problem in your mind! Great review. Full discloser.. I bought a 2024 Street Glide. US $26 grand.
As an American who enjoys his American V twin as much as the rest. I would be hard pressed to want a Harley as my main bike if I lived in most European or Asian countries. Their roads are not built like ours especially in urban areas. Good reason why small displacement motorcycles and scooters sell so well over there compared to here. Now you wanna ride from Arizona to Maine...we have another story.
I also have the 24 RG and it doesn't feel heavy to me, although I've been on touring bikes for a while. I don't find it just a straight line bike, it seems quite nimble to me. It's a bike you can ride much longer than most bikes.
I live in the US and have rented a couple HD's (Road and Street Glide). Nice bikes for what they are but I wasn't impressed. They're just very poor value for the money compared to other metric options like the Goldwing or K1600. The Pan America was the very first bike that showed HD can make a good value for money product.
Not the most reliable Harley it would seem. Friends of mine have them in the States and they spent an awful lot of money and just got a load of trouble. They seem to sell loads of them. They’re a bit like the GS, everybody has one.
I own one and never expected to buy a Road Glide as I always preferred the Street Glide. It is so much more agile than one would expect and the handlebar is easily adjustable to fit any rider. Power actually feels better than the 117 on the previous generation and the heat is nearly all gone with liquid cooled heads. Still Harley needs to figure out an adjustable windscreen similar to BMW - the Indian solution is ugly. While the air protection was great off the show floor I needed a taller windscreen for high speed highway riding. The side wings do a great job of sending air into the rider keeping even the hottest days comfortable. Remote locking not present at this price point is ridiculous as well. When compared to BMW's large screen just remember Harley has Apple Carplay and BMW does not. BMW really needs to correct that. Honda, Indian, and Harley, all support Carplay on their tour models. BMW caved when car buyers complained so they have no real excuse here. I have ridden BMW since 96 with a few Harleys thrown in for good measure, friends don't let friends buy the R18
Nice motorbike. At least it's not *SHUDDER* a "naked" bike. As for exhaust note? I don't want a LOUD touring bike. In fact, I don't want a LOUD any kind of bike. BMW's R18 is not worth the money at all. The motor looks like a pair of armadillos grilling on the BBQ. The Goldwing is long since dethroned. The BMW 6 isn't worthy of its maintenance costs at all. Thanks for a nice look at this model! SS
MOTOBOB, the bike is not big, it is a small bike when compared to the Indian Challenger, BMW K1600B, or BMW R18… the only thing big is the weight. ( I own a 2023 HD RGST, and an Indian Challenger Darkhorse)
Rider modes are your clutch hand in your throttle hand not some computer doing it for you this is just my preference I'm old school nothing against anybody who likes it the new way
100% weight on butt, arms high, and the only weight on feet is the weight of your own legs..... That is _NOT_ comfortable, especially with limited rear wheel travel and every bump in the road telegraphed up your spine. Only bikes I've tried with similar fairing and windscreen were the Yamaha/Star Venture. At highway speed, my head sounded like it was stuffed inside a giant dust devil. Noise was horrible, buffeting vibration was starting to affect my vision and knock my helmet around.
First time Harley owner (I bought that exact bike). I honestly really enjoy it! I am a former sport bike, 690 sumo, R1250RS owner. I find the updated electronics are very good! The power (in sport mode) is adequate for such a big bike. The ergonomics are very comfortable. My only real complaint is the suspension, it’s pretty miserable. I’ll probably invest in some Öhlins upgrades. All in all, I’m very happy with my purchase.
@@jessej313- I went with the Screaming Eagle Öhlins Piggy Back rear suspension for now on my 2023 RG ST, Works well, much better than the kidney buster the standard suspension was.
I don't like the fairing's style, I'm one of those who prefer the twin lights style. And I don't like the new massive touch screen in place of the "real" gauges... They made the same mistake with the new street glide, but at least the fairing hasn't been completely changed on that one...
Bob is getting paychecks from HD … eventually this happens to you tube reviewers they get popular and then the paychecks then their credibility drops significantly….
I think BMW R 18 B is more authentic than the HD. BMW made their first bagger in 1977. HD Road glide looks uglier than many other HDs with that ridiculous fairing.
The perfect Motorbike to match new film “The Bike Riders”…. No amount of hype can save either from being a monumental disappointment, waste of money and time. The three superb lead actors criminally wasted on a vehicle set on cruise control to nowhere. This Motorbike similarly has lost or never had a raison d’etre. Moto Bob valiantly attempting positivity by polishing this “you know what” with the only upside available that it’s not as bad as it was….That’s still a long way and a lot of money from good…. bunging a bigger telly on the front to distract you from what you’re not meant to be distracted from at best misguided.
The 24 Harley's have made some substantial improvements to date but what i can't get over is the suspension aspect of it..still have to use a knob n spaner wrench to adjust preload.. c'mon..I have ESA on my BMW..just sit on it and it automatically adjust to whoever is on it.. including luggage..other than that it looks ok😮😊
